A recent clinical trial has shown that a daily dose of tadalafil or Cialis can greatly reduce the symptoms of erectile dysfunction (ED) and benign hyperplasia of the prostate gland or BHP for short.
This may be viewed as very good news indeed for older men where both conditions often occur concurrently.
Now they, as it were, can kill two birds with the one stone and have one less tablet to take in the mornings.
In a large peer-review published clinical trial, Dr Gregory Broderick of the Mayo Clinic studied 1056 older men suffering from both erectile dysfunction and benign hypertrophy of their prostates.
This was a randomised placebo controlled study, top-drawer stuff, in other words.
The results were impressively in favour of tadalafil as a treatment for both ED and BPH.
The author of the study concluded as follows: 'If you should come into the doctor complaining of mild to moderate erectile dysfunction and mild to moderate benign hypertrophy of your prostate, you are likely to see improvements in both complaints with the daily use of tadalafil 5mg or more.
The reason why these scientific findings are of such interest is that theretofore men suffering form BPH, that is practically all men over a certain age, were offered a drug called an alpha-adrenergic blocker of which perhaps Flomax and Omnic are the most popular.
And, while these medications are very safe and effective in relieving the symptoms of BPH, they do nothing at all for ED.
Men with BPH and ED, again that is practically all men over a certain age, have to take an additional medication such as Viagra to fix the latter problem.
This is no longer best practise because now we know that one tablet - Cialis - could fix both problems at the same time.
However, be warned.
Do not go along to your doctor complaining of BHP and ED and expect that he will offer you Cialis 10mg daily to fix both problems.
The odds are overwhelmingly against that happening in fact.
First of all, your average GP may not be even aware of Broderick's recent study.
And secondly, doctors being the conservative people that they are, he may be reluctant to prescribe 'off label' that is to prescribe Cialis for BPH for which it is not as yet licensed.
Finally, there will be another barrier to doctors prescribing Cialis for BHP and ED and it is this.
Some doctors harbour the view that older men with ED should not be treated at all on the bases that their ED is "part of growing old" and is better left alone.
So, with all of these factors militating against your been given daily Cialis to help you with the symptoms of ED and BHP, what is a man to do? My advise is go to your doctor armed with a copy of Broderick's study and demand that he give you a prescription for a daily dose of Cialis 10mg and kill two birds with the one stone.
Good luck!