Treatments Beyond Pills

Pills are not the only option. These pages cover the treatments clinicians use when pills do not suit or do not work, and the newer therapies that are still being studied.

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ED treatment options beyond pills: devices, injections, implants and surgery

ED treatment options in the AUA guideline: pills, vacuum devices, urethral suppositories, injections, implants, vascular surgery and what is still experimental.

Implants

Penile implants: types, how they work, and who considers them
What a penile implant is, the inflatable and malleable types, how each works, who considers one, and what satisfaction studies show, from the AUA guideline.
Penile implant surgery and recovery: what to expect
How penile implant surgery is done, how painful recovery is reported to be, the infection and revision risks, and what men report about satisfaction.
Penile implant cost and insurance coverage
What a penile implant costs, using Medicare's 2026 price data, what drives the bill, how Medicare, private plans and Medicaid cover it, and what to ask first.

Injections and suppositories

ED injections and urethral suppositories: alprostadil, Trimix and MUSE
How ED injections and the MUSE urethral suppository work, what the in-office test is, why Trimix is compounded and not FDA-approved, and the priapism risk.

Devices

Vacuum erection devices and constriction rings: how they work and what to look for
How a vacuum erection device works, the safety features FDA and the AUA point to, the side effects NIDDK lists, who should be careful, and how to choose one.

Topicals

ED creams and gels: what is approved, and what is not
Which ED creams and gels regulators have approved: the Eroxon device gel, alprostadil cream in the UK and Europe, and why sildenafil cream is not FDA-approved.

Outlook

Can ED be reversed? Causes that can improve when treated
Can erectile dysfunction be cured? What NIH, the AUA guideline and trials show about causes that can improve with treatment, lifestyle change and time.

Experimental

Shockwave, PRP and stem cells for ED: what the guideline actually says
How the AUA guideline classes shockwave, PRP and stem cells for ED, what newer reviews and other guidelines found, and the newest options under study.

Also in this section

Filed under another topic, and relevant here too.

Does insurance or Medicare cover ED treatment?
Why Medicare drug plans exclude ED pills by law, what Medicare does pay for, how tadalafil for BPH differs, how private plans and the VA handle ED medicines.

Questions this section answers

All questions

ED Medications
How sildenafil, tadalafil, vardenafil and avanafil work and compare: side effects, interactions, generics and what the labels say.
Getting Care
When to see a doctor about ED, what the visit and tests involve, how online care works, and what treatment costs.
Related Conditions
Conditions that sit next to ED: Peyronie's disease, premature ejaculation, low libido and low testosterone.

Treatments Beyond Pills

Implants

Penile implants: types, how they work, and who considers them

Penile implant surgery and recovery: what to expect

Penile implant cost and insurance coverage

Injections and suppositories

ED injections and urethral suppositories: alprostadil, Trimix and MUSE

Devices

Vacuum erection devices and constriction rings: how they work and what to look for

Topicals

ED creams and gels: what is approved, and what is not

Outlook

Can ED be reversed? Causes that can improve when treated

Experimental

Shockwave, PRP and stem cells for ED: what the guideline actually says

Also in this section

Does insurance or Medicare cover ED treatment?

Questions this section answers

Related sections