What are the treatment options for erectile dysfunction?
Treatment starts with the cause and with lifestyle; tablets come next, and injections, vacuum devices, counselling and, last, an implant follow when tablets don't suit or don't work. A doctor first treats any underlying condition, more than one treatment may be needed, and you may need treatment for both physical and psychological causes (healthdirect). The options healthdirect lists:
| Treatment | What it involves | Read |
|---|---|---|
| Lifestyle change | "Regular exercise, maintaining a healthy weight, managing stress, quitting smoking" (healthdirect) | How alcohol, smoking and exercise affect erections |
| ED tablets (PDE5 inhibitors) | Avanafil (Spedra), vardenafil, sildenafil (e.g. Viagra) and tadalafil (e.g. Cialis); prescription only in Australia. They help blood flow into the penis when you are sexually stimulated | Which medicines treat erectile dysfunction? |
| Alprostadil injection | "Injections work quickly and can be self-administered 15 minutes before sexual activity" (healthdirect) | How do penile injections work? |
| Vacuum erection device ("penis pump"), often with a ring | A low-pressure vacuum draws blood into the penis (healthdirect) | Penis cones and urethral cones |
| Counselling or sex therapy | For psychological causes, and may include your partner (healthdirect) | Treating psychological ED |
| Penile implant | Surgery, when nothing else works or suits (Healthy Male) | What surgery is there for ED? |
| PRP injections, shock wave therapy | "Not yet been proven to cure ED" (healthdirect) | What are the newest ED treatments? |
The overview in one place: treatment options for erectile dysfunction and impotence. How the tablets compare with each other is on our home page, and the condition itself — causes, symptoms, the GP visit — in our guide to erectile dysfunction.
How are erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation treated together?
By first working out which problem comes first — the two are often confused and can happen together. A man with ED may rush to ejaculate before he loses his erection, and a man who ejaculates early may say he has ED because the erection goes afterwards (Australian Prescriber). Premature ejaculation that starts later in life is usually due to another problem, erectile dysfunction among them (healthdirect). One pairing is ruled out: dapoxetine (Priligy), a prescription medicine for premature ejaculation, "should not be used in men with erectile dysfunction (ED) who are using PDE5 inhibitors" (Priligy product information). Treatment for premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction, can sildenafil and dapoxetine be taken together? and, for lasting longer on its own, how to last longer in bed.
Can a TENS unit or electrical stimulation treat erectile dysfunction?
It is not an established treatment: the research is small and weak. Electrical stimulation is not among the treatments healthdirect, Healthy Male or Australian Prescriber list. A 2025 review found only three randomised trials, with 82 men in all, and rated the certainty of the evidence low (review, 2025); another concluded that the evidence "is weak and cannot support routine administration" (review, 2025). Can a TENS device be used for erectile dysfunction?, using a TENS unit for ED and can electrical stimulation treat erectile dysfunction?
Does alfuzosin or another prostate medicine help erectile dysfunction?
Alfuzosin is not an ED treatment; it treats an enlarged prostate. Its Australian leaflet says it is used for benign prostatic hyperplasia and "works by relaxing the muscles in the prostate gland" to increase the flow of urine (Xatral SR CMI, May 2026). For men with both problems, daily tadalafil "can improve lower urinary tract symptoms" as well as erections (Australian Prescriber). Does alfuzosin help with erectile dysfunction?, can Cialis help with an enlarged prostate? and, taken with an ED tablet, can alfuzosin and sildenafil be taken together?
How do penile injections for erectile dysfunction work?
A medicine injected into the side of the penis produces an erection within minutes. Injections tend to be used when ED tablets do not work. The medicine is alprostadil, which may be combined with papaverine and phentolamine; sex may begin within 10–15 minutes, the lowest effective dose is used to avoid priapism — an erection that will not go down, which can be a medical emergency — and pain can come on after the injection (Australian Prescriber). A health professional teaches you to inject yourself (healthdirect). Penile injections for erectile dysfunction; an injection mix is not combined with a tablet — can Viagra and Trimix be used together?
Do vacuum pumps, rings and penis cones work?
Yes, for many men. "Many people find devices like vacuum erection devices helpful": the pump creates a low-pressure vacuum that draws blood into the penis (healthdirect), and a penile ring helps keep the erection (healthdirect). Australian Prescriber reports high satisfaction and an effective option for any man with ED, more so after prostate surgery, with diabetes or a spinal cord injury, though the devices can be cumbersome and need some training. The cone question: are urethral cones or penis cones a treatment for ED?
Can counselling or sex therapy treat erectile dysfunction?
Yes, when stress, anxiety or the relationship play a part. Cognitive behavioural therapy or sex therapy, which may include your partner, can come from your GP, a psychologist or a mental health professional, and trained sex therapists offer specialised counselling (healthdirect). Australian Prescriber recommends sex therapy particularly where there is a significant psychological part, and when medical treatment has not worked: treatment options for psychogenic erectile dysfunction.
Do shock wave therapy, PRP or chiropractic work for erectile dysfunction?
None is a proven treatment. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections and acoustic shock wave therapy "have not yet been proven to cure ED" and "are not currently recommended by doctors as effective and safe treatment options for ED" (healthdirect); shock wave treatment "appears to work best for the older patient with vasculogenic erectile dysfunction, but lacks robust evidence of efficacy" (Australian Prescriber), and Healthy Male calls both unproven. Chiropractic is not among the treatments any of these sources list. Does shockwave therapy work for erectile dysfunction?, the latest treatments for ED and can chiropractic treatment improve erectile dysfunction?
When is a penile implant the answer?
When other treatments have failed or do not suit. An implant is "a very effective treatment no matter the aetiology or severity of the erectile dysfunction and even if all other treatments have failed or are not suitable. However, it is irreversible" (Australian Prescriber); Healthy Male describes it as the option "if nothing else improves your erectile dysfunction" (Healthy Male). Surgical options for treating erectile dysfunction and penile implants and surgery.
Which doctor treats erectile dysfunction, and where do you start?
Start with your GP. In Australia ED medicines need a prescription, and a doctor assesses you first (healthdirect). The GP asks about your sexual history, general health and relationships, examines you, may order blood tests or an ultrasound, and may refer you to a specialist such as a urologist (healthdirect); sexual health physicians, psychologists and sex therapists treat ED too (Australian Prescriber). Healthy Male suggests asking which tests you need, what else could be contributing and which treatments would suit you best. What kind of doctor treats erectile dysfunction and prescribes Viagra?, where should I go if I have ED? and how to raise ED medicines with a doctor. For support, MensLine Australia answers on 1300 78 99 78, 24 hours a day (healthdirect).
Can erectile dysfunction be cured for good?
Sometimes; more often it is treated rather than cured. "Sometimes, ED can't be completely cured. Usually, treatments will allow you to get an erection so you can have sexual intercourse", and ED can come and go (healthdirect). Some men get back to normal erections simply by taking better care of their health (Healthy Male). Is erectile dysfunction curable permanently?, can ED go away on its own? and can erectile dysfunction be reversed naturally?
Sources
- healthdirect — Erectile dysfunction (last reviewed February 2025); Erectile dysfunction medicines (February 2025); Premature ejaculation (December 2025)
- Australian Prescriber — Erectile dysfunction: causes, assessment and management options (2022)
- Healthy Male — Erectile dysfunction
- Priligy — Australian product information; Xatral SR (alfuzosin) consumer medicine information (May 2026)
- Electrical stimulation reviews: Int J Impot Res 2025 (PMID 41057588); Sex Med Rev 2025 (PMID 40751590)
