AVOIDING ED AS A SIDE EFFECT: TIMING SEXUAL ACTIVITY

Making use of chronotherapeutics—the practice of timing drug delivery to coincide with the body’s rhythms so that effects are highest when needed and lowest when not—is a relatively new idea that makes a lot of sense. By programming a medication dose to the body’s twenty-four-hour physiological cycle, also known as circadian rhythm, a person can receive medicine when his body can use it to full advantage. With chronotherapy an ailment can be better managed, sexual side effects can be minimized, and the possibility of lowering dosages exists.

Researchers know that every bodily function, from hormone levels and blood pressure to sexual performance, varies regularly—and predictably—during the twenty-four-hour period. They also are aware that the antisexual side effects of many drugs are often diminished or nonexistent just before it’s time for the next dose.

They have seen that drugs act differently, depending on when they are taken and what is happening to the body at that time. For instance, hypertension levels are highest upon awakening. Awareness of this fact has led to the development of a new controlled-release medication called Covera-HS. This combination hypertension and angina pectoris drug contains verapamil hydrochloride, a commonly prescribed medication that has been reformulated to be released at a specific time. The pill is taken at night, but the medicine is not released until four to five hours later. Since the drug provides the greatest help when it is needed most—in the early morning hours—and lesser amounts during the day, the user has a much larger window of opportunity for sexual activity.

I saw this happen with Tyrone, a forty-three-year-old with high blood pressure whose medication was causing ED. When I suggested that he try Covera, I explained that everyone’s sexual timetable and function have their own particular rhythm, but that for men, the best time to take advantage of the cycle is early in the morning. At that time, body temperature is rising while Cortisol, the hormone that speeds up the release of energy-producing glucose in the blood, is also gradually increasing, peaking upon awakening. Testosterone levels usually surge between four and five o’clock in the morning. Add to this the fact that any other medication is at its lowest ebb before the morning’s dose, and that a man is likely to be at the least-stressed point of his day, and you have a formula for peak sexual power.

Tyrone’s response was extremely positive. The Covera worked for him and, as he told me, “I was always a morning man; I just never knew why. Now I’m back on my regular cycle.”

But if none of these options work for you, there is a new fallback position. The new erection pills can be taken half an hour before you want them to work. With their incredible ability to override sexually inhibiting side effects of so many medications, you have the wherewithal to reintroduce spontaneity into your love life.

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