Few health conditions can be as distressing or embarrassing for a man as erectile dysfunction, or ED. On the one hand, it brings the prospect of being deprived of one of life’s greatest pleasures. On the other, it erodes self-esteem, can contribute to depression and is something nobody wants to admit to.
Of course, it is impossible to conceal it from everyone, unless you are single. Indeed, your partner may play a significant role in persuading you to seek medical attention, however awkward and cringe-worthy it may feel.
After all, ED can often be linked to wider health issues such as obesity, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, or heart disease. If these have not been diagnosed, your ED might be a sign that prompts you to act and thus enable you to access the treatments you need for those other health conditions. That could save your whole life, not just your sex life.
At the same time, while there may be preventative steps you can take to tackle ED like taking more exercise, cutting down on alcohol, or giving up smoking, your GP may be able to prescribe you something that can help treat your condition.
Talking to your GP is one thing; at least you can be assured they have seen it all before and everything is private and confidential. But picking up an erectile dysfunction prescription may seem like another matter altogether. After all, a prescription counter at a pharmacy can seem like a very public place compared to the surgery at a local medical practice.
However, it is important to remember that every pharmacist is highly trained in what they do and they will come into the role with the full knowledge that they will be giving out prescriptions for medication like yours.
Suffering ED can make you feel lonely and isolated, but you are not the only one and your pharmacist will have handed out the same prescriptions or very similar to countless men. They won’t bat an eyelid.
It is true that when Viagra was first patented and licensed in the 1990s it gained huge media attention, with comedians and cartoonists having a field day. But when you think about it, as a medication it is designed to restore a function most would take for granted, which is, after all, what so many medicines are about.
If you do feel anxious about picking up ED medication over the counter, it is worth remembering what other embarrassing problems others will be collecting their medication for that very same day. Among them will be people struggling with specifically female conditions, haemorrhoids, or other nasty things they really don’t want anyone to know about.
To our professional staff, dealing with these conditions and dispensing prescriptions for medication to treat them is an everyday reality.
You should never let embarrassment or squeamishness stop you from getting help for any medical condition. Not only can it help ensure any wider health issues are addressed, but in the case of ED you can get the best possible relief from your troubling symptoms in a way that will soon make you glad for what you picked up from our counter.