If my diabetic 48 yr old husband stops smoking, will his impotence improve significantly?
Oct.04, 2010 in
General
More details – 48 y/o diabetic male wіtһ slight nerve ԁаmаɡе іח һіѕ feet. Hе һаѕ bееח іח ехсеƖƖеחt control fοr tһе past 10 years (A1C avg іѕ 6.0). Hе wаѕ diagnosed diabetic аt 32. Hіѕ erections һаνе חοt bееח very strong ѕіחсе һе wаѕ 35..Viagra helps slightly. Hе smokes cigarettes. Sο mу number one qυеѕtіοח іѕ tһаt now tһаt іѕ working οח quitting wіtһ tһе pill Chantix, wіƖƖ һіѕ erections improve drastically аftеr һе іѕ done wіtһ cigarettes οr іѕ һіѕ impotence problem mostly related tο һіѕ diabetes?
Mail this post
October 4th, 2010 at 11:53 am
The smoking doesn’t help, but the impotence is largely due to the diabetes.
You say that he has nerve damage in his feet. Well, that is the only place that he FEELS it. He actually has nerve damage ALL OVER HIS BODY. And the sexual response is largely a nervous system thing, anyway.
AS well, diabetes causes MUCH damage to the capillaries ALL OVEER THE BODY. For an erection to occur, he must have the proper blood supply into his penis. But with the damage caused by diabetes, that isn’t happening.
ALSO — this damage to the capillaries causes high blood pressure. It seems counter-intuitive, but for “that” function to occur, the man needs LOW blood pressure! That is in fact how drugs like Viagra and Cialis work – by lowering blood pressure. But since you husband ALSO has nerve damage, it is unlikely that those pills are going to have a significant effect on him.
BOTH smoking and diabetes do horrible damage to the sexual response system, but smoking is marginally better, as it does not affect the nerves as much. Di9abetes, on the other hand, damages nerves, and that often leads to complete impotence – the inability to ejaculate.
If your husband does not get control of his health habits (no smoking, proper diet, more exercise, and lose weight) he will be almost completely impotent, possibly before he is 50.
And here is the kicker – A diagnosis of Erectile Dysfunction is a primary indicator of pending heart problems. 75% of men who are originally diagnosed with ED develop heart problems with 5 years. YORUHUSBAND IS A HEART ATTACK WAITING TO HAPPEN!
It is good of him to take the Chantix – it works. But he must ALSO get that diabetes treated, AND get serious about taking care of his own personal habits, or you are likely to lose him before he is 60.
Good luck to you both!
October 4th, 2010 at 12:38 pm
I am afraid,your fears are correct.His problem of erectile dysfunction will not improve even after quitting smoking but his sperm count & motility will definitely improve.So he will become more potent on this account to impregnate a woman.Any one who is on long term medication,be it for diabetes or hypertension etc, faces the risk of reduced erection and moreover diabetes in itself is a debilitating disorder.Long term diabetes also results into diabetic neuropathy which is an irreversible disorder and is further aggravated by smoking.Since your husband has stopped smoking,it will put brakes on further nerve damage which if not controlled can make a person immobile to a great extent.
October 4th, 2010 at 1:36 pm
Honey, I am afraid his problems are mostly related to his diabetes! It won’t improve appreciably after he quits smoking.
I approve of him quitting, but Chantix did not help me. I got all the bad side effects it has. Also while I was trying to quit my potassium went out of control – way high! If he uses ACE or ARB have him consult his physician about this problem and keep tight watch on K level.
Most people who quit smoking have a heart event within 12 months of quitting!! I am thinking I was very lucky to have needed quarterly check and they did the full panel within the first 2 months of me quitting and still on the Chantix.
I have COPD (chronic bronchitis) and breathing is very hard. It did not really get bad until 3 years after the above incident. The medications are nasty, expensive, and have worse side effects.