"Magic pill"
to treat premature
ejaculation
SINGAPORE: The problem
of premature ejaculation during sex may soon be a thing of the
past. A pill to treat the dysfunction has been approved for use in
Singapore.
The drug, called Priligy, is approved for use for men between 18
and 64 years old.
Specialists can prescribe the drug at S$60 for a pack of three
tablets.
Some call it "the magic pill". It helps men with premature
ejaculation by targeting serotonin, a chemical produced by nerve
cells.
Dr Lim Kok Bin, urology specialist at Raffles Hospital's Raffles
UroRenal Centre, said: "Premature ejaculation refers to the fact
that the person can't control ejaculation. If you're born with,
unfortunately, a lower level of this serotonin, you tend to
ejaculate faster. And so we have developed a medicine that helps to
maintain the level of the serotonin in the nerve to prolong the
latency before ejaculation."
Priligy may prolong latency by up to three times.
Clinical trials registered a 70 percent increase in satisfaction
with sex for those who tried the drug.
But there are possible side effects for taking the pill, including
headache or nausea.
Experts believe that one in three men in Singapore suffers from
premature ejaculation.
They say the condition affects men across age groups and happens
more commonly than erectile dysfunction or lack of interest in
sex.
Premature ejaculation can be caused by stress and anxiety.
But it is not just the men who suffer.
Dr Calvin Fones, senior consultant psychiatrist at Gleneagles
Medical Centre, said: "It is theoretically the partner who may
somehow feel somewhat cheated because she may not have had the
opportunity or the time to actually gain full sexual stimulation
and orgasm through sex."
According to the Singapore Premature Ejaculation Prevalence and
Attitudes study, 77 percent of men with the condition have never
discussed their sexual health with a medical practitioner.
43 percent of men with the problem said they would see a doctor if
they felt they were letting their partner down in the
bedroom.
54 percent of them believed longer acts of intercourse will have a
"dramatic impact" on their sexual relationship.
Premature ejaculation is a topic often talked about with a tinge of
cynical humour, a condition many men would never admit to having,
due to the associated stigma.
But Priligy may change that, and it appears, make water cooler
jokes about the dysfunction seem, well, premature.
- CNA/ir
