# Do erectile dysfunction pills work for persons who just want to masturbate alone? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 4, 2015, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-erectile-dysfunction-pills-work-for-persons-who-just-want-to-masturbate-alone/736659 "2015-11-04T23:04:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-erectile-dysfunction-pills-work-for-persons-who-just-want-to-masturbate-alone/736659/21 "2015-11-05T15:35:02Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > That doesn’t make sense – increasing blood flow would seem to _increase_ blood pressure. Are you sure it wasn’t low blood pressure? No, it was definitely high blood pressure. My understanding is that opening up blood vessels allows blood to flow more easily, which reduces blood pressure (since the pipe is bigger) and reduces the damage and potential complications from high pressure. It didn’t actually work for that purpose, so they may have been going for another effect. Take a look at the wiki page or just search for ‘viagra originally used for’, they all say hypertension (high blood pressure): [Sildenafil - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sildenafil) ---
**Author:** ![Your\_Great\_Darsh\_Face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ac8455/32.png) [@Your\_Great\_Darsh\_Face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Your_Great_Darsh_Face)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-erectile-dysfunction-pills-work-for-persons-who-just-want-to-masturbate-alone/736659/22 "2015-11-05T15:35:59Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > If you really see no qualitative difference between masturbating while erect and flapping your limp dick around like a rubber chicken, then… I’m sorry. Hey, way to make ED sufferers feel good about themselves, dude. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-erectile-dysfunction-pills-work-for-persons-who-just-want-to-masturbate-alone/736659/23 "2015-11-05T15:37:59Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > That doesn’t make sense – increasing blood flow would seem to _increase_ blood pressure. Are you sure it wasn’t low blood pressure? viagra is a vasodilator, just like nitroglycerin, that’s why it’s dangerous to combine them, the same volume flows through a larger space, therefore at a reduced pressure. Except for the penis which is more of a cul-de-sac, I suspect pressure goes up there. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-erectile-dysfunction-pills-work-for-persons-who-just-want-to-masturbate-alone/736659/24 "2015-11-05T16:00:47Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Boy, you Mods sure know everything. High blood pressure is an occupational hazard.😉 ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-erectile-dysfunction-pills-work-for-persons-who-just-want-to-masturbate-alone/736659/25 "2015-11-05T16:03:04Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > High blood pressure is an occupational hazard.😉 Not to mention erectile dysfunction. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-erectile-dysfunction-pills-work-for-persons-who-just-want-to-masturbate-alone/736659/26 "2015-11-05T16:07:51Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Not to mention erectile dysfunction. Nah, a diet of spammers and trolls prevents that. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-erectile-dysfunction-pills-work-for-persons-who-just-want-to-masturbate-alone/736659/27 "2015-11-05T17:17:18Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > It’s not necessary to have an erection to masturbate or reach orgasm. So there wouldn’t be much point. It’s amazing how many people don’t understand that. You can achieve perfectly satisfying orgasms without an erection. All you need is the right kind of stimulus. And if you’re masturbating, it’s easy to find it. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-erectile-dysfunction-pills-work-for-persons-who-just-want-to-masturbate-alone/736659/28 "2015-11-05T17:33:38Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > If you take an ED med and become aroused, you should get an erection, period. Who you are or aren’t with at the time is fairly irrelevant. Arousal is the key. This makes me wonder how many people pop a viagra and sit around waiting for an erection to occur before proceeding to the next activity. Or if this is something the pharmacist has to explain “Look, this is not a magic boner pill, stimulus is still required to achieve the desired effect” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-erectile-dysfunction-pills-work-for-persons-who-just-want-to-masturbate-alone/736659.md?page=1)