# Erections lasting 4 hours or more while rare... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 29, 2004, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erections-lasting-4-hours-or-more-while-rare/231755 "2004-02-29T16:35:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![hlanelee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3bc359/32.png) [@hlanelee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hlanelee)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erections-lasting-4-hours-or-more-while-rare/231755/1 "2004-02-29T16:35:53Z")
That’s how ths commercial for an erectile dysfunction treatment on TV last night ended:“Erections lasting 4 hours or more, while rare, require medical attention.” Me and the Misses talked about this. “What would we do with a 4 hour erection?” She turned it around, “What would **you** do with a 4 hour erection?” I told her that for 20 or 30 minutes, it would be fun to prance around and show off. After that it would be tedious. All you could do is lie on your back. You couldn’t sit on the couch and watch TV. How would you get medical attention? You couldn’t put on pants. You couldn’t drive yourself. Would they seperate you from evderyone else in the ER? What would you do? ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erections-lasting-4-hours-or-more-while-rare/231755/2 "2004-02-29T16:40:26Z")
Fondue! ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erections-lasting-4-hours-or-more-while-rare/231755/3 "2004-02-29T16:44:24Z")
Chemically induced priapism. Fun, wow! ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erections-lasting-4-hours-or-more-while-rare/231755/4 "2004-02-29T17:01:41Z")
I had a patient a while back who had a priapism which wouldn’t go down with ice and medications. He ended up getting it surgically drained. This guy has sickle cell disease, which can often cause such problems. Not a fun time for him. **hlanlee** , he got medical attention the normal way. And nothing prevented him from putting on his pants. You seem to have some unusual ideas about erections. QtM, MD ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erections-lasting-4-hours-or-more-while-rare/231755/5 "2004-02-29T17:15:02Z")
Yes **hlanlee** , those are some strange ideas. Whose erection prevents him from _driving_??. Ever hear of “Road Head”? Also, what is so dangerous about a four hour erection? I know I’ve had one for at least 3 with no health complications. Oh but to answer your last question: “I used it to have sex” ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erections-lasting-4-hours-or-more-while-rare/231755/6 "2004-02-29T19:29:03Z")
Um, **Bear** , an erection is basically a temporary reduction of blood flow in the penis. Think about what happens to tissues with an impaired blood flow over a long period, and then think about that happening to your little friend there. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erections-lasting-4-hours-or-more-while-rare/231755/7 "2004-02-29T19:37:55Z")
Maybe that’s what happened to this guy; > **["Woooo!!! I AM MASTURBATING LIKE A MOTHER FUCK!!!"](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=241922)** > > I was leaving work tonight, sometime around 11:00 pm, when I heard this. I work at one of the finest hotels in Sacramento California, aww heck, I’ll just say it, I work at the Hyatt Regency (it is where das Governator is currently living). I was... ---
**Author:** ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erections-lasting-4-hours-or-more-while-rare/231755/8 "2004-02-29T21:42:36Z")
> [@CrazyCatLady](#): > > Um, **Bear** , an erection is basically a temporary reduction of blood flow in the penis. Think about what happens to tissues with an impaired blood flow over a long period, and then think about that happening to your little friend there. Um, **CrazyCatLady** , that’s about exactly [the opposite](https://www.healthenvelope.com/healthenvelope/page/how_does_erec) of what happens. ---
**Author:** ![SanguineSpider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SanguineSpider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanguineSpider)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erections-lasting-4-hours-or-more-while-rare/231755/9 "2004-02-29T22:21:39Z")
If my SO had a 4 hour erection… whoa. He can last a loooooooooong time normally so 4 hours wouldn’t be that outrageous and he’s never had any problems anyway. I think we’d just enjoy ourselves. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erections-lasting-4-hours-or-more-while-rare/231755/10 "2004-02-29T22:27:15Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#): > > I had a patient a while back who had a priapism which wouldn’t go down with ice and medications. He ended up getting it surgically drained. This guy has sickle cell disease, which can often cause such problems. Not a fun time for him. > > **hlanlee** , he got medical attention the normal way. And nothing prevented him from putting on his pants. You seem to have some unusual ideas about erections. > > QtM, MD Every time the ad comes on I think about starting a thread asking what the doctor does in this case. Thanks QTM. Can you elaborate on the medications, like how they work? ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erections-lasting-4-hours-or-more-while-rare/231755/11 "2004-02-29T22:44:41Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#): > > I had a patient a while back who had a priapism which wouldn’t go down with ice and medications. He ended up getting it surgically drained.QtM, MD Hmmm, what you mean _drained_? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erections-lasting-4-hours-or-more-while-rare/231755/12 "2004-03-01T03:49:21Z")
> [@Ale](#): > > Hmmm, what you mean _drained_? 😛 An incision into the corpus callosum, or spongy erectile tissue of the penile shaft. A tube was then inserted into this tissue, which allowed the trapped blood to leak out. This resulted in eventual detumescence. With sickle cell, the ordinary outflow tracks for all this blood become blocked off by abnormally shaped red blood cells. pseudoephedrine or terbutaline may be used to decrease the blood flow to the penis. Note that with a priapism, ejaculation will **not** cause the erection to go down. All you really need to know about [priapism](http://my.webmd.com/content/article/3/1680_50136.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erections-lasting-4-hours-or-more-while-rare/231755/13 "2004-03-01T05:59:43Z")
I saw a parody of that commercial and in the parody the disclaimer was “If erection persists for more than 4 hours, for God’s sake, masturbate!” 😛 ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erections-lasting-4-hours-or-more-while-rare/231755/14 "2004-03-01T07:32:49Z")
> [@Dante](#): > > Um, **CrazyCatLady** , that’s about exactly [the opposite](https://www.healthenvelope.com/healthenvelope/page/how_does_erec) of what happens. Well, it seems to me that you’re both right. The penile arteries relax and allow more blood to flow in, but the blood doesn’t flow out as quickly as it’s flowing in, thus inflating the tissues. But the blood doesn’t actually flow _out_ at the same rate like it usually does (obviously, or you wouldn’t be maintaining an erection). The longer you have an erection, the longer you have blood sitting in your penis; after four hours or so you risk development of blood clots in the stagnant blood. So, IMHO, **CrazyCatLady** is right because the blood sitting in the penis will clot if the erection lasts too long, which can be reasonably described as an impairment in blood flow. And you’re right because, without the extra blood flowing in to inflate the corpora cavernosa, there would be no erection in the first place.