Do you have poor control of ejaculation? Frustrated about the fact you ejaculate too soon after initiation of penetrative intercourse?

You might have a condition called premature ejaculation (PE) where a man ejaculates too quickly during shortly after penetrative sexual intercourse. Don’t feel embarrassed about it as it is one of the most common conditions affecting male sexual function. Unfortunately, there is no official cut-off on how long ‘normal’ sex should last. A study involving 500 couples found that the average time between entry of the penis into the vagina and ejaculation was five and a half minutes. However, you and your partner should decide how long an intercourse should last to ensure both partners’ needs are met. If it was only occasional episodes of PE, you have nothing to worry about but if the majority of all sexual attempts result in premature ejaculation, medical consultation, and treatment is something all males should consider.

The causes of PE are not well established with multiple factors such as anxiety, penile hypersensitivity, and serotonin receptor dysfunction have been suggested in the literature.

Priligy is a common drug we prescribed for our patients with PE and is the only drug specifically formulate and licensed for PE. It is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) which blocks the reuptake of serotonin in the brain and return delays the chemical reactions which causes ejaculation. This has helped male patients with PE and increased the time taken to ejaculate.

The Intravaginal Ejaculatory Latency Time (IELT) is the period between the penis entering the vagina, and male ejaculation. Research has shown that Priligy significantly increased IELT when compared to patients who took placebos with one of the larger clinical trials showed that the average IELT increased by three or four times the respective patients baseline IELT when Priligy was consumed on demand. Slightly more than half of the patients showed improved control over ejaculation and enhanced their satisfaction with sexual intercourse. One of the research papers also found that Priligy increased the partner’s satisfaction.

Who should take Priligy in Singapore?

 Men aged 18 to 64 years who meet the below criteria:

1. An IELT of less than two minutes; and

2. Persistent ejaculation with minimal sexual stimulation before, during, or shortly after penetration during majority of intercourse attempts over the past six months; and

3. Marked psychological distress or interpersonal difficulty due to PE.

Priligy has a unique pharmacology and allows it to be taken on demand as it gets absorbed into the body very quickly, and so it can be taken a few hours before intercourse. Besides that, this also lowers the occurrence of any adverse effects associated with this class of medications and stays in the system for only a short period. However, the only drawback is it can reduce the spontaneity of sexual intercourse.

The most common side effects of Priligy are nausea, dizziness, headache, dry mouth and diarrhoea, with some of these side effects being dose dependant. This means the dose of Priligy can be lowered to reduce the occurrence of side effects.

Tips and advice when taking Priligy:

1. It should be taken with a full glass of water.
2. It can be taken with or without food.
3. Alcohol should be avoided while using this medication. The side effects such as sleepiness and dizziness can be increased by taking these two at the same time.
4. Should be taken one to three hours before sexual activity.
5. It is recommended to trial treatment for four weeks or at least six doses. If a greater effect is needed, a higher dose can be tried if no side effects were experienced with the lower dose.
6. Maximum of one tablet should be taken in a 24 hour period

Priligy is sold at all our clinics at Dr. Tan & Partners.