This article was reviewed by Kelly Brown MD, MBA.
For men who don’t respond to oral ED medications like Viagra, Trimix injections can be a game-changer. It’s an injectable ED medication you insert directly into the side of the privates to help improve blood flow for better arousals.
If reading “injection into the side of the privates” makes you squirm, we get it. Trimix’s method can seem daunting, but when it’s used correctly, it can make a big difference in your health. It’s also the safer choice than the shady gas station pills you might be considering.
Below, we’ve shared what science says about how Trimix injections work, their effectiveness, and potential side effects.
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What Is Trimix?
Trimix is an injectable medication containing three active ingredients: alprostadil, papaverine, and phentolamine.
Alprostadil is the most important of these — it’s a vasodilator, which means it widens your blood vessels to increase blood flow to your tissues. Alprostadil, on its own, is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat ED and is sold under the brand name Caverject.
(Hot tip: if you want to stop reading about privates injections now, you should know that alprostadil is also available in a cream, gel or urethral suppository.)
The other two compounds in Trimix medication are papaverine and phentolamine.
Papaverine is a phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE) inhibitor that keeps your arousal from going soft by blocking a compound that reduces blood flow, similar to medications like Viagra and Cialis.
Phentolamine, on the other hand, is an alpha-blocker. It also increases blood flow, which can positively affect your arousals.
Together, these medications amount to a triple threat against ED, or at least that’s what some research says.
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How Do Trimix Injections Work?
Before it’s time for intimacy, Trimix should be administered into the corpora cavernosa, which is the two chambers of spongy tissue in the privates that fill with blood to create an arousal. The chambers communicate so an injection on one side will deliver medication to both corpora. After the injection, the user (that’d be you) needs to apply pressure to the injection site for a few minutes.
Within five to 20 minutes, you should get an arousal that will peak about half an hour after the injection. In most cases, your arousal will disappear after an hour.
We say “should” and “in most cases” partly because the FDA hasn’t approved Trimix for ED. Much of our info comes from the FDA’s approval of alprostadil for ED and manufacturer information.
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Trimix Injection Reviews: Are They Effective?
Alprostadil, on its own, is FDA-approved, meaning it has passed clinical trials showing it is safe and effective for the treatment of ED.
But Trimix isn’t a drug with just a single active ingredient. It’s a compounded medication produced at compounding pharmacies, which are usually more expensive.
Although the dose of each mixed ingredient may vary compared to when each is a single active ingredient, research suggests that Trimix’s efficacy is similar to that of alprostadil.
When it comes to Trimix injection reviews, users in a prostate cancer message board on Mayo Clinic Connect shared that the drug had been helpful when other ED treatments failed or had uncomfortable side effects. Some said the injection only felt like a “pinch,” while others complained of “throbbing” sensations. And some men said their arousals lasted even after discharging.
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Trimix Side Effects: Are The Injections Safe?
We know that alprostadil can cause side effects, including:
- Dizziness and headache
- Rash or swelling of the privates
- Hypotension or hypertension
- Privates infections
- Injuries to the privates
- Privates function issues like prolonged arousal (priapism
https://www.hims.com/blog/priapism-definition-treatments-causes#:~:text=You%20may%20experience%20a%20prolonged,penis%20with%20a%20soft%20glans.
)
Another potential side effect of alprostadil is privates fibrosis — a type of scarring that can reduce the privates’ elasticity. Privates fibrosis can cause anatomical deformation, which is a complicated way of saying it could cause your privates to curve.
Papaverine can also cause privates fibrosis. As for phentolamine, it is rarely used in injections by itself, so our picture of its side effects is blurry at best.
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How to Administer Trimix Injections Safely
Because this medication is typically taken as a self-injection, it’s important to understand the proper technique and location for injections. This will help you avoid tissue damage and other potential issues.
Any intracavernosal injection could lead to injuries with the wrong injection technique, so have a urology expert, urologist, or other trained healthcare professional show you how to safely remove the needle from the rubber stopper, hold your privates between your thumb and index finger, and properly apply pressure to the plunger.
And don’t forget to sterilize — before injecting, be sure you clean the area with an alcohol swab.
A healthcare professional can give you the most comprehensive advice, but we have to make sure you know to never inject Trimix into the top or bottom of your privates or any veins.
Even once you start injecting Trimix yourself, always seek medical advice if you’re unsure what to do.
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Alternatives to Trimix Injections for ED
Before jumping to injections, you’ll want to try other management options. Plus, intimate activity is an essential part of men’s health, and unless you and your partner have a calendar invite for bedroom o’clock blocked off, it’s not always predictable. Carrying a syringe around “in case” isn’t very practical.
Other options could include:
- Oral ED medication
- Treatment for underlying health conditions, like hypertension or diabetes
- Dietary changes
- Increased exercise
- Weight loss
- Therapy for psychological causes of ED
- Quitting smoking
- Reducing drinking
The most commonly prescribed ED pills are phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors (PDE5 inhibitors), which relax arterial smooth muscle to increase blood flow to your privates.
Drugs like tadalafil and sildenafil (you probably know them as Cialis and Viagra), Stendra (avanafil), and Levitra (vardenafil) all fall into this category. There are also more discreet options like hard mints, a chewable ED med that contains the same active ingredients in Viagra and Cialis.
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Should You Inject Trimix for ED? A Final Word
Health risks aside, Trimix is usually not a first-line option for ED treatment. But if you’ve seen those other treatments fail, Trimix might help you.
If you decide to use Trimix for ED, be sure to take precautions:
- Only use Trimix as prescribed. Be sure you follow instructions from a health professional on injecting Trimix safely.
- Practice good hygiene. Make sure to sterilize the skin with an alcohol pad before injecting.
- Monitor your reaction. If your full arousal doesn’t go away after four hours, head to the emergency room and seek medical care.
Trimix injections for ED are a potentially effective and safe second-line treatment for men who don’t respond well to other ED treatments. If you’re game for privates injection therapy, talk to your healthcare provider about your options.
If you’re unsure where to start, it may be time to schedule a call with a healthcare professional.
This article originally appeared on Hims.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
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