DEAR DEIDRE: NOW I can no longer keep an erection, I am so ashamed I have even considered ending my life.
My wife left me because she says I must no longer find her a turn-on or else I wouldn’t go soft during sex.
This has been a problem since I had a heart attack two years ago. I am 50 and I am on blood-thinning medication and beta-blockers for life.
I can sometimes get stiff when aroused but it only lasts a minute or two and having sex properly is impossible. I really want to have full sex but it gets so difficult and I can’t perform.
I have wondered about trying Viagra but have not had the courage to ask for help, as I feel it is emasculating.
I cannot take any more and I think I would rather be dead.
DEIDRE SAYS: Please don’t think about ending it all. What you describe is a very common problem with the kind of medication you are on.
Talk to your doctor, who will not be at all surprised by your story.
Ask him to check whether you are suitable for Viagra or a similar medication.
Tell your wife that your erection difficulties were no reflection of lack of love and desire for her – if that is true, of course.
If you have extra-low moments, Samaritans are there for you 24/7 (samaritans.org, 116 123).
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