In Person

Two new companies offering Erectile Dysfunction (ED) medication are getting questioned on their marketing efforts because the ads they're putting out there seem to target younger guys; men whose erectile dysfunction may be caused by underlying medical problems. Yet, quoted in an recent article by Hayley MacMillen in Health the (young) CEOs defend the practice.  

"Zachariah Reitano, Ro’s 27-year-old CEO and co-founder, pushes back on the perception that Ro is targeting a millennial customer base. “A vast majority of our members are over 40,” he says. Reitano experiences ED as a result of heart medication he takes. “There are younger people on the platform, but statistically, about 25 percent of men under 40 experience ED… It’s just not the majority of our members.”

“Andrew Dudum, the 30-year-old founder and CEO of Hims, says his brand’s marketing approach is a concerted effort to appeal to younger customers. “When people ask, ‘Why does this look like this is for men in their twenties and thirties and forties?’ I’ll just point them to the studies which say, ‘Because men suffer from this at an overwhelmingly shocking rate in those age ranges, and it’s really important to help these guys not feel like they’re the only ones because they’re not.’”

 

They're making it very easy to get the drug. Perhaps, too easy. Hims has begun advertising on TV with slick spots pushing the fact a guy "talks" to an online physician and gets his prescription and pills are mailed out.

The problem is that many young men are experiencing problems of all kinds, from chronic medical problems to anxiety. Those underlying issues don't go away. Then the first one or two pills work but subsequently, says Vanessa Marin, an LA-based sexual psychotherapist, "they're right back where they started."

And, what if the underlying issue really is a medical condition; diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease. If the boner pills are coming from an online physician, those things aren't being considered. Not only will the boner pills cease working, the medical problem could have serious consequences. Social media and (dare I say it?) easy access to porn are making it more and more tough on young guys to perform. Calm down, guys. Chill out. You really don't need to fuck like a porn star for you or a partner to be sexually satisfied.

The first test you should take is this: Lying alone in your bed (or anywhere else that gets your hammer up), do you get hard; are you able to jack off? If the answer is yes - you don't need boner pills. 

If the answer is no - you really should go see a doctor. In person.