I’ve known that Arginine is used by weight lifters to build muscle mass, so this makes perfect sense for the “other” muscle.

It would be great if this thread is updated by those of us trying this adjunct to Cialis, Viagra or Levitra. If posting results, please indicate the dosage/frequency of your E.D. med and the same thing for your Arginine/Carnitine supplements.

Impotence

The substance nitric oxide (NO) plays a role in the development of an erection. Dugs like Viagra increase the body’s sensitivity to the natural rise in NO that occurs with sexual stimulation. A simpler approach might be to raise levels of this substance, and one way to accomplish this involves use of the amino acid L-arginine. Oral arginine supplements may increase NO levels in the penis and elsewhere. Based on this, L-arginine has been advertised as “natural Viagra.” However, there is as yet little evidence that it works. Drugs based on raising NO levels in the penis have not worked out for pharmaceutical developers; the body seems simply to adjust to the higher levels and maintain the same level of response.

Nonetheless, some small studies have found possible evidence of benefit.

In a double-blind trial, 50 men with erectile dysfunction received either 5 g of arginine per day or placebo for 6 weeks.27 More men in the treated group experienced improvement in sexual performance than in the placebo group.

A double-blind crossover study of 32 men found no benefit with 1,500 mg of arginine daily for 17 days.39 However, the lower dose of arginine as well as the shorter course of treatment may explain the discrepancy between these two studies.

Arginine has also been evaluated in combination with the drug yohimbine (as opposed to the herb yohimbe).47 A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 45 men found that one-time use of this combination therapy an hour or two prior to intercourse improved erectile function, especially in those with only moderate erectile dysfunction scores. Arginine and yohimbine were both taken at a dose of 6 g. Note: Do not use the drug yohimbine (or the herb yohimbe) except under physician supervision, as it presents a number of safety risks.

One study supposedly found that arginine plus OPCs can improve male sexual function, but because the study lacked a placebo group it did not, in fact, find anything at all.54 (For more information on why placebos are necessary, see Why Does This Database Depend on Double-Blind Studies?)

A small, unpublished, double-blind study listed on the manufacturer’s website reported benefits with a proprietary combination of arginine and the herbs ginseng, ginkgo, and damiana, and vitamins and minerals.

Hope this useful. The numbers such as 54 are footnote references

I’m going to order some as soon as I get your feedback and let you know how it works.

FYI I take cialis 5mg daily and use my pump religiously :) No spontaneous erections yet but the pump gets me there and I can have orgasims. Doc put off the injections for month “to see how things go” (I am just over 2 months post-op) and also the nurse “forgot” to tell me that I need to stop my cialis a few days before the test injection (to see how I react to the trimix without interacting with the cialis) which is why I could not try it last visit.