Papaverine (Intracavernosal)

Before Using This Medicine

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For papaverine, the following should be considered:

Allergies - Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to papaverine. Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.

Older adults - Many medicines have not been studied specifically in older people. Therefore, it may not be known whether they work exactly the same way they do in younger adults or if they cause different side effects or problems in older people. Although there is no specific information comparing the use of papaverine for erectile dysfunction in the elderly with use in other age groups, this medicine is not expected to cause different side effects or problems in older people than it does in younger adults.

Other medicines - Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. Tell your health care professional if you are taking any other prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicine.

Other medical problems - The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of papaverine. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

• Bleeding problems - These conditions increase the risk of bleeding at the place of injection

• Liver disease - Papaverine can cause liver damage when it is given in ways that allow it to get into the bloodstream (by mouth or by injection into a muscle, a vein, or an artery); when papaverine is given by intracavernosal injection, liver damage is much less likely because the medicine enters the bloodstream very slowly

• Priapism (history of) or
• Sickle cell disease - Patients with these conditions have an increased risk of priapism (erection lasting longer than 4 hours) while using papaverine