Dear Doc | Help, I ejaculate too quickly!

Q I am a man in my 30's and I am concerned that I am not lasting long enough during sex. Some of my girlfriends have laughed at me, saying that I 'cum' too fast; but when I ask my friends, they can't tell me how long it should last. Can you please help and let me know what is the normal time for sex to last? And, is there anything that can make it last longer?

A Men have been put under pressure regarding their sexual performance and lasting long in bed. Who can forget popular song lines such as "I don't want no one-minute man," and "I need a one-, two-, three-hour man." As a result, there is a fear for most men to not wanting to finish first in the bedroom for fear of 'coming up short'.

Men have become preoccupied with how long sex should last, but how long is too long, and what is too short? There's a lot more to sex than putting the penis into the vagina and ejaculating, but the foreplay and after play is not always easy to define, so to keep things simple and for this discussion, I will focus on time from penetration to ejaculation.

In a study in which 500 couples around the world used a stopwatch to time their sex acts over a four-week period, the times ranged from 33 seconds to 44 minutes, and it concluded that the average intercourse time was 5.4 minutes. Intercourse lasting one to two minutes was considered too short, three to seven minutes was adequate, seven to 13 minutes was desirable, and 14-30 minutes was too long.

There are some interesting additional information, too! Condom use did not seem to affect the time, and neither did being circumcised or not. This, therefore, challenges the popular opinion of penile sensitivity and its relationship to delaying ejaculation.

However, if you want to make sex last longer there are a few tricks.

To help reduce sensitivity, topical anaesthetics (lidocaine-prilocaine spray), when applied to the penis glans five minutes before intercourse, improves ejaculatory time, ejaculatory control, and sexual satisfaction.

Also, as a couple, you should keep things interesting by changing the scenery, whether that is moving rooms or trying a new position, and also changing positions during intercourse.

Communication is the key to a good relationship, and that doesn't change in the bedroom.

Talking to your partner during sex, to tell them what is working for you and what isn't, will let them know how to please you, and vice versa.

Behavioural and psychological therapies are also effective in some men. These interventions are designed to improve self-confidence and communication in the relationship and, ultimately, increase the ejaculation latency.

 

Are generic medications safe?

 

Q I am concerned about the medication I am getting from the pharmacy. I am an old lady and I cannot afford the brand name medication. The pharmacist always offers me the cheaper ones, but I don't think they work as well. Is it safe to be taking these counterfeit medications?

A Most prescription medicines go by two different names - the generic name and a brand name. Even non-prescription medications go by different names.

The generic name of a medication is the chemical name, or the name of the active ingredient.

The brand name of a medication is the name given by the drug maker. The brand name is usually easier to pronounce than the generic name, but they are still the same medicine.

For example, Lipitor is the brand name for a cholesterol-lowering medication. The generic name is atorvastatin.

Generic medications have the same active ingredient as the brand-name medication. They are usually less expensive because they are copies of the brand-name medication.

Although all medicines have a generic option, for many of the newer medications, you cannot buy a generic version. This is because the maker of the brand has a patent. meaning only the maker of the brand is allowed to sell the medicine for several years. It is only when the patent expires that other companies are allowed to make and sell the generic copies.

So what is the difference between a generic medicine and a brand? The generic medication usually has a different shape, colour, coating, or flavouring than the brand-name version; they also cost less.

Makers of the generic medicines can charge less for a medication than the brand maker, because they do not have to pay for developing or advertising the medicine.

However, generic medications are as good as the brand. The makers of generic medicines must follow the same government rules about the strength, quality, and purity as the makers of the brand-name medicines.

So yes, it is safe to take the generic form of your medication and save yourself some money.