4 Ways to Treat Peyronie's Disease

Some cases of Peyronie's disease will improve without treatment, while others require medication or surgery to correct the curvature resulting from damage to the penis. The idea is to reduce the pain associated with the condition while preserving a man's ability to enjoy sex.

1. Arthritis meds
"Peyronie's disease ends up being arthritis of the penis," says Irwin Goldstein, MD, director of San Diego Sexual Medicine and the editor in chief of the Journal of Sexual Medicine. "So there are a number of therapies for arthritis that can be used for Peyronie's, like anti-inflammatories." Anti-inflammatory treatments include Potaba, which the Food and Drug Administration has labeled "possibly effective" for treating Peyronie's disease, as well as colchicine. However, large doses of Potaba are needed for this treatment, and it may cause stomach upset.

2. Injections
Your doctor may choose to try an injection to help reduce the swelling and pain associated with Peyronie's disease. "Injecting drugs such as collagenase, verapamil—a calcium channel blocker—and interferon-alpha-2b is an option," says Dr. Goldstein, "though only interferon has been shown to be effective."

3. Steroids
One of the best ways to stop pain that is resistant to more conservative treatments (such as ibuprofen), says Dr. Goldstein, is through steroids and steroid nerve blocks. He sometimes recommends injecting a steroid such as Kenalog, along with an anesthetic such as lidocaine, into the penis for quick relief of debilitating pain.