Compare premature ejaculation treatments (2025)

There are some effective and worthwhile treatments available to help premature ejaculation. Topical treatments like delay sprays and delay creams can be applied to reduce penis sensation and delay ejaculation. There are also different premature ejaculation pills that can be taken ‘on demand’. So when you know you’re going to be intimate, you take one a short while beforehand to help with the physical symptoms.

Premature ejaculation doesn’t always need treatment. If you’re going through periods of stress and worry and it’s cropped up during this time, it may resolve itself without any help. Sometimes, simply taking a break, switching off from life’s stresses and having time to relax is the best thing. If stress levels aren’t at play, then here we’ll run through the different options available to help PE symptoms.

One way of helping premature ejaculation is to use a topical product that is applied a short while before you initiate sex. There are some effective delay sprays around, such as Fortacin or Stud 100 and they offer one type of approach to treating premature ejaculation.

The active ingredients in these sprays are topical anaesthetics and they work by numbing the area to which they’re applied. What this does is reduce the amount of sensation you’ll feel (but not remove it completely) so you should be able to relax more and enjoy yourself more. In Fortacin, the active ingredient is a combination of 150 mg Lidocaine and 50 mg Prilocaine. Stud 100 delay spray contains Lidocaine on it’s own.

You apply them about 10 to 15 minutes before sex to give them time to work. These sprays are best used with condoms as barrier protection, as there is a risk of the anaesthetic being transferred to your partner during sex.

Which is the best delay spray for men? It’s more a matter of preference. The most popular delay spray on the market is Fortacin – but if you’re looking for a treatment that doesn’t require a prescription, Stud 100 spray is a similar pharmacy option. It could be a case of trying a few options to see which is best suited to you (and hopefully having some fun too).

Whichever one you choose, always make sure to follow the instructions on the information leaflet carefully.

Delay creams, like EMLA, are very similar to delay sprays. EMLA is another form of topical anaesthetic and it can be applied about 10-15 minutes before sex, to help slow things down. As with a delay spray, it’s good to have condoms to hand, as there is the potential for the cream to transfer to your partner during penetration.

Spray treatments like Fortacin are specifically licensed for use in cases of premature ejaculation. Whereas, delay creams like EMLA are often prescribed as an “off-label” treatment for the condition . This means that prescribing clinicians have found that it’s a useful treatment for the condition but that it hasn’t been specifically made for it. This is a perfectly normal and safe practice and happens with a lot of other treatments for different conditions too. It’s could be worth exploring this option with your GP to see if you feel it would be right for you.

EMLA is the most popular delay cream. It’s licensed for use as a topical anaesthetic after minor surgeries and is also used before vaccinations and cosmetic procedures. It helps numb the skin to reduce feeling and sensation.

It’s prescribed for cases of premature ejaculation as a penis numbing cream and it’s an “off label” treatment. It’s completely safe for use in this way, but if you’re considering EMLA you’ll need a consultation with a clinician before getting it as it needs to be used in a safe way.

There are other non-topical methods of helping with premature ejaculation, too.

It might also be worth considering medications called SSRIs. These are types of antidepressants that sometimes now used “off label” to treat other conditions. They’re often prescribed as pain relief alongside other traditional painkillers like NSAIDs.

Now SSRIs are being recommended for cases of premature ejaculation. One of the main reasons they’re used as premature ejaculation tablets is that they have the effect of increasing latency time during sex. This means they can help you last longer. Over time, this can boost your confidence and lessen your PE symptoms.

There is now a specific SSRI that is used to treat premature ejaculation, called Priligy. It sometimes also goes by its generic name which is Dapoxetine. This is the only SSRI licensed specifically for premature ejaculation. Even though it’s classed as an SSRI medication (which are normally taken every day), you only need to take Dapoxetine one to three hours before sex. This is to give it time to absorb into your system and take effect properly.

Priligy is currently the only licensed SSRI tablet used specifically for PE and so it’s one of the best premature ejaculation pill treatments on offer. It’s highly effective and shows good results in men who take it. After nine months of use before sex, 70% of men said they had regained “very good” control over their condition. 8 out of 10 men found that their erection lasted double or triple the amount of time it would without the medication.

However, there are a range of other SSRI medications that your GP can chat to you about if this one isn’t quite right for you. Other medications such as Prozac, Cipramil or Sertraline might be better long term treatments, especially if you feel that stress and anxiety are some of the root causes of your premature ejaculation.

In these cases, it can also be worth exploring some talking therapy too, alongside other good self-care practices such as exercise, meditation and diaphragmatic breathing. These can all contribute to feelings of well-being and good health which are really important, not only for you but for your sex life too.

All SSRI medications come with a risk of side effects. They’ll vary from product to product and person to person too. They usually wear off quite quickly as you get used to taking the medication and some people may not experience them at all.

The most common side effects that can occur with PE tablets are headaches, drowsiness, dizziness and insomnia . If you’re taking an SSRI medication and are experiencing side effects then it can often be worth having a chat with a GP if you have any questions. Sometimes you can change your dose, or try another medication if the one you’re taking isn’t suitable.

There are natural remedies on the market that say they can help with the signs and symptoms of premature ejaculation. However, it’s worth noting that as they’re natural, there isn’t a great deal of clinical data or trials to back up how effective (or indeed, safe) they are.

Remedies like yohimbe tablets contain the bark of an evergreen tree that is grown in Western Africa. This bark contains the chemical yohimbine which is said to improve the blood flow to the penis and to the vagina and can therefore help with sexual issues. It’s also recommended for a whole host of other medical conditions from improving athletic performance through to angina. There is very little clinical evidence to back any of the claims on how it affects any of these conditions and most are anecdotal.

There are also natural delay creams too, such as panax ginseng cream for premature ejaculation (also sometimes known as Korean ginseng) and this is applied topically, as you would with EMLA. Again, there are no reliable studies to show this has any real effect at all and anecdotally, it might even cause skin soreness and irritation. That’s exactly what you don’t want on the most sensitive parts of your anatomy.

It might be best to steer clear of the old wives’ tales, as neither of these two alternative remedies is licensed for use in the UK or Europe. It’s always better to stick with tried, tested and trusted medications and topical products for premature ejaculation.

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