A red-faced man landed himself in hospital following a three-day erection.

The 46-year-old man swallowed several erectile dysfunction tablets in one go.

After failing to go soft, he finally sought medical help three days later.

He was admitted to an urgent care center in João Pessoa, north-eastern Brazil, with “intense pain” in his genital region.

Due to the severity of his condition, he had to be transferred by ambulance to the city’s Trauma Hospital on Sunday (15 Oct).

Images show the man being taken from the ambulance in a wheelchair hooked up to a drip.

At the hospital, surgeons made a puncture at the base of his penis and drained the organ.

After his condition was stabilized, he was discharged from the facility around 5am on Monday (16 Oct).

Urologist, André Brasileiro told local media: “Like any drug, it needs to be used under medical guidance.

“There is a bad habit in the population of self-medication, and a situation like this is a consequence of that.”

Brasileiro explained how the man’s overdose had caused him to have a low-flow priapism, which happens when blood remains in the erection chambers and cannot escape.

He said: “When we talk about specific medication-related causes, such as the use in higher doses than usual, what happens is that for an erection to occur, the penile cavernous bodies need to relax and allow blood to enter.

“When the patient took a higher-than-usual dosage, relaxation happened excessively, and the blood that entered the cavernous bodies did not return to circulation, maintaining the erection, which over time becomes very painful.”

Experts say common side effects of such drugs include headaches, nausea, flushing, indigestion, a stuffy nose, and feeling dizzy. They do work fine in many cases if taken in the dosage prescribed by a doctor. It is also recommended to drink plenty of water and get adequate rest after sexual activity.