Erectile Dysfunction | Drugs
– Are you experiencing recent issues with your love life?
– Are you experiencing changes in the normal pattern of your sexual activity after a recent diagnosis?
– Has your sexual dysfunction (erectile dysfunction, changes in sexual urge and libido) started after a recent change in prescription medications?
If answer to any of the above questions is a YES, your sexual or erectile dysfunction (ED Causes Learn More) can be attributed to the prescription drugs. It is important to identify and address this issue as early as possible because
– Erectile dysfunction (ED Treatment Learn More) due to prescription drugs is reversible in over 90-99% cases with a mere discontinuation of prescription
– Due to erectile dysfunction, a lot of males reportedly develop compliance issues with prescription drugs that leads to exacerbation of existing health issues and may endanger the life of patient
Erectile Dysfunction & Prescription Drugs- Relation
Although erectile dysfunction is a common complaint in the setting of physiological aging (ED & Aging Learn More) and in the setting of several health issues such as morbid obesity, diabetes (ED & Diabetes Learn More), imbalance of certain endocrine hormones (Hormonal Imbalance Learn More), genetic disorders, malignancy of prostate and other organs; however, in some cases, erectile dysfunction can be solely attributed to certain prescription (pharmacological) drugs
What are some common drugs that may cause erectile dysfunction in males?
– Drugs that manage acidity/ GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) such as ranitidine, cimetidine
– Anti-psychotics and Anticonvulsants agents such as gabapentin, haloperidol, phenothiazines, phenobarbital, carbamazepine, phenytoin, and some other agents.
– Antidepressant agents are very frequently encountered in the setting of ED. Most frequently encountered agents are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), Monoamine Oxidase inhibitors (MAO), Tricyclic antidepressants TCAs and lithium
– Antihypertensive drugs such as beta blockers are the most common cause of prescription drug associated ED. According to a latest research published in the peer reviewed Journal of American Medical Association (2), side effects like depression (ED & Depression Learn More), fatigue (Fatigue & ED Learn More) and erectile dysfunction are closely associated with long term beta blocker therapy and should be addressed by physicians before initiating the therapy.
– Other commonly implicated agents are clonidine and methyldopa
Drugs that manage cardiovascular system (Cardiovascular Disease Learn More) (digoxin, diuretics like thiazides and spironolactone)
Hormonal analogs like estrogen (Female Sexual Stimulants Learn More), progesterone and corticosteroids are also frequently encountered in the setting of drug induced ED.
Managing Drug Induced ED
If you are experiencing changes in your sexual performance after initiating a prescription (or non- prescription drug), speak to your healthcare professional to
Drugs & ED
– Confirm if your ED is due to drugs or any other factor. A research published in European Heart Journal (4) suggested that the prior knowledge and prejudice about the association of certain drugs (such as beta blockers) with erectile dysfunction can create anxiety (Anxiety & ED Learn More) and stress (Stress & ED Learn More) that may affect sexual performance. Such patients can respond very well to placebo agents.
– If your ED is due to drugs, you can always request a revised prescription.
Learn about different methods (pharmacological and non-pharmacological) that can address this issue
References
Derby, C. A., Barbour, M. M., Hume, A. L., & McKinlay, J. B. (2001). Drug therapy and prevalence of erectile dysfunction in the Massachusetts Male Aging Study cohort. Pharmacotherapy: The Journal of Human Pharmacology and Drug Therapy, 21(6), 676-683.
Ko, D. T., Hebert, P. R., Coffey, C. S., Sedrakyan, A., Curtis, J. P., & Krumholz, H. M. (2002). β-blocker therapy and symptoms of depression, fatigue, and sexual dysfunction. Jama, 288(3), 351-357.
Conaglen, H. M., & Conaglen, J. V. (2013). Drug-induced sexual dysfunction in men and women. Australian Prescriber, 36(2).
Silvestri, A., Galetta, P., Cerquetani, E., Marazzi, G., Patrizi, R., Fini, M., & Rosano, G. M. (2003). Report of erectile dysfunction after therapy with beta-blockers is related to patient knowledge of side effects and is reversed by placebo. European Heart Journal, 24(21), 1928-1932.
When to Seek Medical Advice for ED?
IF ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION LASTS LONGER THAN 2 MONTHS OR IS A RECURRING PROBLEM, SEE YOUR DOCTOR FOR A PHYSICAL EXAM OR FOR A REFERRAL TO A DOCTOR WHO SPECIALIZES IN ERECTILE PROBLEMS. YOUR OWN DOCTOR OR A SPECIALIST CAN HELP TO DETERMINE THE UNDERLYING CAUSE OR CAUSES OF ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION AND GUIDE YOU TOWARDS FINDING THE RIGHT TYPE OF TREATMENT.
Although you might view erectile dysfunction as a personal or embarrassing problem, it’s important to seek treatment, especially if a physical cause might be developing. In many cases, erectile dysfunction can be successfully treated. Also, see your doctor if the therapy or medication prescribed to treat erectile dysfunction isn’t working for you. Don’t try to combine medications or therapies on your own or deviate from prescribed doses and do not your symptoms as they could be one of Erectile Dysfunction Causes.