If you’ve noticed problems getting and maintaining a satisfactory erection, the medications you’re taking are a good place to start: 8 of the 12 most commonly prescribed medications can cause erectile dysfunction. Can your?
Short answer … yes
Medications cause a quarter of all erectile dysfunction.
If you can’t stop the drugs that cause erectile dysfunction, don’t worry. Treatment for erectile dysfunction is safe, effective, easily accessible, and has few side effects.
But first, ask yourself and your doctor:
- Do you really need to take this medicine?
- Can you switch to another drug that does not cause erectile dysfunction?
Talk to your doctor about your concerns. Erectile dysfunction is more common than you might think, and you certainly won’t be the first person to experience it.
What is erectile dysfunction and who should be affected?
Erectile dysfunction is defined as a common problem with getting or maintaining an erection for satisfying sex. Here the keyword is “common”. It’s normal for men to have difficulty sometimes, but when a successful erection is the exception rather than the rule, or when it no longer occurs fully, it is erectile dysfunction.
It can be a sign that something is inside. This is because the same things that cause erectile dysfunction can also cause cardiovascular issues. So if you are suffering from erectile dysfunction you probably have (or are contracting) heart disease and vice versa.
Most people with heart disease take medicine to lower their blood pressure.
The most common drugs that cause erectile dysfunction are drugs for high blood pressure (especially diuretics). Here are some other drugs that can cause erectile dysfunction:
- Antidepressants, especially SSRIs
- Certain medications for acid reflux.
- Antihistamines
- Opioids
- Other medicines (Parkinson’s disease, certain chemotherapy drugs, certain treatments for prostate cancer)
- Complete answer
- Blood pressure medication
- All blood pressure medications can cause erectile dysfunction, but are probably “diuretics” (or “water pills”).
- Here are some blood pressure medications that commonly cause erectile dysfunction:
- Thiazide diuretics such as chlorothiazide, chlorthalidone, and hydrochlorothiazide.
- Loop diuretics such as furosemide, torsemide, and ethacrynic acid
- Spironolactone
- Clonidine
- Guanetidine
- Methyldopa
Other heart medications, beta blockers, have a low risk of erectile dysfunction. These include popular drugs such as metoprolol (Lopressor), atenolol (Tenormin), propranolol (Inderal), and bisoprolol (Zebeta).
If you have erectile dysfunction and are taking any of these medications, it’s not all bad news. Here are the blood pressure medications that usually don’t cause erectile dysfunction:
Alpha blockers such as doxazosin, prazosin, and terazosin
ACE inhibitors such as lisinopril, benazepril, enalapril, ramipril, kinapril and ramipril
ARBs such as losartan, irbesartan and valsartan
Calcium channel blockers such as amlodipine, diltiazem, verapamil, and nifedipine
It is worth knowing:
Despite what you’ve heard, statins (cholesterol lowering drugs) like atorvastatin, simvastatin, and rosuvastatin do not cause erectile dysfunction. In fact, men with erectile dysfunction who take statins for high cholesterol see a 25% improvement in self-reported erectile function. And a statin also helps the heart and brain, which is good for everyone.
Antidepressants
Then: antidepressants. Depression is a major cause of decreased sexual desire and erectile dysfunction. However, many antidepressants can cause or worsen low sexual desire and erectile dysfunction.
Here are some examples of antidepressants that cause erectile dysfunction:
SSRIs: citalopram (Celexa), escitalopram (Lexapro), fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), sertraline (Zoloft)
SNRI: venlafaxine (Effexor), desvenlafaxine (Pristiq), duloxetine (Cymbalta)
MAO inhibitors: isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), tranylcypromine (Parnate)
Tricyclic and tetracyclic antidepressants: amitriptyline, nortriptyline, clomipramine
SSRIs (selective inhibitors
Antihistamines
Antihistamines such as Benadryl, Dramamine, and Fenergan can also cause erectile dysfunction. Antihistamines block the action of histamine, a chemical in the body that is involved in allergic reactions but also in healthy erections.
Medicines for the treatment of acid reflux
Like antihistamines, some medicines used to treat acid reflux, called H2 blockers, can also affect histamine and cause erectile dysfunction. In this class of drugs, cimetidine (Tagamet) has the highest risk of erectile dysfunction, while others than ranitidine (Zantac) and famotidine (Pepcid) have the lowest risk.
Opioid pain relievers
Opioids and erectile dysfunction are also linked. If you take opioids for a long time, you could have low testosterone and erectile dysfunction. Some examples of opioid drugs are hydrocodone, oxycodone, and morphine.
How do we decide
We reviewed all the important research in this area, including the Mild Hypertension Treatment Study (TOMHS), which followed nearly 600 men aged 45-69 with hypertension across 5 classes. different blood pressure medications for 2 years. The type of study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, making it one of the most reliable types of scientific research. As usual, we communicate with all reputable clinical organizations that write guidelines for the treatment of erectile dysfunction, such as the American College of Physicians, the American Urological Association guidelines, and the European Urological guidelines. Association.
Remember
The list of drugs that we are discussing here is not an exhaustive list of all the drugs that can cause erectile dysfunction, but the final sum is: if you have erectile dysfunction, there is a 1 in 4 chance that you will have erectile dysfunction. it is caused by your medications. Tell your doctor if you think your medicine may cause erectile dysfunction. You can discuss your options together and probably make your emergency a thing of the past.
Other possibilities
Keep in mind that there are other causes of erectile dysfunction (not just your medications):
Physical conditions: heart disease, diabetes, hormonal disorders, nervous disease, pelvic trauma or surgery, and rare causes like scleroderma and Peyronie’s disease
Emotional causes: stress, relationship problems, depression, anxiety, sexual performance considerations
Alcohol and nicotine
Substances such as marijuana, cocaine, heroin, methadone, amphetamines and barbiturates (these can help with confidence and sexual desire, but make it difficult to achieve and maintain a satisfactory erection )