Are your prescriptions medications causing sexual problems? Dr. Roger S. Blumenthal, medical editor of The Johns Hopkins Heart Bulletin, offers advice.
Every drug has its own profile of strengths and weaknesses. While a pill may be hailed as the miracle cure of the moment, the substance will, almost inevitably, have an undesirable downside. Because of this, physicians must weigh the risk-to-benefit ratio before they prescribe any medication.
Each year, doctors in this country write more than 1.5 billion prescriptions. This averages out to about six prescriptions for each person in the U.S. Many patients -- and their doctors, as well -- are simply not aware of the fact that scores of the most commonly prescribed drugs have been implicated, or at least strongly suspected, in either the development or worsening of sexual dysfunction.
A variety of common medications can cause sexual dysfunction. The most common offenders are prescription drugs for high blood pressure, heart ailments, and allergies. If a person is taking more than one medication, the adverse effects may be cumulative. In some circumstances, people may be faced with having to take medications (for their inherent benefits), despite a high likelihood that it is causing sexual dysfunction. It's an ironic and frustrating situation to be in. I have seen patients blame themselves, or their partners, when they weren't even aware that their problems had a physiologic cause.
Sometimes, patients will suspect that the medication mix is responsible for, or contributing to, their sexual sexual dysfunction. On their own, they may decide to try lowered dosages or stop taking the drugs altogether. This can be very dangerous and should certainly be avoided until one has spoken with their physician. In the case of high blood pressure medication, lack of the drug may cause blood pressure increases to dangerously high levels, which may predispose to a stroke or heart attack.
Although there are more than two hundred medications on the market known to compromise sexual performance, this often gets little attention. While this may be distressing, patients rarely voice their concerns about sexual dysfunction. Importantly, your physician may not even be aware of this problem if you do not bring it to their attention. When it comes to avoiding certain medications because of sexual dysfunction, there is no simple answer. Not every drug will cause problems for each patient who uses it. However, if you notice that you are now having sexual problems where none existed before, take a good look at all the medications you're taking.
