A board-certified doctor has revealed the common medications that may be causing sexual problems in the bedroom.
Dr Evan Levine, a cardiologist at Mount Sinai, New York, said if you’re having trouble getting erections, the first question you should ask yourself is: ‘Have I started a new medication in the past month?’
He noted that medications that help the heart, kidney, brain and other body parts healthy may also be causing performance issues.
As of 2024, about 50 million men between the ages of 40 to 70 are suffering from erectile dysfunction while studies show that up to 50 percent of women find it difficult to reach orgasm in the US.
Dr Levine firstly pointed towards beta blockers used to treat heart conditions as a possible reason. About 30 million Americans are using a beta-blockers, making it one of the most commonly prescribed medications in the US.
Beta blockers are used to cure abnormal heart rhythms, angina (chest pains) and recurring heart attacks by reducing the force of heartbeats and blood pressure.
Dr Evan Levine, a cardiologist at Mount Sinai, recently shared the reasons why many people are experiencing performance issues and how to reverse them
They work by blocking the effects of adrenaline on the heart – which is commonly known to constrict blood vessels and cause blood to pump more forcefully.
However, a 2013 literary review that analyzed 15 trials found that men who take them were nearly twice as likely to become impotent.
A 2022 study published in the Reviews of Cardiovascular Medicine suggested that when the medication blocks the release of adrenaline, it can impact excitement levels which reduces the release of testosterone in the body.
Researchers also explained that by lowering blood pressure and the heart’s contractions, beta blockers may not allow enough blood to reach the penis to maintain strong erections.
In women, some experts believe that it can reduce libido by creating a certain level of sedation in the body.
Similarly, Dr Levine also noted that high doses of thiazide diuretics (over 50mg) can lead to sexual dysfunction in both men and women.
The drugs help the body eliminate excess fluid and salt by reabsorbing sodium and chloride in the kidneys and pushing it out by peeing more.
They are used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension), heart failure and edema (swelling caused by fluid buildup).
While researchers have not clarified how thiazide diuretics can affect the male sexual system, some believe that it can impact penile muscle function.
Dr Levine also noted that high doses of thiazide diuretics (over 50mg) can lead to sexual dysfunction in both men and women
Beta blockers, such as atenolol, are used to treat cardiovascular conditions
Thiazide diuretics can also reduce blood flow to the penis, leading to erectile dysfunction.
Similarly, while there is no clear research on the medication causing sexual dysfunction in women, a 2022 study by researchers from Rocky Vista University, Utah, noted that most women who would take thiazide diuretics are more likely to suffer reduced libido.
Dr Levine noted that those consuming tamsulosin, popularly known as Flomax, may also experience sexual performance issues.
Tamsulosin is an alpha-blocker medication that relaxes the muscles in your prostate and bladder and makes it easier to pee.
It is usually used to treat advanced kidney and liver disease, low blood pressure as well as prostate cancer.
While some common side effects of Flomax include dizziness and a runny nose, more dangerous ones include ejaculation failure, lack of ease while ejaculating and ejaculation of semen into the bladder instead of out of the body in men.
The medication can also cause a rare condition called priapism, a painful and prolonged erection that requires immediate medical attention to prevent permanent damage.
Flomax may cause ejaculation failure, lack of ease while ejaculating and ejaculation of semen into the bladder instead of out of the body in men
While research has indicated that Flomax is also an effective treatment for women who have trouble emptying their bladders, it has not been approved by the FDA for use in women and therefore its side effects remain unclear.
Dr Levine also highlighted that Adderall – a stimulant medication used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) – can also cause sexual dysfunction.
The medication, which is taken by over 16 million adults in the US, helps increase attention and decrease hyperactivity in ADHD patients by increasing levels of dopamine (described as the feel-good hormone) in the brain.
At times, it can also constrict blood vessels, which may reduce blood flow to the penis and make it difficult to achieve or maintain an erection.
Dr Aleece Fosnight, who specializes in sexual medicine and a medical adviser at Aeroflow Urology in North Carolina explained: ‘The way Adderall works in the brain is to narrow the blood vessels in the brain, causing changes in cardiovascular activity.
‘[An] increase in blood flow is essential for genital arousal or erections and if Adderall causes constriction of blood flow, this may be one way that it can affect penile arousal.’
While some women taking Adderall may experience a decrease in libido as a possible side effect, it is not definitively known how this happens and its frequency.
Adderall – a stimulant medication used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) – can too cause sexual dysfunction
Additionally, sexual dysfunction is a common side effect of many antidepressant medications.
Essentially, most antidepressants alter the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain, including serotonin and norepinephrine.
Both serotonin and norepinephrine play an important role in regulating sexual desire, arousal, and orgasm.
By altering the levels of both hormones, antidepressants can interfere with normal sexual function and can create a difficulty in achieving orgasm, delay ejaculation, cause erectile dysfunction and anorgasmia (difficulty in achieving orgasm despite adequate sexual stimulation).
By the end of his TikTok video, Dr Levine also noted that hard drugs such as cocaine can cause various disorders of sexual activity and gonadal dysfunction in both men and women.
Furthermore, nicotine which can be found in tobacco products and vaping products, can too negatively impact sexual function, potentially leading to both erectile dysfunction and reduced libido.
