Disclaimer

"The following blog article discusses alternative medicine practices and their potential effects or benefits. However, it is important to note that the information provided is for general educational purposes only and should not be considered as medical advice or a substitute for professional guidance from a qualified healthcare professional. Before considering any alternative medicine practices or treatments, it is recommended to consult with a healthcare professional.

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Alternative medicine encompasses a wide range of practices that may not have undergone rigorous scientific evaluation or received widespread acceptance within the medical community. The effectiveness, safety, and appropriateness of alternative medicine practices can vary significantly depending on the individual, their specific medical conditions, and other factors.

It is important to approach alternative medicine practices with caution and skepticism. Some practices may carry potential risks or interact with existing medical treatments. A healthcare professional can provide guidance based on your medical history, evaluate the available evidence, and offer informed advice regarding the potential benefits and risks of alternative medicine practices.

Individuals with specific medical conditions, allergies, or taking medications should exercise particular caution when considering alternative medicine practices. Some practices may have contraindications or adverse effects, and it is essential to discuss these potential concerns with a healthcare professional before pursuing any alternative treatments."

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Disclaimer

"The following blog article discusses alternative medicine practices and their potential effects or benefits. However, it is important to note that the information provided is for general educational purposes only and should not be considered as medical advice or a substitute for professional guidance from a qualified healthcare professional. Before considering any alternative medicine practices or treatments, it is recommended to consult with a healthcare professional.

Book consultation

Alternative medicine encompasses a wide range of practices that may not have undergone rigorous scientific evaluation or received widespread acceptance within the medical community. The effectiveness, safety, and appropriateness of alternative medicine practices can vary significantly depending on the individual, their specific medical conditions, and other factors.

It is important to approach alternative medicine practices with caution and skepticism. Some practices may carry potential risks or interact with existing medical treatments. A healthcare professional can provide guidance based on your medical history, evaluate the available evidence, and offer informed advice regarding the potential benefits and risks of alternative medicine practices.

Individuals with specific medical conditions, allergies, or taking medications should exercise particular caution when considering alternative medicine practices. Some practices may have contraindications or adverse effects, and it is essential to discuss these potential concerns with a healthcare professional before pursuing any alternative treatments."

Can medicine cause erectile dysfunction? The physiology of an erection is often subdued by common medications. There are medicines that dampen the level of sexual function and performance and can cause erectile dysfunction (ED).

If a man is experiencing ED to some extent when he has started a new course of medicine, it is better to seek a consultation with a physician to get the causes checked. There are drugs that cause erectile dysfunction and must be identified so that a new course of medication should be chosen for disease management and treatment.

Physiology of Erectile Dysfunction

To understand this, we need to understand the physiology of an erection in simpler words. There are chambers made of smooth muscles, tissues and blood vessels (arteries and veins) in the penile shaft.

When a male penis is sexually aroused by touch or by thoughts in the brain, the blood vessels start inflating and take in more blood. The smooth muscles in the chambers relax and let the arteries and vessels swell up. The chambers stiffen due to an inflow of blood. Once the semen is released, sexual function dampens and the blood flows out of the tissues.

When there is an issue of blood flowing in the chambers or maintaining an erection for a considerable period, it is termed erectile dysfunction (ED). If the stiffness or the time span is not enough for sexual function, it is coined as ED and needs to be clinically diagnosed.

How do Drugs cause Erectile Dysfunction?

Drugs cause Erectile Dysfunction

Well, drugs that cause erectile issues can be explained by their pharmacological actions. These biochemical compounds have been designed to mimic a particular biochemical chain of reactions in the human body. Medications target specific reactions or locations in the human body and work on the issues to treat a disease.

In some cases, the medicinal effect of the drugs administered might hinder the natural process of a penile erection. We can segment and list the drugs that are associated with erectile dysfunction and learn how they cause it.

List of medications that cause erectile dysfunction

Antidepressants

Most antidepressants focus on the serotonin reuptake mode of action. Most drugs work as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRIs. It means they don?t let the serotonin be reabsorbed by the body and let it remain to make a person happier. This drug results in a heightened feeling of calmness and reduce anxiety.

This sense of calmness can actually reduce libido. A man may feel less interested in sexual intercourse. His response to sexual stimuli will be reduced as the sex hormonal transmission to the brain will be reduced.

The anti-depression medications that cause ED are:

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  • Mitriptyline (Elavil)
  • Buspirone (Buspar)
  • Amoxapine (Asendin)
  • Chlordiazepoxide (Librium)
  • Clomipramine (Anafranil)
  • Chlorpromazine (Thorazine)
  • Clorazepate (Tranxene)
  • Diazepam (Valium)
  • Desipramine (Norpramin)
  • Doxepin (Sinequan)
  • Fluphenazine (Prolixin)
  • Fluoxetine (Prozac)
  • Isocarboxazid (Marplan)
  • Imipramine (Tofranil)
  • Lorazepam (Ativan)
  • Mesoridazine (Serentil)
  • Meprobamate (Equanil)
  • Nortriptyline (Pamelor)
  • Phenelzine (Nardil)
  • Oxazepam (Serax)
  • Phenytoin (Dilantin)
  • Sertraline (Zoloft)
  • Thiothixene (Navane)
  • Trifluoperazine (Stelazine)
  • Thioridazine (Mellaril)
  • Tranylcypromine (Parnate)

If a patient is suffering from depression or any psychiatric disorder and is experiencing ED, it should be discussed with a psychiatrist. Depression alone can reduce sexual function. Understanding the medicinal effect on erection should be differentiated and determined too so that the meds that cause ED can be changed.

Antihistaminic Drugs

Antihistamines are medicines that can be availed of over the counter (OTC). These medicines block the action of histamine, a biochemical substance that causes an allergic reaction in the human body. It is found that 1st-generation antihistamines contributed to the level of ED a person experiences. On the contrary, 2nd-generation antihistamines such as fexofenadine, loratadine and cetirizine are less associated with ED but might have an inducing effect.

The list of antihistaminic medicines that cause erectile dysfunction is:

  • Cimetidine (Tagamet)
  • Diphenhydramine (Benadryl)
  • Dimenhydrinate (Dramamine)
  • Hydroxyzine (Vistaril)
  • Nizatidine (Axid)
  • Ranitidine (Zantac)
  • Meclizine (Antivert)
  • Promethazine (Phenergan)

If an allergy medication is causing this sexual dysfunction then it should be discussed with a physician. Changing the medicines might help in managing ED. Some of them are OTC drugs that cause erectile dysfunction.

Diuretics (Water Pills) and other medicines related to high blood pressure

As per scientific research, this sexual dysfunction is an occasional effect caused by medicines aimed at reducing and controlling blood pressure and managing cardiovascular disease. Common blood pressure medicines such as beta-blockers, loop diuretics and thiazide diuretics reduce the blood flow to the penis and are what drugs cause a man to not get hard.

However, the most likely drugs to cause erectile dysfunction are Angiotensin receptor blockers, ACE inhibitors, and alpha-blockers.

Here is the list of blood pressure drugs that cause ED.

  • Atenolol (Tenormin)
  • Bethanidine
  • Bumetanide (Bumex)
  • Captopril (Capoten)
  • Chlorothiazide (Diuril)
  • Chlorthalidone (Hygroton)
  • Clonidine (Catapres)
  • Enalapril (Vasotec)
  • Furosemide (Lasix)
  • Guanabenz (Wytensin)
  • Guanethidine (Ismelin)
  • Guanfacine (Tenex)
  • Haloperidol (Haldol)
  • Hydralazine (Apresoline)
  • Hydrochlorothiazide (Esidrix)
  • Labetalol (Normodyne)
  • Methyldopa (Aldomet)
  • Metoprolol (Lopressor)
  • Nifedipine (Adalat, Procardia)
  • Phenoxybenzamine (Dibenzyline)
  • Phentolamine (Regitine)
  • Prazosin (Minipress)
  • Propranolol (Inderal)
  • Reserpine (Serpasil)
  • Spironolactone (Aldactone)
  • Triamterene (Maxzide)
  • Verapamil (Calan)

It is ideal to monitor the occurrence of ED in a person who has been recently diagnosed with high blood pressure and is consuming medicines from this list of what meds cause ED. A physician will be able to provide a treatment plan by determining the effect of high blood pressure medicines to avoid this sexual dysfunction. Medical consultation is the only to determine what medications cause ED and to redesign a blood pressure management plan.

Parkinson?s? medicines

The medicines designed to manage and treat Parkinson?s disease affect the central nervous system (CNS) resulting in the development of ED for some patients. Patients have reportedly been unable to maintain or attain an erection due to the hindrance in the blood flow in the penile shaft and pelvic muscles.

The list of Parkinson?s medicines that cause ED are:

  • Biperiden (Akineton)
  • Benztropine (Cogentin)
  • Bromocriptine (Parlodel)
  • Trihexyphenidyl (Artane)
  • Levodopa (Sinemet)
  • Procyclidine (Kemadrin)

In the same aspect, medical practitioners will be able to identify the problem and can redesign a Parkinson?s treatment to avoid the occurrence of this sexual dysfunction.

Hormonal medicines and chemotherapy

Hormonal medicines can hinder the effect of sex hormones resulting in reduced libido. They can also dampen the effect of blood flowing into the penis and cause ED. Hormone therapy can, thus, hinder sexual arousal and affect libido to a considerable extent.

In the same context, chemotherapy can cause vasculature damage and neural issues. Due to this, a patient is unable to attain or maintain an erection. It may happen that the erection problem disappears once the chemotherapy is over.

Here is the list of medication that causes erectile dysfunction in this aspect.

  • Antiandrogens (Casodex, Flutamide, Nilutamide)
  • Cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan)
  • Busulfan (Myleran)
  • LHRH agonists (Lupron, Zoladex)
  • Ketoconazole
  • LHRH antagonist (Firmagon)

Recreational Substances

There are certain substances that are abused as recreational drugs. Amphetamines reduce the lumen size of blood vessels and prevent blood from reaching the penis at an adequate amount. Barbiturates, on the other hand, reduce libido and sexual arousal. Nicotine also reduces sexual desire among smokers. The list of what medicines cause ED in the recreational drugs section is:

  • Alcohol
  • Barbiturates
  • Amphetamines
  • Marijuana
  • Cocaine
  • Heroin
  • Nicotine

Repeated use of recreational substances can cause ED and can also hamper mental health. Apart from what medications cause erectile dysfunction, these habits can also affect the sexual performance of users. Major lifestyle changes and learning what medicines can cause erectile dysfunction are needed to get over these recreational substances and gain back sexual prowess and mental health.

Other Medicines

There are other medicines that do not fall on these lists but have been a reason to cause ED. The list of what medications can cause erectile dysfunction in this section is:

  • Aminocaproic acid (Amicar)
  • Clofibrate (Atromid-S)
  • Atropine
  • Cyproterone
  • Cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril)
  • Digoxin (Lanoxin)
  • Dutasteride (Avodart)
  • Disopyramide (Norpace)
  • Estrogen
  • Finasteride (Propecia, Proscar)
  • H2 blockers (Tagamet, Zantac, Pepcid)
  • Indomethacin (Indocin)
  • Furazolidone (Furoxone)
  • Metoclopramide (Reglan)
  • Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs, ibuprofen, etc.)
  • Lipid-lowering agents
  • Licorice
  • Orphenadrine (Norflex)
  • Prochlorperazine (Compazine)
  • Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed)
  • Sumatriptan (Imitrex)

If a man is experiencing ED, he needs to explain the medical treatments he adopted on a regular basis to understand the sexual side effects properly. The physician will then be able to explain the adverse effects and how they affect the condition. He will also provide a new plan for the management of erectile dysfunction without hampering your current medical condition.

Conclusion

The answer to which drugs can cause erectile dysfunction is explained in this article. We can clearly understand how various families of medicine can cause ED. The segregation of these medications will enable you to get a clear idea of what can be the underlying sexual side effects you are experiencing. The symptoms of erectile dysfunction need to be analysed.

Consult an health expert and find out what drugs can cause erectile dysfunction. Explain your prescription drugs to the doctor and he will assist you to make a difference by creating a new treatment plan for ongoing disease treatment. Understanding what meds cause erectile dysfunction and changing medications can significantly aid in overcoming ED issues but it should be done under proper medical supervision to avoid the risk factors.

Sexual health is as important as physical and mental health. In most cases, one consultation can go a long way. Personalised, discreet, and judgement-free treatment at your fingertips – book an online consultation with one of Allo?s leading experts.