HOME :: Health-and-Fitness / Medicine Drugs, Impotence, and Sexual Dysfunction - Could Your Meds Be the Cause of Sexual Problems?

IMPOTENCE CAUSED BY DRUGS
A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association indicates that about 39% of men are affected by impotence and of these, 25% of their problems are caused by drugs - not all of them prescription drugs. The remaining 19% had psychological issues to deal with. And men aren't alone in their plight. Although women haven't been studied nearly as much as men, the studies that do exist clearly show that drugs can and do affect and impair the female sexual response. So the problem isn't limited simply to impotence in men.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS SHOWN TO INTERFERE WITH SEXUAL FUNCTION
Along with the obvious effects produced by alcohol, marijuana, and narcotics, prescription drugs to treat medical conditions significantly interfere with normal sexual function. Drugs used to treat high blood pressure, allergies, anxiety, depression, muscle spasms, obesity, ulcers, and prostate cancer are major players in this scenario. Dr Rubin Bressler, chief of clinical pharmacology at the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center in Tucson has noted that any drug that causes sleepiness can negatively affect libido. Many other drugs that affect sexual desire or sexual performance interfere with the autonomic nervous system to block the normal sexual responses to stimuli.

DOCTORS FAIL TO WARN OF SEXUAL SIDE EFFECTS
When prescribing a medication, many doctors fail to warn their patient of the potential negative effects on sexual function. Some don't know
about them. Others fear that a psychological response on the patient's part may cause an effect that would not occur if the patient remained ignorant. Others are simply too embarrassed to discuss a patient's sexual function. Doctors are human, after all.

SEXUAL DYS FUNCTION REVERSIBLE
Nearly all drug-related effects on sexual function are reversible simply by discontinuing the drug usage. Patients often recognize this and unwisely stop taking their medications without telling their doctor. The underlying health problem that caused them to be taking the medication then remains untreated. Not always a good option.

All drugs affect different people in different ways. It's rare to find a drug that has the same affect on all who take it. Some drugs, notably psychoactive drugs may actually enhance sexual funtionality. Other drugs prescribed to correct a hormonal deficiency may do the same. In all cases, a patient's risk depends on the dosage, the length of time the drug is used, the patient's general health and sensitivity to the particular drug. Often the negative effect is really the result of the illness being treated rather than the medication being given.

SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION IN WOMEN MUCH MORE COMPLEX
While sexual dysfunction is fairly straightforward in men - at all boils down to achieving erection - the condition is far more complex in women. Nevertheless, the basic and most visible result is the ability to become sexually aroused. A woman begins to feel as though she's been neutered. Oral contraceptives and anti-depressants are notorious for interfering with a woman's sexual functioning and their effects linger on long after their use has been stopped. Recognizing the vast potential of the market place, drug firms have been searching intensively for a "pink viagra" to counter these problems. To date, although they've come close a couple of times, they have not found anything that will adequately address the complexities of the female sexual response.

NATURAL FORMULATIONS OFTEN THE ANSWER
The solutions to these problems are out there. But the drug industry has no interest in producing anything it cannot patent, so the natural substances that work are pointedly overlooked. Natural formulations that work as well or better than the prescription drugs, without the side effects can be obtained by both men and women if they know where to look. The web is teeming with offers of products promising the solution to every sexual problem through the simple act of taking a little pill. And they're all proclaiming that their product is the one to take. So how do you choose? And how do you know it's the right choice?