Impotence And Medications
Adjusting medications
Many common medicines can cause impotence as a side effect.
Medicines that can cause impotence include many used to treat high blood pressure: antihistamines, antidepressants, tranquilizers, and appetite suppressants.
Examples of common medicines that can cause erectile dysfunction include beta-blockers such as propranolol (Inderal), hydrochlorothiazide, digoxin (Lanoxin), amitriptyline (Elavil), famotidine (Pepcid), cimetidine (Tagamet), metoclopramide (Reglan), indomethacin (Indocin), lithium (Eskalith; Lithobid), verapamil (Calan, Verelan, Isoptin), phenytoin (Dilantin), and gemfibrozil (Lopid).
Common medications used in the treatment of hypertension, depression, and high blood lipids can contribute to erectile dysfunction. There are many different types (classes) of anti-hypertensive medications (medications that lower blood pressure); included in these drug classes are: beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, diuretics (medications causing an increase in the volume of urine output), angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors), and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs).
Anti-hypertensive drugs can be taken alone, or in combination with other drugs to help control blood pressure. Different classes of anti-hypertensive drugs can have different effects on erectile function. Inderal (a beta blocker) and hydrochlorothiazide (a diuretic) are have been proven to cause erectile dysfunction, while calcium channel blockers and ACE inhibitors do not show any clear evidence linking them to erectile function. However, angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), such as losartan (Cozaar), and valsartan (Diovan), may actually increase sexual appetite, improve sexual performance, and decrease impotence.
Thus, choosing the right combination of anti-hypertensive drugs is critical in helping to treat impotence.
