Drugs causing sexual dysfunction
Common drugs that cause sexual dysfunction are antidepressants, antihistamines, opioids, alcohol and diuretics (water pills).
Drugs that can cause sexual dysfunction are:
- Drugs acting on the brain
- Antidepressants like amitriptyline, amoxapine, clomipramine, doxepine, maprotiline, protriptyline, trazodone. The SSRI group of antidepressants that includes fluoxetine and sertraline are particularly notorious for causing sexual problems.
- Antipsychotics like chlorpromazine, haloperidol, thioridazine and trifluoperazine
- Antianxiety drugs like diazepam
- Alcohol, opioids and cocaine
- Amphetamines
- Drugs used to treat Parkinson’s disease like levodopa, benztropin, bromocriptine
- Drugs used to treat seizures like carbamazepine, ethosuximide, phenytoin
- Drugs used to treat hypertension like methyldopa, prazosin, clonidine, guanethidine and reserpine
- Antihistamines like diphenhydramine, dimenhydrinate, hydroxyzine, meclizine, promethazine – Antihistamines cause drowsiness, and in females they also cause dryness of vagina leading to pain during sex.
- Drugs that alter the effect of hormones
- Spironolactone (an antihypertensive/ diuretic)
- Cimetidine (an anti-ulcer drug)
- Finasteride or dutasteride (used for prostate enlargement), cyproterone acetate – These drugs block the effects of androgens
- Estrogen
- GnRH analogues such as nafarelin, triptorelin, goserelin and leuprolide
- Ketoconazole
- Drugs used to treat high blood pressure
They may decrease blood pressure, thus decreasing the blood pressure in the penis during an erection
- Diuretics like amiloride, indapamide, thiazide diuretics and spironolactone
- Beta – blockers like atenolol, metoprolol
- Alpha blockers like methyldopa, prazosin, terazosin, tamsulosin and clonidine
- Adrenergic neuronal blockers like guanethidine and reserpine
- Calcium channel blockers like verapamil
- Among the antihypertensive drugs, ACE inhibitors like enalapril and ramipril are less likely to cause sexual dysfunction
- Drugs used to treat abnormal heart rhythm or arrhythmias
- Amiodarone
- Mexelitine
- Drugs used to treat high lipid level
- Clofibrate
- Painkillers
- Naproxen and ibuprofen
- Anticancer drugs
