Men, listen up.  Some medications can wreak havoc on your sex life.

There’s always the possibility of some medications causing side effects such as drowsiness, nausea, or breaking out in a rash, but affect our sex life?  Really?  It does and can happen men  and here are some medications you may be using that might be the real reason action in the bedroom has toned down.

·         Antidepressants

The common antidepressant medications of Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, and Lexapro are doing more than just removing depressive thoughts – they also may be removing any sort of romance. 

A 2013 study found in the British Journal of Psychiatry found that antidepressants can be associated with the development and worsening of sexual dysfunction. A common complaint amongst men using antidepressants is delayed ejaculation or difficulty in reaching orgasm.  This is due to the SSRIs or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors used in antidepressants influencing the neurotransmitters in the brain causing a delay in ejaculation.  These same SSRIs can also lower a man’s testosterone levels which further make it unlikely to climax.

Safer antidepressant options may resolve these issues. A frank discussion with a doctor can help guide patients with their decision.  The antidepressants Wellbutrin and Zyban have had good success with patients actually reporting an increase in libido and experiencing more intense orgasms.

·         Painkillers

Painkillers not only dull or eliminate pain but they may also cause a side effect men do not expect – kill production of testosterone killing your sexual function.

Opioids, the substance painkillers contain making them effective, work by acting on opioid receptors to produce morphine-like effects.  Not only do opioids manipulate brain chemicals but they also are telling a man’s testicles to reduce testosterone production. 

When testosterone levels drop, it will make it very hard for a man to achieve an erection let alone be in the mood for sex. 

Any man needing to take a painkiller long-term should have his testosterone levels first.  A man may need to balance out the amount of painkiller with testosterone to not only reduce pain but still have a sex life.

·         Blood pressure medication

The main issue with blood pressure medication is the possibility of causing erectile dysfunction in men.  Certain blood pressure medications such as beta-blockers and diuretics are known for creating this problem.

Beta-blockers lower blood pressure by blocking the effects of the hormone epinephrine, also known as adrenaline.  When you take a beta blocker, the heart beats more slowly and with less force thus reducing blood pressure. Diuretics work by causing the kidneys to remove more sodium and water from the body, relaxing the blood vessel walls.  In both cases, your blood pressure wins out but the reduced blood flow to the penis loses as far as getting an erection.

There are other medications that can lower blood pressure without causing erectile dysfunction.  These include angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), ACE inhibitors, or calcium channel blockers that a man can discuss with his doctor if they are appropriate.

·         Sleeping pills

A sleeping pill that men should probably avoid is Trazodone. Not only is this medication used as both a sedative and an antidepressant, it is also known to cause priapism which is a very painful erection lasting longer than 4 hours and is considered a medical emergency.  When a man has an erection for that length of time or longer, blood is trapped in the penis and without treatment, it can cause tissue damage and even permanent erectile dysfunction.

If a man still wants to use trazodone for helping with sleep, he needs to follow trazodone’s dosage instructions fully to reduce the possibility of priapism. 

·         Marijuana

As more and more states either legalize pot for recreational or medicinal use, more men may find their sex life waning.

A 2011 in the Journal of Sexual Medicine warned of the potentially hazardous effects on male sexual health.  A survey published in this same journal found men who used marijuana daily were more likely to have both premature ejaculation and delayed ejaculation.

Marijuana used for medicinal purposes that is causing this effect should be brought to the attention of a man’s doctor.  Other medications can be considered in place of marijuana.