Medicines that sabotage your sex life

Published 12:00 am Sunday, January 14, 2018

Let’s face it. We’re all getting older. As this happens, naturally it means we may have to start taking medications – especially for the common stuff like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and on and on. Some of you already take a handful (or more) of medicines a day. And maybe some of you flat out don’t have the sex drive or activity level you used to have. This can definitely be a side effect of certain medications. In today’s column, we’ll go over some of the more common medications that cause some sort of sexual dysfunction, but let’s talk a little bit about sex before we get there…

Sex is an important part of a married relationship, and it’s something we seldom talk about. It keeps open lines of communication that would otherwise close down. Also, it takes two. Just because you’re in the mood doesn’t necessarily mean your partner is. Be aware of this. Be respectful of each other. Think of sex as an opportunity to show your affection rather than receive affection and I bet your sex life will improve!

What if the drive is not there though? Or, for guys, the drive is there but your erections aren’t what they used to be. It could be a hormone, psychological or a medication problem. We’ll focus today on medications but, guys and girls, you should have your hormones checked — especially if your sex drive isn’t what it used to be. Particularly, for men and women, testosterone levels, appropriate for gender, can have a big impact here – and levels of testosterone in men and women tend to decline with age. Don’t just sit by though and say, “Oh well, that’s just part of getting older.” It’s not. I’ve seen 85-year-old men in my clinic who have God-given testosterone levels that are better than mine. And they look great for their age. Don’t settle for low levels – it can affect your health in several different ways.

Let’s look at some common medicines that can affect either your sex drive (in men and women) or your erections (in men):

• Anti-androgen drugs. These are usually medicines we see with chemotherapy of some sort. They basically lower your hormone levels and can plummet sex drive and erectile function. You may have no choice but to be on these medications but at least you’ll have an awareness of what’s causing your troubles.

• Mood stabilizers and antidepressants. This group of medicines has a big impact. You can almost immediately see it. If you (or your loved one) starts, let’s say, an antidepressant, in most cases your sex drive will decrease. Try exercise or having your hormone levels checked to possibly find a way to decrease the amount of this type of medicine you have to take.

• Sedatives. Alcohol and sleeping pills are a couple of good examples here. If you have good intentions for sexual activity but end up just going to sleep or (for guys) you can’t “get it up,” cut down on the alcohol or don’t take that sleeping pill. Want to get to sleep without an “aid?” Try exercise – the earlier in the day, the better.

• Blood pressure medicines. These can definitely wreak havoc for guys in the area of erections. Then they may have to take another pill to help with erections to compensate for the blood pressure medicine. Try losing weight and/or consistently exercising to ward off the need for blood pressure medications.

• Oral estrogens. Ladies, I’m talking to you here. Are you taking birth control or hormone replacement by mouth? This can lower your testosterone levels a couple of different ways. And, for you, testosterone levels have a major impact on your sex drive. Talk to your healthcare provider about alternatives here.

• A few others. Tamoxifen, cimetidine, steroids, aldosterone, and even statins are a few other medications that have been proven to lower sex drive. If you’re on any of these, see if there’s a way you can either change to a different medication or get off of them completely.

As you can see from some of my suggestions, lifestyle changes (exercise, nutrition, etc) can play a major role in our long-term health. It’s so easy to take a pill to feel like you’re solving the problem. It’s a lot harder to make lifestyle changes.

In this new year, let me challenge you to do what’s harder but is the better long-term fix – make lifestyle changes. It’ll lower your pill count, and, if you’re on any of the medications listed above, may increase your sex drive and, for guys, ability to achieve and maintain an erection. Don’t let medicines sabotage your sex life!

• Dr. Thomas is a board-certified physician who operates Complete Health Integrative Wellness Clinic and Thomas Urology Clinic in Starkville, Mississippi. Is this column helpful or are you looking for more information? We’d love to hear from you. Go to www.CompleteHealthIWC.com or call 662-498-1400.

This newspaper column is for informational purposes only and is, under no circumstances, intended to constitute medical advice or to create or continue a physician-patient relationship.  If you have a medical emergency, you should immediately seek care from your nearest emergency room, and if you have specific health questions, you should consult your own physician.