The mood is just right, the kids are at your parents, the cell phones are switched off, the lights are dimmed and you both are ready for it. But there is glitch, in spite of the romantic setting and plenty of preparation, you cannot climax! You are embarrassed, disappointed and are wondering what’s wrong? If you have recently encountered this problem and there seems to be no other problem then the answer may lie in the medications you take…
Yes, the medications that are supposed to keep you in good health are actually dampening your sex life. The effect in the sex life is more seen in men than women. Moreover, in men the problem is with the erection and ejaculation while in women it has more to do with vaginal dryness and low libido.
Which are the medications that have this side-effect?
Remember, though some medications are known to affect your sexual life in some ways, not all of these medications impact your sex life and they may not be the sole cause either.
Following is a list of some possible culprit medications:
- Antidepressants
- Blood pressure medications
- Antihistamines, prescribed for acid reflux, gastric ulcers and inflammation
- Oral contraceptives, though there is research that supports and refutes this claim
- Pain killers
- Chemotherapy
- Anti-HIV drugs
- Finasteride, a drug that is prescribed for treating abnormal prostrate growth and even male baldness
- Synthetic progesterone, prescribed to deal with post menopausal, PMS symptoms and for hormonal replacement therapy
How’s that?
Some medicines especially those used for treating depression cause changes in the levels of chemicals in brain called as dopamine or serotonin. These chemicals play an important role in sex. Dopamine is known to increase sex drive while serotonin is known to inhibit sex drive and most of the anti depressants, increase the levels of serotonin thereby causing a dip in your sex drive.
The medications prescribed for blood pressure are also notorious for affecting the sex life especially in men. The diuretics, medication prescribed for blood pressure prevents adequate blood supply to the penis preventing erection. The beta blockers, another group of medication, affect the nervous system also affecting the ability to have erection.
The other medicines like Oral contraceptives, Pain killers and even cholesterol lowering drugs affect the hormone testosterone as Testosterone is one of the hormone which regulates libido, hence a lowering of testosterone affect your sex life.
Other than these, medicines can impact your energy levels, cause drowsiness, lethargy, weight gain and indirectly affect your sex drive.
What should I do?
Never stop your medicines without talking to your doctor. Even though having a good sex life is important, stopping medicines like blood pressure ones can be fatal.
If you really think that it is your medication that is causing a dip in your sex life, consult your physician. Your physician may change the medicine to one in the same class or alternatively change the class altogether.
While medication is one of the problems affecting your sex life, do not forget the emotional and psychological issues that may be hindering your sex drive. After your resolve these issues and feel completely relaxed and in the mood, enjoying sex won’t be a problem!
