Despite the benefits of some large and important drugs in treating diseases, some of them have negative aspects that can affect a man''s sexual health and cause erectile dysfunction. The list of drugs that cause impotence is long and complex, and they can affect any organ in the body that participates in the completion of the erection process, including:

Neurological and psychiatric medications

Since sex is a behavior controlled first by the nervous system, of course the list will be led by drugs that affect this system, and most of the drugs that work on the central nervous system lead to decreased sexual desire, impotence and problems with ejaculation, as for how these drugs negatively affect the sexual process It affects by sedation or by inhibiting acetylcholine, which is an important nerve conductor in the delivery of the sexual message and other various body messages, or by its effect on dopamine and adrenaline, which are also catalysts for this process, and there are some drugs that impede sexual performance by By raising the milk hormone "prolactin", which is the hormone mainly responsible for the production of milk during breastfeeding in women, but it is also present in men, but in a small percentage, when it exceeds the limit, it leads to impotence, as we explained in a previous article from this clinic, we can refer to it for further clarification, Among the famous examples of these drugs are the so-called basic or major sedatives such as the phenothiazine group and the group of minor tranquilizers such as the diazepam group, as well as most sleeping pills, the most important of which is the BA group Rabbiturates.

As for antidepressants, they are the main culprits in the occurrence of impotence, especially the so-called "monoamine oxidase" antagonists, and even "Prozac" the magic drug that caused a huge uproar when it was discovered and given depression patients a lifeline, it turned out that it also may cause impotence to the point that some doctors advise By taking a sexual stimulant with it so that the degree of depression does not increase due to the occurrence of sexual dysfunction simultaneously with taking the medicine. The drug for depression that causes a side effect, but on the other hand, is "trazodone", which is sometimes accompanied by what is called priapism (PRIAPISM), which is a painful erection for a period of between 4 to 6 hours. Sometimes it ends in the operating room with emergency surgery to control the unwanted continuous erection and emptying Blood engorged in it.

Cardiovascular drugs

Some heart drugs of various kinds may turn into a mug factor in virility, and the first type of these drugs and the most famous of all are pressure drugs, and these medicines divide them into eight sections in medical books, of which only three sections are the innocent of impotence, and the first innocent is the drugs Which works directly on expanding blood vessels such as "Minoxidil", and the second section is drugs that inhibit the so-called "angiotensin converting enzymes", while the third section is medically different, which is a group of drugs that lower blood pressure by interfering with the calcium pathway. Aside from that from pressure medications, most of them lead to impotence.

Here it must be reminded that a patient with hypertension in general may have pathological changes in his blood vessels, including those in the penis, and they are the cause of impotence even if he does not use a drug, and these changes are the most important of which is atherosclerosis that impedes blood flow in the organ, which is The most important prerequisite for an erection, and this imbalance may be caused by some pressure medications as well.

The first and most famous of the antihypertensive drugs accused is diuretics, the most important of which is thiazides, but they do not cause impotence by obstructing blood circulation, but they cause a rate of impotence among users ranging between 9% and 31% by reducing the male hormone (testosterone), which in turn leads to a decrease. Sexual desire, as for the group of antihypertensive drugs called "beta-inhibitors", the most important of which is "propranolol". They cause impotence and decreased desire through their action on the arteries and the brain as well. The last group of accused stress drugs is the group that works on the sympathetic nervous system, such as " Aldomite, which sometimes causes lethargy and increased lactation, are factors that often cause ED.

And cardiac patients are usually prescribed anti-fats drugs such as "statins" and "fibrates". These drugs may interfere with some hormones responsible for sexual desire and impair its function and thus cause impotence.

Digoxin, the most popular heart medicine, is similar to previous medicines in reducing the male hormone “testosterone” and increasing the female hormone “estrogen”. However, it increases the percentage of calcium in the muscle cells of the penis, which causes a contraction in these muscles and hinders the rush of blood inside it. It prevents erection.

Gastrointestinal drugs

Medicines for acidity or ulcers treatment such as "cimetidine" and "ranitidine" are sometimes accompanied by some sexual decline and increase in breast size in men, and "cimetidine" reduces sexual functions by increasing the milk hormone that we mentioned before and also by increasing the contraction of the muscles lining the spongy tissue of the organ The male.

Urinary and endocrine system drugs

Some urinary drugs may be the main cause of impairment. Some of the medicinal hormones that are used to treat benign or cancerous prostate enlargement can lead to impotence, for example, 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors such as finasteride. Also, some medications to widen the urethra, such as alpha inhibitors, cause little or no semen production.

Like hormones, anti-hormones play a role in medicinal impotence, such as anti-male hormones (testosterone), which we find sometimes in some prostate cancer drugs or fungi treatment such as Nizoral.

Also, some people who are attending gyms and fitness have taken the male hormone or one of the types of steroids by injection, may lead to the stopping of the autoimmune hormones secreted by the brain to stimulate the testicle, and then the production of sperm and the male hormone internally.

Other medications

Most chemotherapy treatments for tumors lead to sexual dysfunction during and after their use, as do allergy treatments such as antihistamines.

In conclusion, just as knowing the disease and choosing a medicine is one of the most important pillars of the success of medical treatment, however, the ion of some treatments, especially those that are prescribed permanently to the patient, must be done with great care and notice to the patient so that he is not surprised that what he has benefited from one side is finished on the other side. It is also important to note that impotence resulting from the aforementioned treatments and in most cases can be overcome and cured by stopping the medication causing the problem or reducing its therapeutic dose if possible after referring to the specialist.

Preparation: Prof. Dr. Saleh bin Saleh