Medications - Causes Of Erectile Dysfunction: Mens Sexual Health
Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School
Medications
One reason erectile dysfunction becomes more common with age is that older men are more likely to be on medication. Indeed, it's been estimated that 25% of all erectile dysfunction is a side effect of medication. Many drugs can produce erectile difficulties, especially antihypertensives, antidepressants, and tranquilizers, as well as the prostate drug finasteride. Propecia, a low-dose preparation of finasteride used to counteract baldness, is reported to cause erectile dysfunction in 1.3% of men.
But not all drugs are equally problematic. Among the blood pressure medications, for example, erectile dysfunction is an occasional side effect of thiazide diuretics, loop diuretics, beta blockers, and central nerve-acting agents, but rarely results from use of alpha blockers, ACE inhibitors, and angiotensin II receptor blockers (see Table 1).
Table 1: Medications that can cause erectile dysfunction | |
| Type of medication | Some examples |
| ACE inhibitors* | captopril (Capoten), enalapril (Vasotec), ramipril (Altace) |
| Antidepressants | sertraline (Zoloft), paroxetine (Paxil), citalopram (Celexa), fluoxetine (Prozac), amitriptyline (Elavil), and many others |
| Antifungals | ketoconazole (Nizoral), itraconazole (Sporanox), amphotericin B lipid complex injection (Abelcet) |
| Anti-ulcer drugs | cimetidine (Tagamet), famotidine (Pepcid), ranitidine hydrochloride (Zantac) |
| Beta blockers | propranolol (Inderal), timolol (Blocadren), penbutolol (Levatol) |
| Calcium-channel blockers* | diltiazem (Cardizem), nifedipine (Procardia), verapamil (Verelan) |
| Cholesterol-lowering drugs* | niacin, lovastatin (Mevacor), simvastatin (Zocor) |
| Diuretics | chlorothiazide (Diuril), spironolactone (Aldactone), chlorthalidone (Thalitone) |
| Nitrates* | isosorbide dinitrate (Isordil), isosorbide mononitrate (Imdur, Ismo) |
| Tranquilizers | diazepam (Valium), thioridazine (Mellaril), chlordiazepoxide (Librium) |
| Miscellaneous | finasteride (Proscar, Propecia), estrogens, anti-androgens, antihistamines, anticholinergics, some anticancer drugs |
| *Less likely to cause erectile dysfunction | |
When you see a doctor about erectile dysfunction, it's important that you report all prescription and over-the-counter medications that you take on a regular basis. If your doctor suspects that a medication is to blame, he or she may be able to substitute another one. It can take anywhere from several days to several weeks after stopping a medication for erections to return.
| Last updated: | September 05, 2008 |
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Medical content reviewed by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School. Harvard Health Publications, Copyright © 2007 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Used with permission of StayWell.
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