July 10, 2023 Dr. James D Jablonski

Medicines that might cause erectile dysfunction

If you suffering from erectile dysfunction disorder then it’s high time to pay attention to your medicines.

This is because 1 in 4 people having trouble with firm and reliable erections often blame the medications they take.

Are you wondering whether a medicine you take is causing ED? If so, then you are already in the right place.

There are certain medications that contribute to ED, but they are not the only cause of erectile dysfunction condition. 

A man who doubts their ED might be due to a specific medicine should immediately talk to a doctor. 

It might be possible that your doctor recommends changing the dosage or switching to other medicines.

Unless your doctor tells you to do so, you must not stop taking your medicines strictly.

Medicines that might cause erectile dysfunction

Here are some prescription, over-the-counter (OTC), recreational and other medicines that can cause erectile dysfunction:

 Prescription medications

There are five different categories of prescription medicines that can cause ED.

These drugs contribute to ED either on their own or in combination with factors like diabetes or aging.

 Antidepressants or other psychiatric pills

Sexual side effects of antidepressants and other psychiatric medicines are often recognized.

By changing levels of your feel-good hormone serotonin, antidepressants cause an imbalance of other hormones that control sexual function.

Usually, these include testosterone which influences your sexual stimulation and ability to attain an erection.

It is important to know that dopamine plays a vital role in orgasms.

Some other types of psychiatric medicines which can make you suffer from erection disorders include anxiolytics and antipsychotics.

Several psychiatric medicines can cause erectile dysfunction including:

• Anafranil
• Asendin
• Ativan
• Elavil
• Buspar
• Equanil
• Librium

High blood pressure medicines

Erectile dysfunction in men with hypertension can lead to serious problems.

By causing arteries to harden and narrow and restricting blood flow to the male sexual organs, hypertension can cause erectile dysfunction.

Treating it with antihypertensive medicines can affect your erection by declining blood pressure and the volume of blood entering the male sexual organ.

A number of classes of medications are helpful in treating hypertension:

ACE inhibitors, calcium channel blockers, angiotensin receptor blockers, beta-blockers, and diuretics.

Though most high blood pressure medicines have a chance to cause ED, but below-stated are some common ones:

• Aldactone
• Bumex
• Aldomet
• Bethanidine
• Apresoline
• Dibenzyline
• Diuril
• Esidrix
• Haldol

Chemotherapy and hormonal agents

There are numerous chemotherapy medicines and anti-cancer agents which make men suffer from erectile dysfunction.

These generally include hormonal medicines used for slowing the development of prostate cancer.

Such types of medications come with anti-androgenic effects which means they block the action of testosterone or lower testosterone.

Though it might slow the growth of your cancerous tumor but contribute to the loss of erectile function as well as fertility.

Some chemotherapy drugs linked to ED are:

• Myleran
• Casodex
• Lupron
• Cytoxan
• Firmagon
• Eulexin

Opioids

When it comes to opioids, they are powerful narcotic medicines that provide you relief from pain.

Nevertheless, a common side effect of Opioids is erectile dysfunction in men.

You start experiencing when Opioids harm signals between your testes, pituitary gland, and hypothalamus of the brain.

Blockage of communication can also cause a sudden drop in testosterone and increase the risk of erection disorders or decreased fertility.

The most common Opioids linked to erectile dysfunction are:

• Codeine
• Demerol
• Dilaudid
• Morphine
• Fentanyl
• Oxycontin
• Methadone

 Parkinson’s disease medicines

Parkinson’s disease is treated with medicines and anticholinergics that block chemical acetylcholine and dopamine agonists.

You need to know that the chemical acetylcholine and dopamine agonists are responsible for increasing the effects of dopamine.

Parkinson’s is often caused when there is an imbalance of acetylcholine and dopamine.

By changing the action of these neurotransmitters, the excitatory nerves in male sexual organs can be damaged.

However, a lack of acetylcholine can also prevent the dilation of blood vessels and cause trouble for you to achieve hard erections.

Some medicines which cause ED in people suffering from Parkinson’s include:

• Akineton
• Artane
• Cogentin
• Levodopa
• Kemadrin
• Parlodel

 Over-the-counter medicines

A number of over-the-counter pills can make you suffer from erectile dysfunction, mainly antihistamines.

These not only include antihistamines that treat allergies but those classified as H2 blockers and work as antacids.

Antihistamines block the action of histamine, a chemical in your body that involves allergic reactions and regulation of your stomach acid.

Remember histamine relaxes your smooth muscles and helps blood vessels in the male sexual organ to expand.

But overuse of antihistamines often contributes to erection issues, mainly in men with other risk factors of ED or impotence.

OTC antihistamines and H2 blockers linked with erectile dysfunction include:

• Axid
• Antivert
• Dramamine
• Pepcid
• Benadryl
• Tagamet

Apart from OTC antihistamines, prescription antihistamines such as Phenergan and Vistaril are also associated with ED.

Recreational drugs

Both legal and illegal recreational drugs can make you suffer from erectile dysfunction in numerous ways.

Some might impair signals to and from your brain that help you to achieve hard erections.

While others affect blood pressure or cause narrowing of your blood vessels, both obstruct flow of blood to male sexual organ.

Some recreational medicines which increase your risk of erectile dysfunction include:

• Amphetamines
• Alcohol
• Heroin
• Barbiturates like phenobarbital and Seconal
• Cocaine
• Nicotine
• Marijuana

 Other medications

There are some common and uncommon medicines that cause ED disorder in men.

These include prescription drugs and certain supplements which decrease testosterone levels when overdosed or overused.

Apart from the above-stated medicines, here are some other drugs that can cause erection problems, including:

• Amicar
• Compazine
• Androcur
• Atromid
• Avodart
• Atropen
• Norflex
• Norpace
• Reglan
• Proscar

Therefore, the abovementioned is not a complete list of medicines that can cause erectile dysfunction in men.

If you think your medicine is responsible for causing ED, make sure to speak with your doctor once.