Pain medications can increase the risk of impotence

Men who regularly take opioids, prescription painkillers, are down 50 percent. more prone to impotence, according to a study published in the journal Spine.

Over 11 people participated in the research. men with back pain. Over 19 percent men using high doses of opioids for at least four months later were also taking erectile dysfunction medications (compared with 7% of men who did not take opioids). The relationship persisted even after taking into account factors such as age, depression, health, and the use of sedative and hypnotic medications.

As noted by the author of the study, Dr. Richard A. Deyo of the medical consortium Kaiser Permanente, these results do not mean that opioids cause impotence, but both patients and doctors should be aware that there is such a relationship, especially since opioid sales in the years 1999 -2010 increased fourfold. The most popular are hydrocodone, oxycodone and morphine.

There is no doubt that in some patients the use of these drugs is justified. However, there is growing evidence that if taken for a long time, they can lead to addiction, overdose, sleep apnea, hormonal disruptions, and in the elderly, to falls. It turns out that they also have an impact on impotence – sums up Dr. Dejo, who has been conducting research on the effectiveness of back pain treatment for 30 years (PAP).

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