It’s also worth noting that there are other drugs that can cause sexual problems. These can include blood pressure medications, which lessen blood flow and interfere with erections and ejaculations in men and vaginal dryness, difficulty in achieving orgasm and decreased desire in women. The blood pressure pills come in eight categories, but it’s been noted that diuretics, alpha-blockers and beta-blockers are the biggest suspected culprits in sexual dysfunction.

Diuretics are known to limit blood flow to the sex organs but also exacerbate the outflow of zinc, which is a key to producing more testosterone. Beta-blockers are known to make subjects more sedated, which can interfere with nerve function and reduce testosterone production.

If you’re taking antidepressants, you may experience some sexual dysfunction. The drugs interfere with brain chemicals, including serotonin, acetylcholine and norepinephrine, which are keys to sending relay signals between nerves. In the delicate structure of erections, that can be a problem. Your doctor may be able to switch drugs that may have fewer side effects.

Calming Down the Mind – and Other Things

Antipsychotic drugs used to treat such serious mental conditions as bipolar disorders, schizophrenia and other severe psychiatric problems, can be problematic. These drugs attack your dopamine production, the brain chemical that controls your pleasure centers, regulating your emotional responses. They also increase the prolactin hormone, which can reduce libido and cause erectile dysfunction and can interference with the acetylcholine reactions in your body, which causes a host of sexual functions.