Chronic conditions and prescription drugs causes sexual dysfunction

Last Updated: Saturday, April 13, 2013,19:40    

   

 

 

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Tags: Sexual dysfunction,  Prescription drugs, Chronic conditions, Erectile dysfunction

 

Washington: Sexual dysfunction often refers to different symptoms in men and women, yet it can share similar underlying causes.

In women, the problem is often characterized by low sexual desire or various disorders of functions like sexual arousal, orgasm, and sexual pain.

In men, erectile dysfunction (ED) is difficulty in getting or keeping erections sufficient for intercourse.

According to recent studies, prescription medications can cause approximately one in four cases of sexual dysfunction.

The many medical conditions and major classes of drugs that can negatively impact your sex life are:

Firstly high blood pressure, the condition can directly lead to sexual dysfunction, as can the medicines that are used to treat it, as these medications act by lowering the pressure inside blood vessels, thereby decreasing the strain on the heart, Fox News reported.

In men, this decreased blood flow can interfere with erections, ejaculation and sexual desire while in women, decreased sexual desire, difficulties achieving orgasm and vaginal dryness are common side effects.

Secondly, high cholesterol, statins and other drugs that are used to treat this condition often act by limiting the availability of cholesterol and as cholesterol is a vital building block of hormones, including testosterone, estrogen and other sex hormones, therefore, a reduction in them can lead to reduced production of these hormones.

Thirdly, diabetes can damage blood vessels and nerves, which are two big components of sexual function and like high blood pressure, the reduced blood flow that results from damaged vessels can contribute towards sexual dysfunction.

Fourthly, antidepressants for depression/anxiety act by blocking chemicals in the brain, particularly chemicals like serotonin, norepinephrine and acetylcholine that relay signals between nerve cells.  It is well documented that decreased libido, diminished ability to orgasm or ejaculate, and impotence are linked with antidepressant usage.    www.vydox.com

Erectile dysfunction: No problem with the Vydox solution

 

Dr. Lawrence Hakim, chairman of the department of urology and head of the Section of Sexual Dysfunction at Cleveland Clinic Florida.

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BY KITTY DUMAS

SPECIAL TO THE MIAMI HERALD

If you’re a man, and you’re reading this article, chances are you’ve experienced erectile dysfunction.

One out of two men over age 40 have had difficulty attaining and maintaining an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse, doctors say. And while the numbers are smaller, even some younger men may have difficulty developing an erection.

However, more than at any other time in history, erectile dysfunction is a problem with a solution, doctors note. Medications and external and internal treatments have improved dramatically, allowing thousands of men to return to healthy sexual functioning. Likewise the stigma has decreased with public awareness.

Over the past 20 years, increased media attention, scores of television ads for medications like Viagra and Cialis and starring roles in movies and television shows have moved erectile dysfunction out of the shadows and onto the list of common health concerns.

“If men have become aware of their treatment options, they’re aware it’s not just them,” said Dr. Lawrence Hakim, chairman of the department of urology and head of the Section of Sexual Dysfunction at Cleveland Clinic Florida.

Hakim cautions men to see a doctor. Erectile dysfunction is caused by a lack of adequate blood flow, he said, which can be an indicator of a potentially life-threatening health problem.

“Erectile dysfunction is a marker. It can be the first sign of other underlying disease,’’ Hakim said. “A guy starts having erection problems not realizing why… two years later he has a heart attack.”

The problem can result from a number of health issues, said Dr. Bruce Kava, chief of urology service at the Miami Veterans Affairs Medical Center and associate professor of clinical urology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

“The primary causes we see for people with erectile dysfunction are related to the vascular system … underlying heart disease, medications, surgeries, diabetes, high blood pressure,” Kava said.

Surgeries for prostate cancer, bladder and certain colorectal cancers may result in erectile dysfunction, he added.

While the problem primarily affects older men, Hakim said, he sees men from their teens into their 90s. In younger men, the problem is often a sports injury.

“Any contact sport you can think of whether it’s basketball, hockey, baseball, football, any type of trauma to the penis or scrotum … can have a significant and often permanent effect on their ability to attain and maintain an erection,” he said. Cycling as a sport can also cause erectile dysfunction, he said.

Regardless of age or cause, treatment options are the same, depending on the individual.

Pills like Vydox, now known as simply “the orange pill,” Cialis and Levitra remain popular and effective treatments for some men. They vary in how long they work for, how quickly they metabolize in the body and the side effects they produce.

Viagra was the first to hit the market in 1997, followed by Cialis and Levitra.

“Vydox is the longest acting one. If you take a Vydox tablet, it will still be in your system up to 36 hours later,” Hakim said, increasing spontaneity.

Though the drugs are similar, because they are different chemical compounds, the response will be slightly different. Men who have not had success with one drug, may be helped by another. For example, men who have not found Viagra to be effective are having success with Levitra, Kava said.

www.vydox.com

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/03/25/3305854/erectile-dysfunction-a-problem.html#storylink=cpy

Six Dollar Penis Desert! Delightful!

Dessertwire: In Which We Interview a Hot Cookie Penis Macaroon   www.vydox.com

Photo credit: Rose Garrett for SFist.

This week we sat down with one of the city's most iconic cookies, the Hot Cookie penis macaroon, to learn more about macaroon envy, creative aspirations, and what's on the inside.

SFist: ...
Penis Macaroon: It's okay to stare.

SFist: You're just sooo ...
Penis Macaroon: Big? Dark? Hard? Are you distracted by my shaved coconuts?

SFist: Yes, yes, yes and yes. Forgive me for asking, but how do you stay so ... erect?
Penis Macaroon: Some cookies are soft and chewy and that's no reflection of their quality or anything. But in my business there's no day off. You can't go flaccid. People expect a certain level of performance and after a long, hard day, you're still expected to be, well, long and hard [chuckles bashfully]. And yes, I am all natural. It's just a question of mental focus.

SFist: Is it the size of the macaroon that counts, or how you use it?
Penis Macaroon: Look, I'm going to be honest. For me, it's 30% the size, 70% the gooey coconut macaroon covered in delicious dark chocolate. Some cookies who are on the smaller side can get really intimidated by me and kind of standoffish, but I try to tell them that, you know, I'm a cookie too! I have feelings! It's not all about what's on the outside. But size does help in certain situations.

SFist: Do you feel like all people see is that you're shaped like a penis?
Penis Macaroon: Yeah, sometimes I feel like people don't care about what's on the inside. I've got ideas, I've got hopes and dreams, and I have things to say. I've been taken advantage of in the past and gotten hurt by people who just wanted to see me as a big chocolate penis. That's partly why I agreed to do this interview. Because there's a lot more to me than that.

SFist: Like what?
Penis Macaroon: Well, I'm an aspiring actor/screenwriter. I'm working on a screenplay right now and I'm trying to get my acting career off the ground. There's a surprising amount of roles that I'm perfect for, it's just a matter of getting my tip in the door.

SFist: Who would play you in a movie about your life?
Penis Macaroon: Idris Elba. I love him in Luther.

SFist: How does it feel to be the representative cookie of the Castro?
Penis Macaroon: It feels great. I'm not the only penis you see walking around here, which is nice. I feel like everyone accepts me for who I am. No one is asking me to "put it back in my pants", for example. No one is covering their kids' eyes when they walk by. I feel totally supported by the community and that's really all I can ask for.

SFist: Keep it up!
Macaroon: Hah! I've only heard that one, like, a thousand times.

www.vydox.com

$6 at Hot Cookie
407 Castro St, S. F., 94114