Men taking multiple medications for different health conditions may have a higher risk of erectile dysfunction -- a link that doesn't seem to be explained by the health problems themselves, a new study finds.
Overall, 16 percent of men on no more than two drugs reported moderate ED -- meaning they "sometimes" had trouble getting or maintaining an erection. That compared with 20 percent of men on three to five medications, a quarter of men on six to nine drugs and 31 percent of those on at least 10 drugs.
Not surprisingly, ED was more common in men who were older, heavier, smoked or had health problems like diabetes or high blood pressure. But even when the researchers accounted for that, being on multiple medications was still tied to an increased ED risk.
Senior researcher Dr. Steven J. Jacobsen said that it's possible the drugs themselves could contribute to or worsen ED -- via drug interactions, for instance. But there's no way to tell for sure from these findings.What is clear, he stressed, is that men with erectile problems should not simply stop taking their prescriptions.
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Study finds impotence risk higher in men taking several drugs
