Understanding the Connection Between Erectile Dysfunction Medications and STDs

In the July 6th issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine is a new report examining the relationship between erectile dysfunction drugs and sexually transmitted diseases. Basically the increased risk factors comes from older men having been given erectile dysfunction medications and then not being counseled properly by their physicians on proper safety sexual precautions. After having been a nurse for many years this comes at no surprise to me and makes perfect sense if you just think about it. After all, many older men often want to have affairs but can't due to erectile dysfunction problems and with all the new medications the new found freedoms of the medications have given them a new zest in this area which can boaster promiscuity as well as increase their risk for contracting sexually transmitted diseases.

Although the researchers had no way of really knowing in the study how many men were homosexual and how many were bisexual, the fact remains they were having more sexual relationships due to the erectile dysfunction medications than they would have without the medications.

The reason most physicians I think don't talk with their patients about using safe sex is that there is a misconception that people over a certain age would just know about these things. However, that is not the case. Many older Americans getting back into the dating scene or becoming more sexually active with more partners are actually unprepared for many of the diseases that are quite common in the world these days. Diseases from HIV/AIDS, chlamydia and herpes are only just a few that have become common place risks in our society.

If you think about it the enhancement of sexual activity in men through ED medications only increases how long men can be sexually promiscuous. While the erectile dysfunction medications were designed to give men a more normal sexual activity level in their later years or through any sexual dysfunction problems, some men have unfortunately used the medications to increase their sexual activity to well above that of people in their age groups. The increase sexual activity can be up to three times the normal level thereby increasing the risk of STDs to three times the normal limit of men not taking the ED medications.

The study has only proven that physicians need to be more responsible when prescribing ED medications to men, such as the men need to be routinely checked for STDs and counseled about safe sexual practices. As well as given proper information and counseling on common sexually transmitted diseases.

References for this article: www.medscape.com/viewarticle/724760
www.webmd.com/erectile-dysfunction/news/20100706/men-on-ed-drugs-get-more-stds
www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-07-11-erectile-dysfunction-stds_N.htm