Anaphrodisiacs

Several drugs are known to inhibit sexual behavior. Substances that have this effect are called anaphrodisiacs (an-a-fruh-DEE-zee-aks). Common drugs with anaphrodisiac potential include antiandrogens, opiates, tranquilizers, anticoagulants, antihyperten­sives (blood pressure medicine), antidepressants, antipsychotics, nicotine, birth control

At a Glance

■ TABLE 6.1 Some Alleged Aphrodisiacs and Their Effects

pills, sedatives, ulcer drugs, appetite suppressants, steroids, anticonvulsants used for treating epilepsy, cardiovascular medications, cholesterol reducers, over-the-counter allergy medicines that cause drowsiness, and drugs for treating cancer, heart disease, fluid retention, and fungus infections (Bahrick, 2008; DeLamater & Sill, 2005).

A great deal of evidence indicates that regular use of opiates, such as heroin, mor­phine, and methadone, often produces a significant—and sometimes dramatic—decrease in sexual interest and activity in both sexes (Ackerman et al., 1994; Finger et al., 1997). Serious impairment of sexual functioning associated with opiate use can include erectile problems and inhibited ejaculation in males, and reduced capacity to experience orgasm in females.

Tranquilizers, used widely in the treatment of a variety of emotional disorders, have been shown sometimes to reduce sexual motivation, impair erection, and delay or inhibit orgasm in both sexes (Graedon & Graedon, 2008).

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Many antihypertensives, drugs used for treating high blood pressure, have been experimentally demonstrated to seriously inhibit erection and ejaculation, reduce the intensity of orgasm in male subjects, and reduce sexual interest in both sexes (DeLama — ter & Sill, 2005).

Another class of commonly prescribed psychiatric medications, antidepressants, almost without exception cause adverse changes in sexual response. These changes include decreased desire in both sexes, erectile disorder in men, and delayed or absent orgasmic response in both sexes (Bahrick, 2008; Balon & Segraves, 2008). A rare side effect, spontaneous orgasm, has been documented in both women and men who are tak­ing antidepressant medications. A number of case studies of this unusual phenomenon have revealed that spontaneous orgasms can occur without sexual sensory stimulation or as a result of nonsexual stimulation (e. g., vibrations from riding a subway or sensa­tions from a bowel movement) (Silverberg, 2008a). While studies have not identified the etiology of spontaneous orgasms, researchers think the cause has something to do with the neurotransmitter serotonin (Silverberg, 2008a).

Antipsychotic drugs are also likely to disrupt sexual response. Potential adverse reactions include erectile disorder and delay of ejaculation in men and orgasm difficul­ties and reduced sexual desire in both sexes (Finger et al., 1997).

Recent research indicates that men who take the drug finasteride (commonly known as Propecia and Proscar) to treat male pattern hair loss may report a reduction in sex­ual motivation and erectile dysfunction (Traish et al., 2011). These adverse sexual side effects of finasteride suggest that this drug has anaphrodisiac properties.

Many people are surprised to hear that birth control pills are also commonly associ­ated with reduced sexual desire (Lee et al., 2011). A study of the effects of four differ­ent oral contraceptives on various sex hormones found that all four produced a marked reduction in the blood levels of free testosterone (Wiegratz et al., 2003). As discussed in the next section, free testosterone influences both female and male libido. Perhaps the most widely used and least recognized anaphrodisiac is nicotine. There is evidence that smoking can significantly retard sexual motivation and function by constricting the blood vessels (thereby retarding vasocongestive response of the body to sexual stimulation) and perhaps by reducing testosterone levels in the blood (McKay, 2005; Ryan-Berg, 2011).