1st Edition
How Prescription and Over-the-Counter Drugs Affect Sexual Performance
Most adults take at least one prescription medication for example, for high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, depression, asthma, diabetes, COPD, or a variety of other reasons, but most people (and many healthcare providers) are totally unaware that medications can have direct negative effects on sexual functioning and performance. This informative and timely book written by three well-known medications experts explores the chemistry behind sexual arousal in men and women and clearly and authoritatively explains how the common categories of prescription and over-the-counter medications and abused substances might be the reason for their declining sexual performance or even interest.
Table of Contents
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
About the authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
1. Anatomy, Physiology, Arousal, Orgasm, and Hormones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
2. Common Drugs and Their Sexual Side Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
3. Drugs That Treat Sexual Dysfunction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
4. Drugs That Enhance Desire or Improve Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
5. Male-Physiology Fertility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
6. Female-Physiology Fertility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
7. Oral Contraception and Hormone Replacement Therapy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
8. Pregnancy and Lactation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
9. Recreational/Illicit Drugs and Sex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
10. HIV Drugs and Sex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
11. Performance Drugs (Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids) and Sex . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
12. Medical Devices and Alcohol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Biography
Robert B. Raffa, PhD is an adjunct professor at the University of Arizona College
of Pharmacy (Tucson, AZ) and professor emeritus at Temple University School of
Pharmacy (Philadelphia, PA). He has bachelor’s degrees in chemical engineering
and physiological psychology, master’s degrees in biomedical engineering and
toxicology, and a doctorate in pharmacology. He was a research fellow and team
co-leader for analgesics drug discovery at Johnson & Johnson. He was a full
professor at Temple University School of Pharmacy. He is currently a consultant,
a cofounder of CaRafe Drug Innovation and Enalare Therapeutics, and the CSO
of Neumentum Inc. He is a coholder of several patents and has published more
than 350 papers and coauthored or edited several books. He is a past president of
the Mid-Atlantic Pharmacology Society of the American Society of Experimental
Therapeutics and a recipient of National Institutes of Health funding, and
research and teaching awards. He currently lectures and consults worldwide on
pharmacology principles and drug discovery and development.
Patricia J. Bush, PhD, is an emeritus professor at Georgetown University School
of Medicine, where she chaired the Division of Children’s Health Promotion in
the Department of Family Medicine. She earned a BS in Pharmacy from the
University of Michigan, an MSci in medical sociology from the University of
London (UK), and a PhD in social pharmacy from the University of Minnesota.
She has received numerous research grants and has published eight books, 21
book chapters, and more than 110 articles in peer-reviewed journals. She has
done research in other countries including Moldova. She has been a consultant to
a number of organizations, including the US Pharmacopeia. Her areas of
expertise include medicine-use behaviors, and she is best known for her studies
in children’s medicine knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. Her awards include
the 2019 Distinguished Alumni Lifetime Award from the University of Michigan
College of Pharmacy.
Albert I. Wertheimer, PhD, MBA, is a professor at the College of Pharmacy,
Nova Southeastern University, in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. He is the founding
editor of the Journal of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research, published by
Oxford University Press, and an international authority in pharmacoeconomics
and outcomes research. He is an author or editor of 43 books and author or
coauthor of more than 400 professional journal articles. He initiated and chaired
the Department of Social and Administrative Pharmacy at the University of
Minnesota. He has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors and has
lectured or consulted in over 75 countries.
