Does Cholesterol Drugs Affect sex life?

If you are among the one who is under cholesterol lowering drug, then this article goes for you. Whenever a drug is prescribed by a physician, the first question the patient raises is about sex. Now a days the awareness has been so high that patients are very concerned as to whether the drugs which have been prescribed will affect their sex life? This issue of link between drug interaction affecting sex lives need to be answered. The population who are under cholesterol lowering drugs are quite high and these patients are often prescribed “Statins”(Cholesterol lowering drug) to reduce their cholesterol level. The first thing is to understand what cholesterol is and how does it affect you sex life?
Cholesterol performs several important functions in the human body and their functions make them either a good cholesterol or a bad cholesterol. Cholesterol forms an important component of the outer “skin” of cells and of the bile acids that helps in digesting the food. Cholesterol also provides the starting point for formation of estrogen and testosterone. So, theoretically in an attempt to lower cholesterol with a statin could also lower testosterone levels which subsequently can lead to impaired sex drive. But in practice statins seem to have very little or no affect on testosterone levels.
In 2004 Dutch researchers wrote about eight men who reported a decreased sex drive while taking a statins. Problems having an strong erection were also been reported as an uncommon side effect of statin use. It is impossible to conclude whether statin therapy caused these sexual side effects, or if they are due to something else. In fact Atherosclerosis, the process that culminates in cholesterol-clogged arteries, can interfere with sexual arousal in men and women. High blood pressure, diabetes, depression, and stress, all of which are common in people with heart disease, can also dampen sexual function and can trigger impotence.
Cholesterol is said to be the building block for several hormones, including those made by the adrenal glands, as well as sex hormones. Thus, taking cholesterol lowering drugs can lower testosterone levels in men and women, reducing libido, impaired physical and mental drive, and low energy. As well as a loss of sex drive, several studies have shown that cholesterol lowering drugs can affect sexual performance in men, leading to erectile dysfunction. This is the case for both statins and fibrates (another type of cholesterol lowering drug). Cells in the testes are capable of producing cholesterol, as it is required in high amounts to produce testosterone. Statin drugs do reach the testes, and they can inhibit cholesterol production there, as well as in the liver. Sexual dysfunction symptoms vanish when the medications are discontinued. Cholesterol lowering drugs such as simvastatin have the potential to directly inhibit testosterone production independently while lowering the cholesterol level in the body. Though the exact mechanism in which this action takes place is not yet known but the end result is certainly known.
Though many medicines are quoted to be interfering with sexual function but it is relatively difficult to determine whether a particular medicine is causing erectile dysfunction or affecting sexual function because:
• Many diseases affect sexual function, so it can be difficult to establish if the dysfunction is a result of the disease or the medicine used for treating it.
• Side-effects that involve sexual problems are often not reported to doctors because of embarrassment. This means the actual rate of sexual dysfunction caused by medicines may be higher than reported.
When these medicines start affecting your sexual drive, many men tend to discontinue these medicines which can cause further complication if the cholesterol levels are not kept in check. But the most amazing part of life is that the situation can be managed. Now a day’s physicians prescribe a combination of Generic Viagra or Kamagra if the patient suffers from any sexual dysfunction. This option has been a blessing for many men who were not able to decide whether to compromise of general health or sexual performance.