Ask the Doctor Q&A: Diabetes Medication and Erectile Function
Question:
Can diabetes medication cause a man to be unable to have erections??
Answer:
Medications that help keep blood sugar under good control should not cause a problem with erections. In fact, better control of diabetes is likely to help a man maintain erectile function.
Diabetes causes damage to blood vessels and nerves throughout the body. A man's ability to have and maintain an erection is completely dependent on normal nerves that tell the blood vessels in the penis how to react. Nerves that don't function normally or blood vessels that don't expand and contract at the right times will limit, and sometimes prohibit, the ability to have an erection.
People with diabetes need to do everything they can to keep blood vessels healthy. Controlling blood sugar is only the beginning. The other ways to help blood vessels react normally include:
- Avoiding tobacco
- Lowering LDL cholesterol ("bad cholesterol") to less than 100 milligrams per deciliter
- Making sure that blood pressure stays in the normal range
- Eating a healthy diet
- Exercising regularly
It is more likely that the diabetes itself, perhaps combined with any of the other factors mentioned above, is contributing to erectile dysfunction.
- Added to Medpedia December 2008