How Prescription and Over-the-Counter Drugs Affect Sexual Performance

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.

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