ask your pharmacist

Can blood pressure medicines cause impotence?

Some diuretics and beta-blockers are more likely to cause ED. As many as 25 to 50 percent of men who take the diuretics chlorothiazide (brand name Diuril), hydrochlorothiazide (Hydrodiuril), and spironolactone (Aldactone), or the beta blocker propranolol (Inderal), are affected. Other beta-blockers, such as atenolol (Tenormin) and metoprolol (Lopressor) cause this side effect in only 1 to 2 percent of men who take them.

Other types of blood pressure drugs rarely cause ED. Less than 1 percent of men who take the following drugs report the problem:

Talk to your doctor if you experience impotence while on a blood pressure medication. Adjusting your dose or switching to a different medicine may make a tremendous difference.

Sources:
Kochar, M.S. “What is Causing Your patient's Sexual Dysfunction? Uncovering a Connection with Hypertension and Antihypertensive Therapy,” Postgraduate Medicine 106 (1999).
Crenshaw, T.L., J.P. Goldberg. Sexual Pharmacology: Drugs That Affect Sexual Function. Crenshaw Writing Company, 1996.
Applied Therapeutics: The Clinical Use of Drugs. Applied Therapeutics, 1995.
Micromedex® Healthcare Series. Thomson Micromedex, 2007.
Drug Facts and Comparisons. Facts & Comparisons, 2007.

This answer prepared 5/23/2000.
This information updated 1/2/2007.