OTHER DRUGS LINKED TO IMPOTENCE

ISOTRETINOIN — the active ingredient in Roaccutane — isn’t the only drug implicated in sexual dysfunction in men.

Research recently published in the International Journal of Risk & Safety in Medicine identified 14 drugs including isotretinoin associated with ‘enduring sexual dysfunction’, such as ‘genital anaesthesia, pleasureless or weak orgasm, loss of libido and impotence’. The drugs include antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and the 5 Alpha-reductase inhibitors, such as finasteride, used to treat hair loss.

One theory is that they interfere with the electrical signals that transmit information around the body’s nervous system, controlling everything from the senses to movement.