FirstMed Consulting Blog

People often mistakenly think that sexual problems mainly arise from relationship problems or mental health issues. However, sexual health is a good barometer of general health. Here are a few medical conditions and situations whose impact might be felt in the bedroom:

1. Diabetes. Sex problems frequently coexist with diabetes primarily due to the nerve damage it causes. About 50 per cent of men with diabetes will experience some kind of sexual problem such as erectile or ejaculatory dysfunction, while women may face decreased arousal and difficulty achieving orgasm. The risks of these sexual side effects may be reduced by keeping blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol in check. Type 2 diabetes is the commonest form and generally found in people over 40. Most people with Type 2 diabetes are overweight and many of them have only mild symptoms for years before the diabetes is even noticed. It is very important that diabetes is tested for and ruled out before taking treatments for impotence such as Viagra, Cialis and Levitra.

2. Vascular disease. Sexual problems can be frequently caused by several different vascular conditions which can cause harm to blood vessels, hardening and tapering arteries. This damage can restrict blood flow to the genitals. For men, this may translate into inefficient erections; for women, inadequate lubrication.

4. Alcohol. Small amounts of alcohol can be good for you. However, alcohol consumed in excessive amounts can have a serious affect on sexual health. While alcohol may provoke desire, even moderate amounts spoil the capacity to perform. Excessive drinking also results in behavioral changes that reduce sexual desire and inhibit sexual performance. Concentration and judgment become cloudy and physical activity and movement are impaired. Abuse of alcohol is often associated with other negative factors like smoking, over eating, lack of exercise and drug abuse.

3. Depression. Sexual dysfunction often accompanies depression, since the brain, commonly called the “the largest sex organ,” is where that spark of sexual desire originates. If brain chemicals, or neurotransmitters, aren’t properly balanced, libido, arousal, and orgasm can take a hit. Frustratingly, antidepressants such as selective and nonselective serotonin reuptake inhibitors that act on serotonin receptors may dampen desire, decrease arousal, and stall or squash orgasm. Luckily, antidotes exist. Recent Studies (supported by Pfizer) have found that Viagra and Viagra-like medications may help.

5. Medication side effects. Countless medications can have an affect on libido. Besides antidepressants that act on the brain’s serotonin receptors, certain high blood pressure medications, and even the birth control pill, can have sexual side effects. Medicines used to treat high blood pressure, such as beta-blockers, thiazide diuretics and clonidine, can cause impotence. Some, but not all, statins and fibrates, used to treat high cholesterol levels, may also have a minor effect. Subbing a different drug or a lower dosage may make a difference.

Erectile Dysfunction…. Frustrating, confusing and sometimes frightening. Yet for most men at some stage or another, unavoidable.

One approach is to just wait and pray that it will go away. The other is to do something about it.

The questions
1. Why me?
2. What can I do?

The answers
1. ED is far more common than people think. It is estimated that 1 in 10 men experience it (not to mind the many people who are too embarrassed to seek treatment). The main causes tend to be related to a physical malfunction, specifically any condition that affects blood flow in the body such as diabetes of high cholesterol. While more commonly not the original root cause, psychology frequently has a part to play as well. It’s easy to lose confidence after it has happened a few too many times.
2. What you can do is pretty straightforward. Talk to someone about it. Keep your partner in the loop. Remember it’s affecting them too. See your doctor. Once you have ruled out any serious physical cause you can think about treatment. The most convenient and successful treatment for impotence is oral prescription treatment. There are 3 variations of this, namely Viagra, Levitra and Cialis. Find out more by visiting our treatment guide.

Not satisfied with being simply a pill, Viagra has become a cultural phenomenon. Now the ‘magic blue pill’ is expanding again to become ‘Viagra – the video game’. Pfizer is currently advertising its blockbuster erectile dysfunction drug with an online game called “Viva Cruiser.”

The game appears if web users click on a sky-scraper-shaped Viagra ad that has been placed on some pages of Forbes.com. The move into so-called “advergaming” is a new one for the drug business. The industry is traditionally slower to adopt new marketing media than others but Pfizer isn’t known for hanging back when it comes to innovation

In the game, players are instructed, “You’re about to take your partner on a romantic getaway. Pick up a few things on the way.” Players must then guide a motorcycle rider down a desert road picking up gifts for a date and avoiding orange hazard cones. The gifts include roses, scented candles, gift boxes — and of course little, blue, diamond-shaped pills. Pfizer’s “Viva Viagra” theme song can be heard in the background. The desert and the song are a play on the “Viva Las Vegas” theme that Pfizer has borrowed for its campaign. Simultaneously, a man’s voice offers advice: “Don’t let erectile dysfunction slow you down … erectile dysfunction is a common issue so doctors talk to men about ED all the time,” and so on.

The new game has once again stirred up controversy about Pfizer’s marketing of Viagra. The pharmaceutical giants have frequently been criticized for promoting Viagra as a party drug rather than as a legitimate treatment for a medical condition.