Gabapentin and Erectile Dysfunction: What's the Link?

With time, Erectile dysfunction has become a common form of sexual dysfunction affecting more than 150 million men across world.

Many factors can make you suffer from ED, including your prescription medicines which treat common illnesses.

Prescription medicine named Gabapentin and ED has proven to be linked.

This drug is an anticonvulsant that treats partial seizures as well as neuropathic pain.

If a doctor has prescribed you Gabapentin, understand how this medicine can affect your sexual performance.

Also, know how to manage these effects so that it is easy to maintain a healthy and satisfying sexual life.

Can Gabapentin cause erectile dysfunction?

A number of medicines effective in treating seizures can cause or worsen your erectile dysfunction condition, including Gabapentin.

Gabapentin’s effects on your neurotransmitters can cause a link between gabapentin and erectile dysfunction.

Remember Gabapentin is also linked with other sexual side effects like problems reaching orgasm.

After treatment with Gabapentin, Some men even report changes in their sexual drive like increased or decreased level of interest in sexual activity

However, erectile dysfunction from Gabapentin’s treatment is not permanent.

It is easy to treat this problem by simply making changes in your medicines or by opting for a different form of treatment for ED.

What is a Gabapentin tablet?

People with epilepsy can effectively treat their seizure condition with Gabapentin which is an anticonvulsant drug.

With this medicine, you can also manage restless leg syndrome and people with postherpetic neuralgia can also take it as a pain reliever.

Postherpetic neuralgia is a form of skin and nerve pain that can be developed as a result of shingles complications.

Like other medications, Gabapentin also has a variety of off-label uses including treatment of fibromyalgia, sleeplessness, anxiety, IBS, and other ailments.

For treating seizures, Gabapentin works directly by acting on your neurotransmitters.

Neurotransmitters are chemicals that transfer messengers between your nerve cells and increase levels of serotonin.

Gabapentin Relation with Erectile Dysfunction

Still, wondering if Gabapentin and ED are linked?

Unfortunately, the answer is yes, as Gabapentin can make men suffer from erectile dysfunction condition.

A number of researches have been done on the link between Gabapentin and ED.

It is said that the use of Gabapentin can affect a man’s ability to attain & maintain an erection and experience orgasm.

Some men can also experience sexual dysfunctions like impotence and libido loss following treatment with Gabapentin.

Is there any connection between erectile dysfunction and Gabapentin? 

After limited research on this topic, a few studies reveal that Gabapentin might play a role in some men’s erectile dysfunction.

Men who use gabapentin to relieve nerve pain are more likely to develop erectile dysfunction than non-users of this pill.

Nevertheless, it is not vital that all patients will suffer from this side effect because the severity of symptoms can vary.

If you suffer from erectile dysfunction while taking Gabapentin, talk to your doctor about various treatment options.

How Gabapentin-induced ED can be treated?

Since starting your Gabapentin treatment, have you developed erectile dysfunction?

If so, then it is vital that you address your ED problem with a doctor quickly.

It might be possible to treat Gabapentin-induced erectile dysfunction, simply by adjusting the dosage of Gabapentin tablet.

The doctor might also suggest switching to a different type of epilepsy medicine or using drugs to effectively treat & manage ED conditions.

Choose different anticonvulsant

Changing to a different anticonvulsant medication might occasionally prevent or reduce sexual side effects, such as erectile dysfunction.

To avoid Gabapentin-induced ED, your doctor can advise you to switch to different medicine for treating epilepsy illness.

Remember not all antiepileptic medicines are responsible for causing disorder of sexual dysfunction in men.

Medications for epilepsy like levetiracetam, oxcarbazepine, or lamotrigine can improve sexual function in people experiencing sexual-related symptoms.

Make sure you don’t change the dosage of or stop taking Gabapentin without visiting your doctor first.

Discuss with the doctor about ED medicine

Several medicines can treat erectile dysfunction such as Viagra, Cialis, and Avanafil.

These medicines are PDE5 inhibitors and work by improving blood flow to the male sexual organs.

This makes it easy for you to achieve and maintain an erection when you are sexually aroused or stimulated.

ED medicines should be taken before planned sexual activity to experience reliable effects for almost 3-4 hours.

Currently, no known interactions between Gabapentin and ED medicines are found.

Still, before you decide to take them for treating your ED condition, discuss them with the doctor once.

Therefore, there is a clear relationship between Gabapentin and erectile dysfunction.

If you experience ED disorder after taking the Gabapentin pill, it is best to consult a doctor.