women and sexual
dysfunction
Many common conditions and the medications used
to treat them can cause problems in the bedroom

by Antoinette Alexander

Is your female pharmacy patient suffering in silence?

Sexual dysfunction may not be a topic she is quick to bring up at the pharmacy counter, but as a pharmacy technician it is important to be aware of the problems she may face, sometimes as a result of certain medications.

Female sexuality can be complex and sexual problems could stem from emotional causes such as stress, relationship problems, depression or anxiety. However, that isn’t always the case.

Physical causes like hormones, diabetes and aging can result in sexual changes, like vaginal dryness, and some medications—such as those for depression, blood pressure and diabetes—can simply put a damper on a woman’s sex life.

According to Dr. Holly Thacker, director of the Women’s Health Center at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, the most common class of medications that affect female sexual function is selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a common class of antidepressants.

“Those can reduce the ability to climax or prolong the time or stimulation it takes to have a climax, so they reduce libido,” Thacker said.

Another class of medications known to cause sexual dysfunction in women is steroid-based drugs, such as those used to treat asthma or rheumatoid arthritis. Some of the commonly used diabetic medications and hypertension medicines can also

reduce sex drive and the ability to climax.

Women suffering from such ailments should talk with their pharmacists or doctors to see if they can switch medications, lower the dosage or find other ways to revive their sex drives.

Vaginal dryness is another issue that some women face and, while the causes can vary, could be the result of something as seemingly innocuous as using an antihistamine. To treat common vaginal dryness, a woman may want to try an OTC lubricant. There are many forms

of lubricants on the market but a plain, water-based lubricant might be best to start. Thacker stressed that mineral oil or Vaseline should never be used on the genitals, as they may cause irritation or infection.

“Anybody who is chronically ill and has a condition, any serious condition, and even if the medication doesn’t reduce the sex drive, a person may think it does because they have reduced sex drive,” Thacker said. “It is understandable if someone is ill. … If [the patient] is under stress or duress for whatever the reason the first thing to go is the sex drive.” l