There is definitely a relationship between high blood pressure medication and one’s sex drive, for both men and women. In men high blood pressure medication can cause erectile problems because they slow down the flow of blood to the penis, thereby making it much more difficult for the man to get an erection when sexually aroused. It's known that diuretics (or water pills, like hydrochlorothiazide) and beta-blockers (like Atenolol) can also cause erection problems. These are also the first drugs that a doctor is likely to prescribe if you are not able to lower your high blood pressure through diet and exercise. There are also medications known as calcium channel blockers, such as Diltiazem, Verapamil, or Amlodipine. As a group, they rarely cause erectile dysfunction. But erection problems may be less common with some individual drugs within that group than with others.
Women taking these medications may experience pain during intercourse due to a lack of lubrication which is a side effect of these drugs. Women actually experience a bigger affect to their sex drive when taking high blood pressure medication than men do, namely a loss of natural lubrication. Women also may experience a recurring decrease in sexual desire, persistent or recurring decrease in sexual arousal, or a difficulty or even complete inability to achieve an orgasm.
Women taking these medications may experience pain during intercourse due to a lack of lubrication which is a side effect of these drugs. Women actually experience a bigger affect to their sex drive when taking high blood pressure medication than men do, namely a loss of natural lubrication. Women also may experience a recurring decrease in sexual desire, persistent or recurring decrease in sexual arousal, or a difficulty or even complete inability to achieve an orgasm.
