Can Steroids Cause You Erectile Dysfunction?
Men around the world often use steroids to gain muscle. But steroids can cause damaging effects on your health. Misuse of steroids can also cause erectile dysfunction disorder in men.
Erectile dysfunction can be the result of steroid use and abuse because they affect hormone levels. In this blog, you will learn about how to avoid erectile dysfunction when taking steroids, including the use of ED medicines.
What are steroids?
Steroids are a class of organic compounds characterized by their molecular structure, which contains four rings of carbon atoms. Steroids are diverse, and several hormones, vitamins, alkaloids, and medicines are also in this class.
When it comes to steroids, people usually think of two things. One is the medicine you might use if you suffer from inflammatory diseases like asthma or eczema. The other is the one used at the gym to build muscle.
The two main types of steroids are corticosteroids and anabolic-androgenic steroids.
Corticosteroids
Corticosteroids help reduce inflammation in various conditions, such as rashes, asthma, and multiple sclerosis. However, they weaken the immune system and cause side effects like weight gain, mood swings, and high blood pressure.
Anabolic steroids
Anabolic steroids are considered the artificial version of testosterone prescribed to deal with hormonal deficiencies like delayed puberty or age-related testosterone deficiency. However, men often use anabolic steroids to improve their muscle mass.
Is there any link between steroids and erectile dysfunction?
Some men might take anabolic steroids to build their muscle strength and make body attractive. Unfortunately, anabolic steroids can meet your desire but take away the performance.
Some common side effects of anabolic steroids include infertility, poor erection, reduced sperm count, hair loss, and shrunken testicles. You have to pay all these heavy prices to attain big muscles.
If you use anabolic steroids continuously for a long time, it will result in tolerance, which means your body will stop producing testosterone. As a result, men’s sexual health is affected.
Also, Discover Other Major Causes of Erectile Dysfunction in Men.
Which steroids can cause erectile dysfunction?
You should know there are two types of steroids which contribute to sexual dysfunction disorder, including corticosteroids and anabolic steroids.
Corticosteroids such as prednisone are a type of steroid that treat inflammation and allergies. But they can even lower testosterone levels temporarily and cause erectile dysfunction disorder in men.
Anabolic steroids are artificial derivatives of the hormone testosterone. Legally, they are often used in the treatment of medical disorders such as testicular failure, hypogonadism, and others. They are also used illegally as performance-enhancement medicine by athletes to gain muscle mass.
Anabolic steroids can mess with sexual hormones in men and affect the flow of blood to the male sexual organ. It can also hurt sexual function and desire.
Intake of anabolic steroids also increases your risk of experiencing erectile dysfunction, heart attacks, and other severe cardiovascular problems.
Know About Testosterone Levels.
How do we treat erectile dysfunction caused by steroids?
The best way to treat steroid-induced erectile dysfunction is to stop the consumption of anabolic steroids and wait for your average testosterone production to return.
However, it is difficult to tell when normal testosterone starts to return after you stop taking steroids. It might be possible that within 13 to 24 weeks, your normal testosterone levels can return.
Your doctor might also recommend some ED medications like Viagra and Cialis for the treatment of vascular erectile dysfunction.
If your normal testosterone levels return after stopping steroid consumption and you still suffer from erectile dysfunction disorder, consult the doctor immediately. Your doctor might recommend other treatment options for erectile dysfunction.
Summary
Thus, the use of steroids can result in serious complications which will affect not only your sexual life but also your physical and mental health. Long-term use of steroids can reduce your sperm count and cause erectile dysfunction. So, if you experience erectile dysfunction from steroid use, meet the doctor immediately.
