Erectile Dysfunction

Hey guys,

This is not an easy thing for me to discuss... but since starting Humira I've been having a lot of difficulty maintaining an erection. I take Pentasa and Imuran as well, though never had difficulty before the injections. Has anyone else experienced this?

Just this week I tried taking 75mg of Viagra and it did absolutely nothing for me. I'd been feeling quite down before this, but after seeing that even Viagra doesn't help... I'm terrified. I'm only 24 and am afraid to attempt having sex with anyone. My new girlfriend wants to, but I keep making excuses :(

I just don't know what to do. I can't stop taking the Humira because it's the only thing keeping me from surgery. It feels like I'm being forced to choose between being celibate and and defecating into a plastic bag attached to my waist for the rest of my life.

I just don't know anymore.

I don't even know what I hope to get from posting this. Maybe I just need to get this off my chest.

Thanks.

I'm not taking antidepressants and never have, nor am I experiencing a flare. I haven't had a flare since beginning Humira treatement over a year ago. And believe me, body image is not a problem I have ever had. Things just... stopped. And the only change that I can think of was Humira.

I would get more medical consultation on the ED. Maybe form the doc who prescribed the viagra. Definitely want to make sure is it sine due to emergence of a new condition like diabetes or a blood pressure disorder.

Gut microbes can influence mood and neurotransmitters. But it seems ED is a very very unlikely side effect (only 0.0355%). Possibly under reported, but still that is a very low percentage. factmed.com/study-HUMIRA-causing-ERECTILE%20DYSFUNCTION.php

Also, that percentage includes many older people. only 10% of that .04% was 20-30 years old.

Still, it could be you. You might benefit from a different biologic. You might be able to go back to lesser drugs for 6 months to see how the ED responds - sort of an experiment. The more things you can learn about your condition the better decisions your can make.

Also see www.ehealthme.com/ds/humira/erectile+dysfunction. They report a spike in 2011 in ED reports. I don't know if this reflects a new patient group getting approved, or if it might even be the manufacturer suppressing information. Spikes this pronounced and spread over several years) are hard to explain as just chance.

You should also talk more on support boards or even see a counselor. I lost function due to diabetes, and several years later a pituitary tumor eliminated most libido, so I don't miss function as much as if I still had libido. But when I still had libido, I found ways to be intimate and sexual. The only choice is not celebacy.

Just like an ostomy is not the only choice on the surgery end, celibacy is not the only choice on the ED end. While it sucks for any part of your health and function to be less than you want, it is important to keep perspective and not make it so black and white and harsh.

Even if further consultations weren't able to help, and even if you could not taper Humira today because you start flaring, this does not tell the story of the rest of your life. In just a few years there will be new drug options. Maybe there will be one for you with no ED side effect.

Stay healthy, avoid colon cancer, try to find intimacy you can enjoy, and continue to seek to confirm Humira, as well as to find other ED treatments. Avoid depression.

Good luck

Hi, just wanted to chime in on this as being a guy myself, things can get disturbing very fast if you think the situation won't get better. I've got good news for you - the situation WILL get better.

I went though a phase having trouble in that area and although I didn't think so at the time, it absolutely WAS due to UC. Lucky for me, I know a tiny bit about herbs and a combination of Ginko Biolba, Horny Goat Weed and Arginine (as mentioned by the super-bright Mike) will definitely help. You can look up the stuff on Google and make up your own mind about it. I used these for a while and it seemed to be enough to remind by body how to work again by itself but there's no harm using these things long-term if you need to. I noticed the effects within the first two days.

Something that will also help (providing it's legal in your country) is Phenibut. Some people use it as an anti-anxiety but it has lots of benefits and will improve both your erection and your drive. Works with women too, your other half will have much more fun in bed ; )

Finally, there's Kamagra Gel which guarantees to get you up & running in less than 45 minutes and doesn't cause you erections when you don't want them. I wouldn't recommend it long-term (as its synthetic) but it will certainly guarantee you the results you're looking for and it's very cheap to buy online. It's more of an "emergency - I just want results right now" sort of thing but again, you have to make up your own mind about this stuff.

Hope you get back to enjoying yourself again VERY soon : )

Kev