Ambien, the trade name for a medication known generically as zolpidem, is an extremely common sleep aid. It’s essentially a sedative-hypnotic agent that reduces brain activity to induce sleep. We have now come to understand that Ambien can cause such side effects as erectile dysfunction, though the evidence on this has been scant. In this paper, we’ll explore the relationship between Ambien and ED.
Pharmacological Mechanism of Ambien:
Ambien binds to and activates GABA receptors in the brain, which in turn increases the inhibitory effect of GABA, a neurotransmitter that induces relaxation and sleep. That relationship ultimately leads to less brain activity and allows the user to relax.
The Connection Between Ambien and Erectile Dysfunction:
Most men over age 40 suffer from sexual dysfunction, also known as erectile dysfunction, and the prevalence of the condition increases with age. Erectile dysfunction is a term that refers to the inability to get or maintain a erection good enough for sexual pleasure. It can be caused by any number of factors, including illness, psychological problems and lifestyles, and certain medications have also been shown to be contributing factors.
The main reason for Ambien and ED being so dangerous is because it is one of the central nervous system (CNS) depressants. These medications target the central nervous system to dampen brain activity, which affects sexual function. This would, in principle, cause ED by curbing sexual cravings and affecting the mechanisms that enable an erection to be formed and maintained.
Studies on Ambien and ED:
A number of studies have looked at the Ambien and ED connection. A 2008 report in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine investigated the sexual side-effects of zolpidem in 31 chronically insomniac men. One in three participants reported having less libido, but no one had reported ED. Either way, one group in the Journal of Sexual Medicine reported no evidence of ED among 1,385 men who took zolpidem.
Nevertheless, some studies point to a potential association between Ambien and ED. An article in the Journal of Sexual Medicine examined the effects of zolpidem on sexual activity in 20 primary-insomniac men. They found that 30% of participants experienced ED while on zolpidem, and 25% continued to experience ED after discontinuing the drug. In addition, one study in the Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience revealed that taking zolpidem increased the risk of ED in depressed men.
A second, published in the International Journal of Impotence Research, tested zolpidem’s impact on sex function in men with chronic insomnia. They found that taking zolpidem resulted in less sexual desire, erectile function, and sexual satisfaction.
It is worth noting that these studies have drawbacks, including small sample sizes and absence of control groups, which are preventing definitive conclusions. What’s more, many of these trials were conducted in people with prior medical or psychological conditions, which may have contributed to ED.
What’s more, Ambien has not received ED clearance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Actually, Ambien’s label does not mention ED as a side-effect. All of this indicates that evidence for a causal connection between Ambien and ED is not compelling enough to trigger an FDA warning.
Potential Risk Factors
Though research on Ambien and ED remains incomplete, there are several possible risk factors. Second, ED is more common among older men, and Ambien is more frequently prescribed to them because of their greater risk of insomnia. Second, ED can be accompanied by other conditions (cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity) that are perhaps more common among Ambien users. Finally, substance abuse such as drinking or smoking cigarettes can raise your risk of ED and even cause insomnia.
Sleep Problems and ED In Older Men: A Cohort Study.
ED is more common in older men: 52 per cent of men 40-70 are diagnosed with it (Feldman et al., 1994). Ambien, however, is also more widely used in this population due to its greater incidence of insomnia. There are several studies that demonstrated insomnia predicts ED: for instance, one study found that insomnia in men was 58% more likely to experience ED than men who did not (Shao et al., 2017). This association between insomnia and ED is believed to occur because of how sleep disruptions affect the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, which is involved in sexual function.
Medical Conditions Associated with ED:
ED tends to be associated with other diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and obesity, all of which might be more common among Ambien users as well. Studies have established that ED itself predicts cardiovascular disease; one study found that men with ED were 44% more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than those without (Dong et al, 2011). Equally, diabetes has been linked to ED: in one study, diabetic men were 3.6 times more likely to suffer from ED than their non-diabetic counterparts (Pastuszak et al., 2013). Obesity, in turn, has been linked to ED; according to one study, men with a BMI of 30 or more were 2.5 times more likely to develop ED than those with a normal BMI (Lu et al., 2014).
Substance Use and ED:
Drinking, tobacco and smoking can all exacerbate ED and contribute to insomnia. A number of studies have indicated that excessive alcohol consumption increases the risk of ED, with one report indicating that men who drank more than 14 beers a week were 2.3 times more likely to develop ED than men who drank less (Chen et al., 2011). Similar to tobacco use, ED has been associated with smoking, with one study showing that men who smoke were 1.8 times more likely to develop ED than their non-smokers (Jiang et al., 2014). Drugs and ED appear to be linked because they impact the vascular system, which regulates sexual function.
Conclusion:
We don’t know for sure that Ambien causes erectile dysfunction. While some studies have indicated a link, the majority of studies failed to detect any significant association between Ambien and ED. But this medication, like any drug, should be brought to the attention of a doctor and any adverse reactions during Ambien therapy should be reported. There’s still much to be learned about the effects of Ambien on sexual function in clients who don’t have comorbidities.
