ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION QUESTION:
My husband takes Allopurinol for gout. I think this is causing his ED. How can we treat gout and not have ED? Will pills help?
Thanks,
Pam
DOCTOR ALSAYES ANSWER:
Hello Pam
I’m sorry to hear that. Unfortunately, this a complicated issue, and the reason is; the gout disease itself -ED has been found to be more common in people with gout – there is no direct/causal relation between gout and ED, but diseases share many of the underlying causes such as aging, hypertension, obesity, and diabetes… Another connection is that in gout patients have higher uric acid levels, which themselves increase the risk for ED as some studies revealed. Therefore, treating gout and its underlying causes would be very helpful against the ED condition. On the other hand, allopurinol is known to increase the risk of ED in some men (especially the elderly), in that case, we usually try to adjust the treatment (doses of allopurinol) and we add oral medications for ED – if there is no contraindication – such as Viagra or Cialis to improve the erection. So, your husband should speak to his doctor about adjusting the allopurinol treatment, and prescribing ED oral medications such as Viagra or Cialis, if possible.
I hope this answers your question.
Thanks,
Dr. Alsayes