People's Pharmacy: Cholesterol drug saps sex drive

Q: I am a very active Army physical-training instructor. I am 45 years old and have always had a great sex drive until I started taking Crestor six months ago to lower my cholesterol.

My sex drive has totally disappeared. I am unable to maintain an erection and feel tired all the time. It has been causing me a great deal of stress and anguish. Is Crestor causing my erectile dysfunction and libido problems?

A: Sexual side effects have been reported with some statins, such as lovastatin, pitavastatin (Livalo) and simvastatin. The official prescribing information for Crestor, however, makes no mention of low libido or erectile dysfunction.

There is reason to believe that all statins may have a negative impact on sexual function by lowering testosterone levels (Journal of Sexual Medicine, April 2010). Cholesterol is a building block for testosterone, so it is not surprising that cholesterol-lowering drugs might have an impact on this hormone. Results from French research suggest that such drugs may trigger or worsen erectile dysfunction (Drug Safety, July 2009).

Ask your doctor if there's another way to control cholesterol. If not, a test for testosterone or an ED drug might be helpful.

Q: To prevent foot blisters, cover your feet liberally with antiperspirant. This works great. I think it stops the sweating and decreases friction.

A: Years ago, a double-blind study was conducted with cadets of the U.S. Military Academy serving as subjects. Some of the cadets used antiperspirant, while others used a placebo for three nights before a long hike. Only 21 percent of the antiperspirant group developed blisters, compared with 48 percent in the placebo group (Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, August 1998).

Q: I was prescribed Fosamax for more than six years and then switched to Actonel for the past three years, along with extra calcium. My doctor was concerned that I was at risk for osteoporosis.

Now my bones are brittle. I suffered stress fractures and broke my thighbone.

My doctor wants me to start giving myself Forteo shots. What can you tell me about this drug or other ways to combat osteoporosis?

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People's Pharmacy: Cholesterol drug saps sex drive