Abstract
Few studies of erectile dysfunction (ED) medications use among heterosexual drug using or abusing men have been conducted. The aims of this study were to provide information on ED medication use prevalence, method of acquisition, and sexual effects among men seeking substance abuse treatment. A single time point cross-sectional anonymous survey was completed by 297 men over the age of 18 seeking substance abuse treatment at an outpatient clinic at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center in the Pacific Northwest. Mean age of participants was 49.7 years and 59.4% self-identified as Caucasian. Alcohol (56.7%) and cocaine (26.1%) were the primary drugs of abuse. Lifetime use of ED medications was reported by 24% (95%CI = 8.6%, 39.4%) of men. Almost 69% of ED medication users reported obtaining ED medications from a physician. Fifty-nine percent of ED medication users reported taking the medications to enhance their sexual experience rather than to treat ED, which was marginally associated with stimulant use (OR = 3.86, 95%CI = 0.96, 15.54, p =.057). These results add to an emerging recognition of the need to address the health implications of ED medication use among heterosexual drug using populations.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 7-13 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Journal of Addictive Diseases |
| Volume | 26 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Aug 27 2007 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Keith J. Horvath was affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA. Donald A. Calsyn is affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, University of Washington Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and the University of Washington Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute, Seattle, WA. Christeine Terry is affiliated with the University of Washington, Department of Psychology, Seattle, WA. Ann Cotton is affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, and the University of Washington Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Seattle, WA. Address correspondence to: Keith J. Horvath, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota, 1300 South 2nd Street, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55454 (E-mail: [email protected]). The authors would like to thank Walter Fitzgerald and James Benbow from the AEC for their help in data collection, and providing access to potential participants. In addition, the authors wish to thank Carol Malte for technical and clerical assistance during the conduct of the study. Funding Support: The research was supported in part by the Medical Research Service of the Department of Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System and the University of Washington Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute.
Keywords
- Drug use
- Erectile dysfunction
- HIV risk
- Sildenafil use
