If you have heard about Metformin, you should consider knowing its side effects. This article will discuss them in detail.
I Metformin is a drug usually prescribed for controlling high blood sugar.
Doctors mostly prescribe it for type 2 diabetes patients to help restore the ability of their bodies to properly respond to insulin.
It is taken orally once to thrice in a day alongside meals and plenty of fluids, unless the doctor recommends otherwise.
Despite its commendable effectiveness in controlling blood sugar, there are a few sneaky metformin sexual side effects that you should get a heads up about prior to using it.
This article puts together a list of 10 surprising metformin sexual side effects that may come with using it.
Aside from these metformin sexual side effects, you’ll also learn a bit about its benefits and a few other things about the drug.
What are the advantages of taking metformin?
Here a few things metformin is good for:
It may prolong your life span
Metformin can help prolong life span and improve immunity especially for people with heart disease, cancer and diabetes.
Studies suggest that it does this by reducing oxidative stress, enhancing insulin sensitivity and improving vascular function.
It may help with weight loss
Metformin can treat obesity and conditions related to it like metabolic syndrome.
It can also help reduce visceral fat in the abdomen and reduce waist circumference.
It can help prevent cancer
Metformin can slow down tumor growth and even stop it completely in some cases.
People who take metformin for diabetes may be at a lower risk of developing colon, breast and prostate cancer than other who use different drugs.
It can prevent dementia
Although there isn’t a lot of research on this topic, there’s a chance that taking metformin may reduce the risk of dementia.
People who take metformin for diabetes may have a bit more immunity protection compared to those who take other diabetes medications like glipzide.
So now that you know what good it can be to you, it’s about time you also knew of metformin sexual side effects as well.
Metformin sexual side effects
It can reduce testosterone levels in males
Testosterone is a hormone produced in the testicles for males and ovaries for females.
It is the main androgen in the male body, meaning it is responsible for stimulating the development of male characteristics on the body.
Research suggests that metformin will likely reduce testosterone levels in the body of male diabetics.
Some tell-tale symptoms of low testosterone include loss of body hair, difficulty with focusing and depressed mood.
You may experience erectile dysfunction
One of metformin sexual side effects is that it increases the likelihood of developing erectile dysfunction.
Erectile dysfunction occurs when a man is unable to get and maintain a firm erection during sex.
You may be lucky not to have developed erectile dysfunction from diabetes, but you should know that this drug also puts you at risk of developing it.
Most times, the erectile dysfunction is caused by a lower level of testosterone in the body, which is also one of metformin sexual side effects.
It may reduce sex drive in men
As a man, you run the risk of getting a lower sex drive if you take metformin regularly.
Lower sex drive will have you losing the desire to engage in sexual activity permanently or occasionally.
If you are particularly worried about this side effect, then you need to communicate those concerns to your doctor.
It can help normalize sexual desire in diabetic women
Premenopausal women with diabetes tend to experience low sex drive frequently.
This drug has been discovered to help improve sex drive in women, which is ironically the exact opposite of what it does in men.
Many diabetic women on metformin report improved sexual desire after a few months of using the drug.
It may get rid of pain during sex for diabetic women
Pain during sex, also known as dyspareunia, is a symptom commonly associated with diabetes and endometriosis.
Dyspareunia makes it difficult for women with these conditions to engage in sexual activity because it makes sex uncomfortable and unenjoyable.
Fortunately, research has found that metformin can help reduce this particular symptom and restore optimum sexual function in women.
It can get rid of vaginal dryness
Vaginal dryness is a problem is that a lot of diabetic women experience.
It varies in severity from one person to another, but it is generally uncomfortable for these women.
Additionally, it can make sex painful and difficult to enjoy.
Taking metformin to help manage diabetes can help get rid of this symptom, thankfully.
You can use any other available options for improving lubrication during sex, but when it comes to drugs like metformin, you need to ask your doctor first.
It can improve fertility in male patients with obesity
Interestingly, research shows that metformin can improve fertility in obese male patients who have metabolic syndrome.
Metabolic syndrome and obesity often lead to low levels of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and reduced testosterone levels.
When you use metformin to treat these two conditions, there is a high likelihood that the levels of SHBG will rise, which then causes a rise in testosterone levels as well.
Higher testosterone levels in turn improve fertility.
It may treat anorgasmia in diabetic women
Anorgasmia is a condition that delays or reduces the occurrence of orgasms during sex.
It is also characterized by absent or less-intense orgasms.
Anorgasmia is one of the most common forms of sexual dysfunction in women who have diabetes.
It can be treated in various ways including cognitive-behavioral therapy and sexual enhancement devices.
However, if you are already taking metformin you will probably not need any further treatment for the dysfunction.
This is because metformin can help optimize your sexual function, hence getting rid of anorgasmia while also normalizing your blood sugar levels.
Two birds with one stone, yeah?
It may improve fertility in women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
Women taking metformin for PCOS have a high chance of getting pregnant while on the drug.
One of metformin sexual side effects is that it can reduce testosterone levels in women with PCOS and normalize their menstrual cycle.
This may improve fertility and increase their chances of getting pregnant.
It can normalize sexual satisfaction in diabetic women
Normalizing sexual satisfaction is one of the ways through which metformin restores sexual function in diabetic women.
The more your insulin resistance reduces, the more likely it is for your sexual function to get back to normal.
How quickly does metformin lower testosterone?
Metformin takes about a month to normalize the levels of glucose in the body.
Within this period, it may reduce the levels of testosterone significantly.
The amount of time this drug may take to lower testosterone levels may vary from person to person.
However, the standard time is four or five weeks.
How can a diabetic overcome erectile dysfunction?
Erectile dysfunction is a pretty common symptom of advanced diabetes.
Fortunately, there are several options for managing it in diabetics – from oral drugs and injection therapy to penile pumps.
Oral medications work for most diabetics, but it is advisable that you seek your doctor’s opinion on what’s best for you.
Can I take Viagra with metformin?
There are no known interactions between viagra and metformin.
However, this is not to mean you should feel free to take them together.
They are both very strong drugs and you should make sure to ask your doctor before you take them together.
Conclusion
As you have seen in this article, there are a lot of benefits we can attribute to using metformin.
Similarly, there are some metformin sexual side effects that we need to know about before we use it for any purpose.
This article explains these side effects to help you understand the drug better before you decide to get started on it.
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