Benefit of statins for impotence uncertain

Conclusion Overall, this study provides some evidence that treatment for six weeks with atorvastatin (Lipitor) improved some measures of erectile dysfunction (but not to within the normal range) compared with vitamin E or placebo. There are some limitations to this study, some of which are described by the authors: As this study only included men who had previously had their erectile dysfunction treated with sildenafil (Viagra) and showed no improvement, the study findings do not apply to men yet to receive drug therapy for their erectile dysfunction. This study was of short duration (six weeks), so long-term outcomes of atorvastatin (Lipitor) to treat erectile dysfunction in men that have failed to improve on sildenafil (Viagra) are not known. Despite the fact that the authors describe three people who dropped out of the study while taking atorvastatin “mainly due to severe muscle pain”, and the fact that side effects were assessed fortnightly, no further details about side effects are described. More information about side effects is crucial to determining how safe the drug is when used to treat erectile dysfunction. The authors report that a major limitation of the study was that they did not assess whether sildenafil (Viagra) was effective as a follow-up treatment for erectile function after therapy with atorvastatin (Lipitor) or vitamin E. This means that they did not test whether men were more responsive to Viagra after treatment. Larger r...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medication Source Type: news