RLS medication appears to cause sexual disfunction

[Sabrina2]

I have RLS that compared to other posts is not near as bad, but I also have severe leg and foot cramps. I do take 300mg Gabapentin and .5mg Ropinerole at 2:30pm in the afternoon. Then in the evening, at 7:30pm I take 600mg Gabapentin and .5mg Ropinerole. I take this every day. This allows me to eat supper and watch the NEWS in peace until bedtime (around 10pm). It also seems to allow me to sleep more soundly which seems to have taken care of my leg cramps. I have been on this medicine for over two years. However, it has cancelled out my sex life. I cannot ejaculate or have an erection. Anyone found this to be an issue? Anyone found some kind of solution? Any advice is welcome.

[Lambretta175]

I also have similar problem. I'm only on gabapentin after switching from ropinirole. I'm still happily married after 50 years but finding erection/ejaculation a problem and due to being 70 years old wasn't sure whether it was an age thing or side effects of gabaentin. When my rls got worse I contacted my gp about increasing my dosage(now on 600 at 7pm then 600 at 10pm)I mentioned about erection problems and he sort of side stepped it and basically it's just one of those things that happen at some stage.I mentioned about it possibly being low testosterone and he said if it was he couldn't do much about it.I am going to mention it next time I speak to him.

[SueJohnson]

Men with restless legs are more likely than the general population to have sexual disfunction. In addition sexual disfunction can be a side effect of gabapentin, and some antidepressants can cause sexual disfunction, Are you on an antidepressant and if so which one?

[Hidden in reply to SueJohnson]

Change your doctor it’s a known fact that low testosterone can lower your pain threshold in men besides the sex side lots of meds out there lower your testosterone level it’s not just sex it’s the get up and go

[SueJohnson in reply to Hidden]

I think you meant this reply for someone besides me as I am a female.

[LotteM]

Hi, I am a woman and also NOT in gabapentin (but had been for a while). What I wanted to share with you is that I checked the website of the (Dutch) chemists with all medicines, their effects, side effects and other important info. It lists 'impotence' as a side effect with a frequency of 1-10%. So you are right that it is quite likely related to your use of gabapentin. That doesn't make solving the problem any easier. Best way of course is stopping the gabapentin, but if it works for your RLS then you just create another problem. The next treatment in line is opioids, but nit many doctors prescribe them and they bring their own set of side effect, including impotence.

[Cowbsky]

- Hi,_ same downhere with Pregabalin, minimum dose . I used it for some two months ; never more!

all the best and good luck.

[joker826]

I am no longer on gabapentin. I could not tolerate the lethargic feeling during the day. I am now on trazodone at bedtime and my RLS is not surfing its’ angry head. Thank God!

[jcsphilippines]

I also have found that to be the case with a number of meds I tried over the years for chronic headache. They sometimes made erection difficult, and sometimes ejaculation. I had trouble getting any of my doctors to talk about it - they seemed embarrassed or just recommended Viagra or something. I never went that route. However, most of the time my body got used to the med and the sexual function returned.

[Guitarpickin]

Hi Sabrina2, like you I have RLS and muscle cramps (and also involuntary spasms). I take a low dose of gabapentin (100 mg 1x before bed) and even at such a low dose my sex drive is gone. I think I’ve been on the drug for a couple years now and as a result, it has finally gotten to the stage where it is very difficult to have an orgasm. Even by myself. And my sex drive is basically nonexistent. Luckily I am female so I can have sex whether I’m in the mood or not, but I can guarantee if I had a penis, there would be no erection. I too, would like to find a solution.

I’d like to experiment with skipping doses (I know there is a possibility of withdrawals-especially for people on higher doses). But I haven’t tried yet because it is hard to voluntarily walk into a potential sleepless night-even for sex/orgasm. I’ve also thought about trying to have sex earlier in the day/evening…but it is disruptive to the normal flow of a night and I’m not sure my physical abilities would be any different in the middle of the day. A person may need to be off gabapentin for days, weeks, or longer before things would go back to normal.

There has to be a way we can sleep AND still keep our libido (preferably without additional drugs). If I find something that helps, I’ll try to remember to report back. And I hope you will do the same. Best of luck to you.