People who use party drugs like ecstasy or meth often do so for what they see as enhanced sexual benefits, but a new study has found that abusing amphetamines can negatively impact sexual performance among men in the long run.
The findings, published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, collected data from 1,159 subjects and a control group. Lead author Dr. Bang-Ping Jiann noted that “compared with 211 matched controls, amphetamine users were twice as likely to experience erectile dysfunction.” Some users also reported symptoms including reduced erectile rigidity and delayed ejaculation.
But perhaps surprisingly, the most frequent amphetamine users generally reported increased positive sexual function rather than negative, including enhanced orgasmic intensity. The duration of this amphetamine abuse appeared to have no impact on sexual function.
Previous studies on the subject have also reported mixed results. Participants noted that their amphetamine use led to positive sexual results including enhanced sexual desire and spontaneous erections, as well as negative ones including reduced libido and difficulty achieving orgasm.
Researchers went on to describe the possible correlation between amphetamine use and possible psychosocial factors experienced by the user.
“Illicit drug users are prone to have psychosocial problems, and accordingly, the drug-use related psychosocial issue might be an explanation for the user’s sexual problems,” they said. “Likewise, social and environmental cues (e.g., drug use setting) are possible factors affecting the users’ sexual response.”
