An unusual case of a 38-year-old Caucasian male suffering from mild hypertension developing profound erectile dysfunction after initiating over-the-counter omeprazole therapy was reported in North Texas VA Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA, that was later published in the Journal of Medical Case Reports.
Proton pump inhibitors are often overused drugs that cause adverse effects including vitamin B12 deficiency, Clostridium difficile colitis, and increased risk of chronic kidney disease. However, erectile dysfunction was never recognized as an adverse effect of proton pump inhibitors despite increasing evidence that proton pump inhibitors may contribute to impaired nitric oxide generation and endothelial dysfunction.
Perry T conducted a case study on a relatively healthy 38-year-old Caucasian man who was admitted to North Texas VA Medical Center, USA with mild hypertension and no other past medical history, who developed profound erectile dysfunction within 2 days of taking over-the-counter omeprazole therapy, with erectile function rapidly normalizing following discontinuation of the drug.
During this episode, the patient was on a stable dose of lisinopril and was taking no other medications or supplements. In the 2 years following the episode, the patient has had no further erectile difficulties.
Several factors of this patient's clinical history create a compelling argument implicating omeprazole as a potent precipitant of ED. These include:
The temporal relationship of the onset of ED with the initiation of omeprazole therapy, the prompt resolution of symptoms following discontinuation of the drug.
The absence of other readily apparent precipitating factors, and the absence of recurrent ED in the 2 years following the episode.
However, the researcher concluded that further study of erectile dysfunction as an adverse effect of proton pump inhibitors is required. In the meantime, proton pump inhibitors should be considered as a potential cause of erectile dysfunction in healthy young patients and as a cause or contributor to erectile dysfunction in older patients in whom erectile dysfunction is often attributed to age or comorbidities.
Reference:
Abrupt-onset, profound erectile dysfunction in a healthy young man after initiating over-the-counter omeprazole: a case report by Theodore W. Perry published in the Journal of Medical Case Reports
DOI: 10.1186/s13256-021-02981-5