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Q. During sleep I am awakened five or six times a night by erections. I'm 53 years old and take Flomax, venlafaxine, fosinopril, trazodone and vitamin B12. Can any of these medications cause this problem?
A. Men frequently experience erections during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. This is normally when dreams occur. The erections have nothing to do with the content of the dreams but are a physiological reaction to this stage of sleep.
The antidepressant trazodone (Desyrel) has been linked to prolonged painful erections (priapism). This can occur during sleep or even during the daytime.
Flomax can also trigger this reaction. Both drugs together might make matters worse. A prolonged erection can be damaging and requires medical intervention.
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I read the above article, concerning waking up 4 or 5 x's a night with erections, with keen interest. I am 67 yrs old, and I can't remember when I experienced even having a
erection--it's been so long!
Good luck to the chap, for he does not realize how lucky
he--as well his wife--is, to experience such a problem.
My partner and I are pretty tired of the comments... "Consider yourselves lucky". These erections are not enjoyable, and in fact my partner descibes them as very "uncomfortable".
Hi I'm 38 years young and have been woken every singl night for the last two years at least once or mainly twice but sometimes four or five times by a painful erection and you are right there is nothing lucky about it!
I've had a cystocopy and urodynamics testing aswell as ultrasound scans because origionaly we thought it was connected to an infection but its not. The research ive done on the internet tells me that "night time recurrent priapsm" is rare and a lot of blokes are too embarrassed to see a doctor so there isn't too much research into it. Anyway I'm waiting to see an erection specialist at the urology clinic at the hospital so ill keep you posted.
One thing I've heard tells me that as a cyclist I could have damaged my superficial dorsal vien (between the scrotum and rectum) and it can be fixed with a stent but it carries a risk of impotency but I'm told that over time these painful erections will lead to impotency anyway because the extra hardness is damaging the blood vessels. A bit of a catch 22.
It would be interesting to hear from some more fellas out there who are going through this or indeed who have been through it and have been sorted out.
cheers and best regards from Ian in Leeds.
ian my name is todd. I am 45 years old and have your same symptoms. You scare me saying eventually this leads to impotency. I was thinking I could just manage with it.
PEOPLE'S PHARMACY RESPONSE: PRIAPISM (PROLONGED ERECTIONS FOR MORE THAN A FEW HOURS) CAN COMPROMISE POTENCY. BUT MULTIPLE ERECTIONS THAT LAST SEVERAL MINUTES EACH SHOULD NOT BE CAUSE FOR ALARM. WE URGE MEN CONCERNED ABOUT THIS SYMPTOM TO DISCUSS IT WITH THEIR PHYSICIANS.
I am 55 years old and have been having the same problem. These are rock hard, prolonged erections that last most of the night and get to be both annoying and painful. It seems that I have to be in some form of sleep to have this happen, unfortunantly it doesn't happen when I am FULLY awake. I do take fluticasone nighly for allergies. I was reading the comments above where Flomax seems to create this problem and am wonderign if the two drugs are related. I have been checked by a uroligist and get a clean bill of health. I am going to get off of the fluticasone and see if that helps.
Your comments - I have been looking for help.
I'm 44 year old and have exactly the same symptoms for 10+ years. I have seen a dozen urologists who have all said that it is due to non bacterial prostatitis.
I have tried numerous antibiotics, but to no avail. It is getting progressively worse every year. Now I wake up 4 times at night.
I'm trying inclined bed to see if that helps avoid these. My guess is that it has to do with some sort blood flow system, but none of the urologists have agreed on this. May be that they don't want to do 'research' on this.
I am 53 and have had the same problems for years and its progressively getting worst. I am not on medication and my doctor was of the opinion that I should think myself lucky to be able to obtain a erection. My heart feels like its racing when I initially wake in this way and I find it very difficult to go back to sleep. Interestingly the first time I wake is nearly always after 4 hours. Its a while since I consulted him, but he suggested it was linked to either the autonomic or sympathetic nervous system, though I cant remember which. Other than that advice I was not offered any treatment and left with having to research excellent websites such as this. Will appreciate any feedback offered.
I am 46 and have also had the same problem for a couple of years now. Waking up 4-5 times a night. As soon as I stand up it goes away. But I'm usually sound asleep when it happens and the pain wakes me up. I have been slouching on my exercise and am only very slightly overweight. I am going to try and get back to a more rigorous workout schedule to see if this will help.
Looking for more feedback from others with this condition.
I have had prolonged nighttime erections since I started taking Trazodone for sleep. Is it a good idea to stop taking it?
PEOPLE'S PHARMACY RESPONSE: THIS REACTION SHOULD DEFINITELY BE DISCUSSED WITH YOUR DOCTOR. IT COULD BE DANGEROUS.
I'm 65 and suffer from ED. I have found Trazodone helpful. It doesn't cause erections, but comes close (enlarged penis, but not erect). This increases my libido (also a problem). All my life, I have suffered from a tight scrotum which causes testicular discomfort, and in the last six years or so have had pain in one testicle due to pressure on a nerve in my lower back. Trazodone allows my scrotum to relax and hang "normally." It's been quite a relief. Taken in combination with one of the ED drugs, I can obtain an erection which is almost hard. It also seems to work well in combination with my Wellbutrin and helps with sleep but has no other noticeable side effects. I have taken as much as 100mg three times/day, but usually take 100mg twice/day.