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.
Joe Graedon is a pharmacologist. Teresa Graedon holds a doctorate in medical anthropology and is a nutrition expert. Their syndicated radio show can be heard on public radio. In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of this newspaper or e-mail them via their Web site: www.PeoplesPharmacy.org.
© 2007 King Features Syndicate, Inc.