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5. Drug-Induced Priapism

Most antipsychotic drugs are alpha-1 adrenergic, meaning they stimulate smooth muscle contractions in the blood vessels. Men who take antipsychotics to treat conditions such as schizophrenia can experience multiple episodes of priapism, even at night. Antidepressants may also cause this type of erectile dysfunction, albeit indirectly. One study investigated a prescription antidepressant that was used off-label to successfully treat insomnia. One of the side effects was ischemic priapism, caused by a clot in the corpus cavernosum, the main erectile tissue.

Antipsychotics antidepressants drug-induced-priapism asiseeit / Getty Images

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