Recreational Use of Oral PDE5 Inhibitors: The Other Side of Midnight

Background: Nowadays, Oral phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5Is) are widely used for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED). However, these drugs have become abused among some men for recreational use to enhance their sexual performance. Objective: To shed a light on the recreational use of oral PDE5Is. Methods: A literature review was performed in the PubMed, Medline Medical Subject Heading, Science Direct, Scopus, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, CINAHL, Academic Search Complete, Google scholar, Egyptian Knowledge Bank (EKB) databases, Medline, Embase, and Chem ID using the keywords; sexual health, erectile dysfunction, recreational use/abuse, phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors, sildenafil, tadalafil, vardenafil, avanafil, and adverse effects. Results: Overall, 52 studies were retained for review out of 166 papers. Twenty-two studies that assessed the prevalence of the problem were investigated including 25,279 men from different countries. Most of these studies were cross-sectional studies that depend on multiple questionnaires representing the extent as well as the attitude of the recreational use of PDE5Is. Conclusion: Oral PDE5Is have become used among some men for recreational use to enhance their sexual performance. To counteract the possible side effects of such abuse, the media, as well as health authorities, should be aware of the potential adverse effects of such abuse and strengthen the regulatory activity to protect the customers from such risks. Copyright (C) 2021, International Society of Sexual Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Oral phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5Is) are widely used for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED). However, some men abuse these drugs for recreational use to enhance their sexual performance. This literature review reveals a high prevalence of recreational use of oral PDE5Is, highlighting the need for increased awareness and regulation to protect consumers from potential adverse effects.