What medications cause priapism?

Priapism is a medical condition where the penis remains erect for hours without sexual stimulation or after it has ended. Several classes of medications, including antipsychotics, SSRIs, blood thinners, and direct vasodilators like prostaglandin E1, can induce this condition. These drugs generally interfere with normal blood flow drainage or arterial regulation in the penis.

What we know

• Medications that can cause priapism include antipsychotics, SSRIs, blood thinners, and prostaglandin E1. [2]
• Intracavernous injections used to treat erectile dysfunction, such as prostaglandin preparations, list priapism as a common side effect. [5]
• Substances like cocaine are also noted among the non-medication or drug causes of priapism. [2] · medium confidence

Where to go next

• how it workedHow is ischemic priapism treated?
• what caused itWhat is sickle cell disease?
• compared withHow do PDE5 inhibitors work?
• a case in pointWhat are intracavernous injections?
• the bigger pictureWhat is erectile dysfunction?
• an unexpected connectionHow can the same drug class treat erectile dysfunction and cause prolonged erections?Vasodilators administered to induce erections can sometimes overpower normal venous drainage and trigger accidental, painful priapism.

Sources

• [1]priapism (Wikidata Q156590) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Priapism · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Erection · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Erectile dysfunction · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Intracavernous injection · CC BY-SA 4.0