Here’s a side-effect not to be sneezed at. Researchers have discovered that a common medication for hay fever could also boost your sex life.
Some people taking a type of antihistamine also used to treat insomnia reported that it had a more potent effect on their sex drive than Viagra.
The over-the-counter remedies used by millions increased sexual arousal, sensitivity and pleasure in some users, scientists found. One man told them the effect was so powerful it was ‘physically and emotionally draining’.
The results are surprising as the antihistamine involved – diphenhydramine hydrochloride (DPH) – is traditionally linked to erectile dysfunction rather than enhancing sex drive.
But researchers found that it could instead ‘facilitate sexual arousal, genital sensitivity and pleasure at orgasm’ in certain cases. ‘Some found the effects stronger than those of prescription medications for sexual arousal disorders,’ they said.
DPH is the active ingredient in common brands such as Nytol Original, Boots Sleepeaze and Histergan and is also used to treat insect bites and eczema.
Researchers said it was unclear why the medications had boosted the sex lives of some people and not others. But one theory is that DPH may switch from being a sedative to a stimulant for people who metabolise it faster.
Researchers from the Czech Republic’s Centre for Sexual Health and Interventions quizzed nine people aged 20 to 36 who had written in an online forum about experiencing arousal from DPH.
Some people taking a type of antihistamine also used to treat insomnia reported that it had a more potent effect on their sex drive than Viagra
Hay fever sufferers are now likely to struggle with the condition for two weeks longer than they would have done in the Nineties because climate change has prolonged the pollen season
They included those who normally had a low libido, and one woman on antidepressants, which can reduce the libido. She said DPH ‘overrode’ that effect, enabling sustained sexual desire.
Respondents compared the effect of DPH favourably with the Viagra family of drugs. They said that while the blue pill boosted erectile function, it did not provide the boost in emotional and sensory feelings that came with DPH.
The discovery comes after it was revealed that hay fever sufferers are now likely to struggle with the condition for two weeks longer than they would have done in the Nineties because climate change has prolonged the pollen season.
It is not the first time medications have had the unexpected side effect of boosting sex drive.
The widow of a Parkinson’s sufferer has told how her husband became a sex addict overnight after being prescribed pramipexole, collecting pornography and demanding sex at least three times a day.
