Sex and the use of drugs (legal and illegal) have been linked throughout human history, encompassing all aspects of sex: desire, performance, pleasure, conception, gestation, and disease.
Disinhibition
Drugs are frequently associated with reduced sexual inhibition, both when used voluntarily in social circumstances, and involuntarily, as in the case of some date rape drugs. Because the use of drugs, including alcohol, is commonly presented as an excuse for risky or socially unacceptable behaviour, it is necessary to treat the idea of a direct causal relation between drug use and unsafe sex with caution. Drugs may provide a socially acceptable excuse for engaging in sexual behaviours in which people may want to engage but perhaps feel that they should not.
Sexual function
Some forms of sexual dysfunction such as erectile dysfunction can be treated with drugs. Because of their effects, erectile dysfunction drugs are sometimes used for recreational purposes. Many drugs, both legal and illegal, some sold online, have side effects that affect the user's sexual function. Many drugs can cause loss of libido as a side effect.
Since a partial cause of the refractory period is the inhibition of dopamine by an orgasm-induced secretion of prolactin, such potent dopamine receptor agonists as cabergoline may help achieve multiple orgasms as well as the retention of sexual arousal for longer periods of time.
Types of drugs
Cannabis
There have been studies about cannabis and sex. Some studies have found that using cannabis may lead to erectile dysfunction.
Alcohol
Alcohol and sex are often engaged in simultaneously. Although alcohol can have different effects on sexual functioning based on how much is consumed, in general, it negatively effects sexual functioning and is involved in greater sexual risk taking.
MDMA
MDMA alters mood and perception. A study conducted by Jerome Beck and Marsha Rosenbaum showed that chronic use of this drug leads to impairment in getting an erection and delayed orgasm.
Antidepressants
Psychiatrists and doctors commonly prescribe different types of antidepressants to patients. SSRIs, SNRIs, and NDRIs are the most common types of antidepressants. Each has slightly different effects on sexual functioning, but generally, it has been found that antidepressants can delay/decrease orgasms and cause females to have breast enlargement.
The side effects on sexual functioning can impact mental health and quality of life. However, the decrease in depressive symptoms from antidepressants make it worth the sexual side effects for many people. They can be managed by changing the dose, switching drugs, or taking “antidotes”. Maca, a plant that grows in central Peru, aids with sexual dysfunction caused by antidepressant drugs for women. There are specific Maca products that can also increase sexual desire in men.
Opioids
Opioids (also known as narcotics) have long been known to inhibit sexual behavior. There is currently no clear research and evidence on how opioids influence sexual functioning in the short term. However, there has been a lot of research about prolonged use and addiction. Long-term opioid use can lead to decreased libido, delayed or absent ejaculation, and vaginismus. Heroin (illicit opioid drug) and other narcotics reduce sexual interest and decrease the sex hormone levels in humans.
Amphetamines
Amphetamines may lead to an increase in sexual drive and delay in orgasm.
Date rape drugs
A date rape drug is any drug that is an incapacitating agent which—when administered to another person—incapacitates the person and renders them vulnerable to a drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA), including rape. One of the most common types of DFSA are those in which a victim consumes a recreational drug such as alcohol that was administered surreptitiously. The other most common form of DFSA involves the non-surreptitiously-administered consumption of alcohol. Here, the victims in these cases are drinking voluntarily which then makes them unable to make informed decisions or give consent.
Society and culture
Chemsex
Party and play, or chemsex, is the consumption of drugs to facilitate sexual activity. Sociologically, both terms refer to a subculture of recreational drug users who engage in high-risk sexual activities under the influence of drugs within groups. The term PnP is commonly used by gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in North America, while chemsex is more associated with the gay scene in Europe. The drug of choice is typically methamphetamine, known as tina or T, but other drugs are also used, such as mephedrone, GHB, GBL and alkyl nitrites (known as poppers).
