Community Forum Archive
The Epilepsy Community Forums are closed, and the information is archived. The content in this section may not be current or apply to all situations. In addition, forum questions and responses include information and content that has been generated by epilepsy community members. This content is not moderated. The information on these pages should not be substituted for medical advice from a healthcare provider. Experiences with epilepsy can vary greatly on an individual basis. Please contact your doctor or medical team if you have any questions about your situation. For more information, learn about epilepsy or visit our resources section.
The hidden dagger for Epileptic Males
Fri, 10/09/2015 - 17:56Hello, this is my first post here. I'm a 21 year old male diagnosed with epilepsy when I was 17. There was so many problems stemming from epilepsy as many of you young adults can understand what I mean. From the loss of focus to migraines, poor desire to do anything I used to do, a personality shift as well. It was a horrible first 2 years. I've been seizure free for just about 2 years which is great and all, but there's a deeper part that I have overlooked as a side effect from epilepsy.
I'm not sure how many of you are aware but erectile dysfunction is a relatively common occurence (apprently) with epileptic males. I've noticed the signs and decrease in libido starting at the same time of my initial seizure, I just never connected the dots and put 2 and 2 together.
I think a large problem with this is that young adult males are rarely, if not ever warned about the risks and symtoms invloving sexual problems. I was always told to look out for rashes, migraines, and other common epileptic symptoms but never erectile dysfunction.
The sad part of this realization is that all the memories and horrible moments associated with my past have flooded my mind again with the understanding that I have NOT moved away from epilepsy like I had thought I did. It still haunts me to this day and looks like it will haunt my future as well. I'm in a state of depression knowing that epilepsy still has such a big effect on my life.
It's caused problems in relationships in the past and now that I know what the problem is, it is very depressing, almost as if my life has been robbed again. The current state that I can't get over is that the wildly negative moments in my life are here to stay and I don't know when or if they will go away. On top of present, I've been told that there is also a risk of infertility which is just crushing to think about, even if that's for the future.
I want to also make this somewhat of a PSA that if epileptic males notice erectile dysfunction, it is something to bring to your neurologist's attention. This is just something that gets shoved under the table and I feel like many people are not aware there is a link between Epilepsy and ED. Any thoughts or comments are greatly appreciated.