If using medications for hypertension makes you sexually inactive, seek guidance — Surgeon

Professor Mark Tettey, Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon and Director of the National Cardiothoracic Centre at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, has counseled men who experience sexual weakness after taking antihypertensive medications to speak with their doctors about other medications rather than stopping their treatment altogether.

According to Prof. Tettey, sexual function was impacted by hypertension, therefore not taking medication might lead to serious and even fatal problems.

He stated that if the patients told their doctors, they could address the sexual issues caused by antihypertensive medications because they were temporary.

Only some substances, because different people react to drugs differently, can influence your sexual function.

The best course of action is to visit your doctor again if you are taking antihypertensive medication and are experiencing issues with your sexual function, he advised.

PreCardix launch

Prof. Tettey made this statement last Wednesday in Accra at the introduction of PreCardix, a brand-new medication with antihypertensive effects.

PreCardix, a naturally occurring drug manufactured from shrimp shells, is a product of the Norwegian company Marealis AS and has already been given the go-ahead for usage by the FDAs of Ghana, the European Union, the United States, and Health Canada.

According to Prof. Tettey, one of the biggest difficulties in treating hypertension in patients—especially men—was the medication’s adverse effects on their sexual function, which made them less likely to take their prescription.

Even though they won’t admit it, he claimed that everytime they take an antihypertensive, they experience problems with their sexual function.

He explained that some men had the false notion that being on synthetic medication could eventually lead to issues for them and that this made them uncomfortable with the fact that they were on it for the rest of their lives.

As a result, many switch to various natural and herbal medications in an effort to see whether those would be helpful; regrettably, many of them experience problems as a result.

Diagnosis hypertension
Dr. Alfred Doku, the head of cardiology at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and the University of Ghana Medical School, said during a presentation on the diagnosis and evaluation of hypertension that stroke cases were being driven by hypertension, one of the main causes of death in the nation.

He stated that hypertension was the key factor in 90% of stroke cases, that over 60% of hypertensive individuals were also developing heart failure, and that many of them also had kidney problems.

“Our nation needs to focus on developing its capacity to handle hypertension and its complications.

Unfortunately, some people may not even be aware that they have hypertension.

They put up with it for years before beginning to have chest pains, hazy vision, and other issues, which they only become aware of when they check their blood pressure at the hospital.

“Patients with acute stroke brought on by hypertension are arriving.

You inquire about his hypertension, and the family replies that they are unaware of it.

Dr. Doku suggested that patients get checked for hypertension, noting that the best place to do it was at home rather than in a hospital or pharmacy.

Therefore, he suggested that doctors urge their patients to spend money on a blood pressure monitor to use at home.

PreCardix

Andreas Semmingsen, chief executive officer of Marealis AS, spoke on PreCardix about the company’s focus on developing beneficial natural products from by-products of the fish industry. Marealis AS is one of the leading manufacturers and exporters of cooked and peeled prawns in the world.

According to him, Stella Polaris decided to establish Marealis AS in 2008 in response to groundbreaking scientific research by the Norwegian Institution of Fishery and Science that revealed that peptides, or small fragments of protein from prawn shells, had a blood pressure-lowering effect. From that point on, for the following ten years, Marealis AS worked on naturally producing PreCardix.

He claimed that the medicine, which was produced without the use of any synthetic addictives, had undergone peer review and that extensive clinical trials had been conducted to support the product’s claimed effectiveness. It is an OTC medication.

A Consultant Neurologist and Head of the Internal Medicine, Korle Bu, Prof. Patrick Adjei, served as chairman and launched the product during the introduction of PreCardix, which was mostly attended by doctors and pharmacists.

Adom Dennis, the CEO of Marealis Africa, and Dr. Desrie Delsol-Gyan, a speaker from the National Cardiothoracic Center, were also in attendance.

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