FitSugar

Allergy Medicine's Sexual Side Effects

FitSugar — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 11:45:00 PDT

Since seasonal allergies are upon us, many of you may be reaching for allergy pills to get rid of your stuffy or runny nose. These meds do an excellent job of drying up your runny nose, but that's not the only thing getting dried out. Doctors tend to leave out this little tidbit of information: Allergy medicine causes vaginal dryness. It's true and the truth truly hurts.

If you suffer from this problem, you should know allergy medicines containing decongestants are the ones to avoid. The "D" in Claritin D and Allegra D stands for decongestant, but you can buy them "D" free, which will help your dryness situation greatly.

You might also find that other allergy pills dry up your lady business as well such as Sudafed, Zyrtec and Benadryl, so you may want to switch to a nasal spray like Flonase to deal with just your allergy symptoms.

Fit's Tips: If you can't live without the allergy medicine you're taking, I completely understand, but you don't have to deal with annoying dryness either. Pick yourself up some lubricant such as Astroglide or KY personal lubricant and it will make a world of difference in the bedroom.

Could Cigarettes' Negative Sexual Side Effects Make Smokers Consider Quitting?

Annie Scudder — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 10:35:18 PDT

The post-coital cigarette is something of legend, but have too many, and you might not have many chances to light up after sex. Smokers are twice as likely to develop erectile dysfunction and nicotine impacts blood flow to lady parts, too.

Quitting smoking is hard because it forces us to put off immediate gratification. The latest episode of Radio Lab explores this challenge and follows 80-year-old Zelda Gamson, a woman who tried to quit smoking for decades. She couldn't until one day she told her friend she would donate $5,000 to the KKK if she ever smoked again. And it worked!

Neuroscientist David Eagleman explains that rewards offered right now (a satisfied cigarette craving) have so much more power than the things offered later (avoiding cancer and death). Zelda could quit when she tied the long-term plan to quit to an immediate feeling of disgust associated with the KKK. The immediate disgust fought the immediate desire. It was now vs. now. This reminds me of the cigarette packages plastered with graphic pictures of sick patients, or as they do in Europe, with bold letters warning that smoking causes sexual dysfunction - they try to illicit an immediate threat.

Since sex is about immediate desire, maybe reminding smokers that they can trade the instant gratification of a cigarette for better sex will help them rethink the cigarette. Let's just hope they don't hit a dry spell!

Grey's Anatomy Rundown, "Put Me In, Coach"

Becky Kirsch — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 07:43:54 PDT

The doctors of Seattle Grace are competing for more than just surgeries on this week's Grey's Anatomy; Owen is also trying to whip them into shape as a softball team. They're not exactly in prime athletic shape though, and even recruiting a former pro in Henry is no match for the stiff competition coming from Seattle Press.

It's on the lighter side of the spectrum as far as Grey's episodes go: everything works out peachy keen with their patients, and the show is low on drama - aside from Sloane and his new lady friend having a serious effect on Lexie. Let's break it down when you keep reading.

True Blood Bites: "Let's Get Out of Here"

Rose Curiel — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 07:54:44 PDT

We see an interesting side to a lot of characters in this week's episode of True Blood. Lafayette (as inhabited by the spirit Mavis) spends most of the episode squeezing in the word "bébé" into every sentence of dialogue, and Debbie and Antonia begin to spin out of control.

Consumed by her need to obliterate vampires, Antonia begins to alienate her coven and amps up her efforts in her war against bloodsuckers with a plan that ends in an intense cliff-hanger. I'm eager to hear how you guys think the story might develop, so let's break down this week's episode first when you

DrSugar Explains: The Morning-After Pill

DrSugar — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 13:42:19 PDT

DrSugar is in the house! This week she's discussing emergency contraception and the morning-after pill.

Here at FitSugar we receive a large volume of questions pertaining to pregnancy and contraception. This week, we're beginning an ongoing series on topics pertaining to women's health and gynecological issues starting with the morning-after pill - including how it works and why and when it can be used. To learn if you're a candidate for this form of contraception, keep on reading.

DrSugar Discusses Birth Control: IUDs

DrSugar — Thu, 19 May 2011 10:35:43 PDT

DrSugar is in the house! This week she explains the pros and cons of using IUDs for birth control.

To continue our ongoing series of gynecological topics, I have decided to write about intrauterine devices (IUDs) as a form of birth control. Even though I learned about IUDs through many outlets (sex ed in school, medical school), I decided to research them more thoroughly since the birth control pills I started taking after having my baby negatively affected my milk supply. I had to find an alternate mode of contraception so I could continue to have an abundant milk supply for my little one. I had a Paragard (copper) IUD inserted a couple of weeks ago and I'll share my experience as well as more information about two types of IUDs in today's column! Keep reading for more info.

True Blood Bites: "I Wish I Was the Moon"

Rose Curiel — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 08:06:39 PDT

Bon Temps's full moon during this week's True Blood episode had supernatural beings out in full force - more so than usual, that is. Werewolves, body-snatching spirits, and Jason's werepanther drama helped advance storylines, but I was more excited about the romantic developments that took place during this episode.

Whether or not all the flirting will fade after the moonlight remains to be seen, but in the meantime, find out what happens when you

Don't Let These Meds Dampen Your Sex Drive

FitSugar — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 03:00:13 PDT

Sometimes we're just not in the mood for sex, but a persistent lack of sexual desire is a bigger issue. Numerous factors can contribute to low libido, including common prescription drugs.

If you've been battling a weak libido, maybe your meds are to blame. To see which drugs can decrease a woman's sex drive,