Does Benicar have any sexual side effects?

Tazmaniandevil52,

Thanks for your question.

Benicar is a medication used for the treatment of high blood pressure and belongs to the class of drugs known as Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs).  Though other medications in this class have been reported to cause sexual side effects like loss of libido (desire) or erectile dysfunction, no sexual side effects have been reported with benicar.  This does not mean that it's impossible to cause these problems, it just was not observed or reported in the extensive clinical trials performed with this drug.

If your preparation is benicar HCT, this has the addition of hydrochlorthiazide, a diuretic which works well with the benicar to get the blood pressure down.  This diuretic is well known to cause sexual side effects.  So check the label of your prescription.

In either case, you should discuss this with your doctor who can recommend treatment or change your medication.

Best wishes.

Martin Cane, M.D.