Better Sex Thru Chemistry?

This column, by David Jay Brown, describes four potentially sex-enhancing drugs: bromocriptine, cabergoline, deprenyl and LSD.

A provocative parallel that he finds is the one between these drugs' prosexual and pro-cognitive effects. As he states:

"Many of the same drugs that improve cognitive abilities, interestingly enough, also improve sexual arousal and performance--as there is a strong link between optimal brain function, sexual vitality, and good general health. According to gerontologist and life extension researcher Ward Dean, M.D., 'Anything that improves brain function is probably going to improve sexual functioning.'"

Of particular note is that three of these (bromocriptine, cabergoline and LSD) are derived from the fungus ergot, which is known to produce substances that are reported to elevate dopamine levels in the brain. Dopamine, it seems, may have a great effect on both cognition and sexual performance and pleasure.

Cabergoline is noteworthy in that in men it inhibits the release of prolactin, a hormone released after ejaculation that blocks orgasm, so it allows males to be multi-orgasmic without training. Prolactin, however, may promote new neuron growth in the brain, so there could easily be a trade-off there.

Bromocriptine stimulates dopamine production, and is currently prescribed in the US as treatment for Parkinson's disease. It also decreases prolactin levels, while not nearly as much as cabergoline, and seems to have an overall balancing effect on the hormonal system.

Regarding LSD, he relates:

"From personal experience, I can attest to the fact that the blissful rapture experienced with cannabis-heightened erotic play is an order of magnitude less than what can be experienced when one has sex on LSD. On LSD, extraordinary sexual ecstasy can be achieved, which can last for hours, with many orgasms. People often report a complete physical and spiritual merging with their partner, as well as mystical, transcendent experiences that defy description. Too bad LSD is currently illegal."

Deprenyl, while not derived from ergot, also stimulates dopamine production in the brain. In addition to its reported aphrodisiac effects, it has life-extending, antidepressant and cognitive-enhancing properties: it is prescribed in the US for Parkinson's, Alzheimer's disease and depression, and has been shown in lab tests to improve rats' lifespans by as much as forty percent.

Check out the article for more detail.

Brown mentions hydergine and yohimbine, Viagra and Cialis, as these, too, have helped people with improved sexual performance and experience, and he includes a link to a longer article he penned called "Chemo-Eroticism" and a book recommendation: John Morgenthaler and Dan Joy’s Better Sex Through Chemistry.

Happy sex-time!