Patient's question:
Out of curiosity, I got addicted to heroin. At that time, I didn't realize its harmfulness, but it just made me feel very comfortable and enhanced my sexual performance. However, after more than a year of continuous use, I noticed that my sexual function was gradually weakening, all due to drug abuse. If I go through rehabilitation, will I be able to recover to normal?Doctor's answer:
A large amount of evidence shows that long-term consumption of heroin can significantly impair functional abilities, leading to sexual dysfunction. In men, this is primarily due to impaired sperm development and interference with sexual intercourse. Heroin can disrupt the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, causing further disruption in the endocrine system. However, young men and women who start using drugs may not yet suffer significant harm to their sexual function. At this stage, sexual behavior or promiscuity may lead to pregnancy. Moreover, the sexual dysfunction experienced by most drug users is reversible, and it can gradually return to normal after rehabilitation from drug addiction.