Opioids (also known as narcotics) such as morphine and heroin attach to opioid receptors in the brain. These substances have long been known to inhibit sexual behavior.
Similar to the effects of psycho-stimulants, both men and women who use heroin report engaging in high-risk sexual practices.
Subjects typically report having several sexual partners, using condoms seldom or not at all, and having a high frequency of STI diagnosis.
While small doses of heroin may enhance sexual desire and performance, chronic opiate use, including methadone and buprenorphine, synthetic and semi-synthetic opiates prescribed for opiate addiction treatment, results in decreased sexual desire, response, and orgasms for both men and women, as well as erectile, ejaculatory dysfunction, and vaginismus.