Rise in Viagra Use Eyed 

The International Journal of Impotence Research revealed an increase in the use of Viagra not among older men but among the younger population.  This has given rise to fears that Viagra is now popularly used as a recreational drug among the younger generation considering the 312% rise in its use among men between the ages of 18 and 45 years from 1998 to 2002.

Young adults have started mixing Viagra with methylenedioxymethamphetamine or ecstasy to come up with a recreational drug called sextasy.  Some experts find this a dangerous combination and this has caused enough worries among the health insurance sector.

Viagra, the brand name under which Sildenafil is sold, is a lifestyle medication for the treatment of erectile dysfunction or impotence.  This drug, relied upon by men who are unable to complete the sexual act either because their penis have problems getting rigid and staying rigid, was developed by Pfizer.

Chemists working at Pfizer’s research facility were researching Sildenafil’s use for the treatment of hypertension and angina pectoris. However, initial results of the research showed that while the drug does not have much effect on treating angina, it is however effective in inducing an erection of the penis.  This prompted Pfizer to market the drug for the treatment of erectile dysfunction.

Viagra, which was patented in 1996 and approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of erectile dysfunction in 1998, reached the $1 billion sales mark between 1999 and 2001.  Aside from its effectiveness the marketing strategy of the company (which included getting football star Pele and former US senator Bob Dole as endorsers) also helped in selling Viagra.

The drug has also been made available to a wider market through Internet sales.  However, this has paved the way for the introduction of pseudo and fake Viagras all over the net.

Viagra’s effectiveness as an erectile dysfunction medication has already been proven and this has resulted to thousands of loyal clients worldwide.  However, a lot of these users have started to become worried about the possible side effects of Viagra, leaving the potent drug to younger men who do not really need them.

While Viagra has the least side effects compared to the other erectile dysfunction drugs in the market today, this has not prevented the FDA from giving out a warning to Viagra users about the possible effects on one’s health