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Tuesday, 01 July 2008 |
The Viagra story – is it all glory?
The story of Viagra began rather interestingly. What was meant to be a drug for the treatment of angina, a type of heart ailment, landed as a world-wide bestseller for curing erectile dysfunction for men. During scientific research with the molecule it was found that it had a beneficial effect on erection. This revelation turned the fortune of Pfizer, the company who markets Viagra .
Since its introduction in the '90s, Viagra, whose chemical ingredient is Sildenafil now generates over 7 million prescriptions in a year. 1998 saw Viagra being approved by FDA the supreme authority on the efficacy and safety of any drug sold in America and became the first drug to have the stamp of approval from FDA for erectile dysfunction in the US.
Viagra works by inhibiting a particular enzyme called PDE5 which results in an increased blood flow to the penis area which in turn causes the erection to happen. The peak time of its impact is about an hour after intake and the effect lasts for about 4 hours in the body. The success story of Viagra is unparallel to the extent that actual users have reported a 4-fold improvement in their ability to obtain and preserve an erection. The level of satisfaction and sexual enjoyment also improved significantly according to most of the users. Unfortunately the story of Viagra does not end with all the glory that it has achieved.
The effect which Viagra has on the blood vessels have also resulted in serious side effects in many men, including heart attacks and rapid and dangerously low blood pressure count. Not just these side effects, Viagra has also been found to be harmful for men who are already on drugs containing nitroglycerin, an ingredient common in hypertensive medications. This ingredient is also used in drugs for preventing chest pain which also expands the blood vessels. Thus the fatal combination causes blood pressure to drop to dangerously low levels. Men on alpha blockers, another drug for treating hypertension have also been warned against Viagra and it is said that Viagra and nitrates or alpha-blockers should not be taken with 24 hours of each other. It is a reality that about 120 men die every year after taking Viagra, and research shows that most of these deaths are related to cardiac complications after intake of Viagra. Other side effects of Viagra include headache, flushing, and dyspepsia. The other dangerous side effect of Viagra has been identified as a prolonged erection when the penis does not return to its normal flaccid state even after satisfactory intercourse and subsequent ejaculation.
Though rare, another serious complication of Viagra is blindness, which is a result of a blood vessel getting blocked by blood clot. While this condition usually leads to a heart attack, when it blocks any optic nerve it can result in blindness.
The moral of the Viagra story is perhaps to take a doctors' advice, before consumption as he is the best person to advise you regarding the safety and efficacy of the product viewing it from your personal perspective. |
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