Category: Viagra

Viagra (sildenafil) is the very well-known drug for erectile dysfunction (ED). This prescription medicine increases the flow of blood to the penis to help men obtain erections from sexual stimulation. It’s important to understand that Viagra doesn’t automatically cause an erection. Sexual arousal is necessary to attain this.

Once you are sexually stimulated, the drug works to allow pressurized blood to fill your penis, making it erect and allowing you to sustain your erection so you can have intercourse. So, if you are taking Viagra for ED, you may wonder how long the effects last. Most of the literature indicates that you will see results for 2 to 3 hours after taking your little blue pill, and the effect can last for up to 5 hours per dose. A 2004 study indicates these number may be misleading though.

Extended Results

Appearing in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, this September 2004 research study saw Viagra effectiveness in study participants as many as 12 hours after taking the drug. They learned that 82% of participants who had a response to their Viagra dose in one hour were still able to obtain a firm erection 7 hours later, 8 hours after taking the pill. This was in response to visual stimulation of a sexual nature.

Moreover, 45% of the same study participants showed continued varied degrees of response at the 12-hour mark. Though the duration of their erections continued to decrease as the time spans increased, these results show that Viagra may remain effective for far longer than 3 to 5 hours for many men.

Contributing Factors

Many outside and internal factors can impact both the effectiveness of Viagra and the length of time in which it continues to work. Things like food consumption and diet can alter how quickly the drug is absorbed into your bloodstream. Bloodstream absorption is vital for the drug’s effectiveness, the speed in which it activates, and the length of time that it remains in your system.

There’s good news for seniors over the age of 65. Your dose of Viagra may last longer. And, as with all medications, drug interactions play a role as well. Some prescriptions can influence how quickly your body clears the Viagra. This will impact the duration of the Viagra’s effectiveness.

The following criteria can potentially impact the effectiveness of Viagra and the duration of its effect:

• Dose – Your doctor will determine the appropriate dosage for you, ranging from 25mg to 100mg. Higher dosages provide greater effectiveness and extend the duration of its effects.
• Age – As you age, your metabolism slows down, and it takes longer for your body to process whatever you ingest, including medication. Therefore, the older you are, the longer your Viagra remains in your system, thereby extending its effectiveness.
• Alcohol – Alcohol is not at all helpful in obtaining and sustaining an erection, since it reduces the flow of blood to your penis. Abstaining completely is not required, but keeping your intake to only one beer or a single glass of wine will help minimize the negative impact of alcohol on your ED.
• Diet – Large meals with high fat content can cause a delay in the onset of your Viagra’s effectiveness. But don’t rush out and dose yourself on an empty stomach. While it’s true that your pill will likely start working faster, the results won’t last as long. Moderation is key.
• Health conditions – Health problems can impact the effectiveness of your ED medication. For example, those men who suffer from significant liver or kidney disease may see longer effectiveness of their Viagra medication. These conditions delay the speed in which your body clears the drug from your system. Share a complete medical history with your doctor when being prescribed Viagra.
• Drug interactions – Medications, such as specific antibiotics, will impact the duration of your Viagra’s effectiveness.

What to Watch Out For

Viagra has been on the market since early 1998, and as such, has a long history of success and safety. However, there are some dangers and precautions to be aware of and watch out for. The most well-known potential side-effect of Viagra is priapism.

This rare side effect is present with most ED prescription medications. In short, Priapism is an erection that won’t quit. This persistent state is usually painful and needs no sexual stimulation to continue. Priapism is a serious condition that may cause long-term or permanent damage to your penis. The rule of thumb is to seek medical intervention immediately if your erection lasts longer than 4 hours.

So far, nobody has a definitive answer about how Viagra and other drugs in the PDE-5 inhibitor class (such as Levitra and Cialis) help with premature ejaculation, but there are several theories. Some researchers posit that Viagra acts on parts of the brain that control ejaculation. Apparently, too much nitric oxide in the brain inhibits ejaculation, and Viagra (and drugs like it) increase the amount of nitric oxide in the body. Nobody definitively knows that Viagra increases nitric oxide in the brain, but there is preliminary scientific evidence that it does.

Other researchers theorize that Viagra has a psychological effect on its user, the logic being that a firmer erection makes a man feel more in-control, and that alone can help forestall premature ejaculation.

Another theory is purely practical: Viagra and drugs like it may not prevent premature ejaculation first time around, but they make it easier to get a second erection, which is more likely to last longer than the first one.

Different dosages of Viagra are available, and since like any prescription drug, Viagra has some side effects, it’s important to get the dosage just right. Too little and you could experience frustration and less effectiveness than you want. But Viagra is not a drug where “more is better.” If the dosage is too high, the risk of side effects – some of which are dangerous – increases. Here’s what you should know about Viagra dosing options, to maximize your chances of finding that just-right, “Goldilocks” dosing choice right from the start.

Understand your Viagra dosing options for the best experience with the fewest side effects.

Follow Doctor’s Orders

First, to ensure you get the most out of Viagra is to follow your doctor’s orders. Discuss your health history with your doctor to make sure that you are healthy enough to take them. Viagra’s effectiveness is affected by other medicines and other medicines’ performance is affected by Viagra hence causing side effects. Consult an experienced medical practitioner and listen to the advice you are given. Your doctor will give you tips on how to get maximum effectiveness from Viagra.

Timing is everything

Typically, Viagra starts to work after 30 minutes to one hour before intercourse. Hence, time yourself and take it within that time to give your body enough time to adjust and for the Viagra to start taking effect. Take note that its effectiveness lasts up to 4 hours. Just take one pill. No chewing or crushing it while administering. Do not take more than one dose under 24 hours.

Avoid Heavy Fatty Meals

Viagra can be taken with or without a meal. However, it works best when taken on an empty stomach. If you have to eat, don’t take fatty meals such as cheeseburgers and fries. High-fatty meals delay its effectiveness. Taking Viagra on an empty stomach allows your body to feel the effects much quicker.

Don’t Take Alcohol

Similar to fatty meals, alcohol also delays Viagra’s effectiveness. In addition, Viagra may have negative effects when taken with alcohol. Consider taking water instead.

Don’t Skip Foreplay

Finally, Viagra doesn’t work like magic. You need to get yourself in the mood. Its main purpose is to help you get an erection, therefore to work effectively, sexual arousal is vital. Start getting frisky and watch Viagra do wonders for you.

Erectile Dysfunction as a Sign of Diabetes Type 2

Diabetes type 2 is considered among the highest causes of sexual dysfunction in men. Research suggests that more than a half of the men suffering from erectile dysfunction are at a risk of suffering from this type of diabetes.

The study which involved about 90,000 men showed that men who have diabetes are three and a half times more probable to be having difficulties in maintaining an erection than men without the disease as per the report showed in Diabetic medicine.

The leading cause of erectile dysfunction is due to heart problems which go hand in hand with diabetes. This is because the hearts of individuals who have diabetes becomes weak and they are unable to contract well to pump blood all over the body. Doctors should, therefore, take sexual complaints from men as a sign of either diabetes or heart disease.

Dr. Damiano Pizzol suggested that erectile dysfunction plays a vital role in helping physicians in the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus as it acts as an alarm for the other hidden complications. Although at times the issue of erectile dysfunction is common among men over the age of 40, it should not be assumed as a normal thing.

He added that many are times when lack of prevention measures, lack of physical exercises and taking unhealthy diets lead to a late diabetes diagnosis, but now people can take erectile dysfunction as an initial sign of diabetes.

This study showed that an overall of about 37.5% of men who have diabetes type 1 and about 66.3% of those who have diabetes type 2 had erectile problems. The rates were highest in South America and least in North America. It also showed that there is a possibility that the problem developed around 10 to 15 years earlier in those who have diabetes in comparison with those without the disease.

Diabetes has been approximated to reach an estimate of 322 million people by 2025, and erectile dysfunction is stated as the 3rd most frequent sign of diabetes. Raising awareness to people about erectile dysfunction will encourage more people to go for diabetes scanning as a routine assessment of whether they have diabetes or not.

Effects of Marijuana to the Penis

While most men are banging about how smoking weed makes them feel high, and how it makes them last longer, it turns out that weed does not have such positive impacts. Several animal studies have shown that marijuana has an inhibitory impact on particular receptors in the erectile tissues of the penis and this makes it hard for an erection to occur.

There is no any human research done yet concerning the phenomenon, but it is evident that weed is less of a sexual enhancer and more of an inhibitor.

Smoking weed can be relaxing, but at times the relaxing it offers is not the type that any man would wish. No person wants to be too much relaxed during sexual intercourse. Too much marijuana causes erectile dysfunction. The user may feel high while the dick stays low. Some people think that weed increase sexual pleasure since some patients from Haight-Ashbury Free Medical Clinic said that smoking marijuana improved their sexual experience.

More about erection

An erection occurs as a result of relaxation of the corpus cavernosum muscles of the penis. When the muscle relaxes, it increases the blood flow, and this causes an erection. If the muscle is inhibited from relaxation, then there is an occurrence of an erectile dysfunction, and this is why one has to use drugs like Viagra to enhance the relaxation of the muscle thus prolonging erections.

Both the brain and periphery have cannabinoid receptors, which are activated by Tetrahydrocannabinol. When the brain receptors are activated, it makes you feel stoned, but the activation may have adverse effects on some body parts.

Corpus cavernosum has the cannabinoid receptors too, and Tetrahydrocannabinol does not discriminate it either. When you use marijuana, the enzyme makes into your blood stream which hits both the brain and the penis, and this inhibits the corpus cavernosum from relaxing.

The study suggested that for an erection to occur, cannabinoid receptors have to be activated since blocking the receptors prevents erection.

Viagra will create a positive impact since it enhances the relaxation of the muscles responsible for erection.

Viagra is somewhat pricey, but millions of men have been happy enough with its results to consider it a worthwhile investment. If you live in the United States, you won’t have any generic options available until the very end of 2017 at the earliest, and the drug won’t go fully off-patent until the year 2020.

That said, some doctors will help men who use the 50-mg dosage keep costs under control by prescribing 100-mg tablets (which usually cost the same as the 50-mg tablets) and advising patients to use a pill splitter to cut the tablets in half. Pill splitters are available at most pharmacies and big-box retailers for a few dollars.

The History of Viagra

In 1989, two British Pfizer scientists Albert Wood and Peter Dunn created a drug known as sildenafil citrate. They believed that the drug would be helpful in the treatment of high blood pressure and angina. This is a chest pain that comes hand in hand with coronary heart disease.

In 1990, several trials were made on the drug with the hopes that it would be used for heart problem treatment. However, the volunteers who used the drug in the clinical trials reported an increase in erections few days after using the drug. This was according to researcher Ian Osterloh.

This discovery that the drug could cause an erection was an unplanned event. Pfizer realized that erectile dysfunction was an unmet medical issue and realized that this was a great financial opportunity.

Nicholas Terret was named in 1991 as one of the users of Sildenafil for heart problems treatment, and he is therefore known as the father of Viagra since he discovered just how much use the drug would be for the treatment of erectile dysfunction.

In 1994, Terret and his colleague Peter Ellis discovered that the drug enhanced blood flow to the penile region for those patients that suffered from ED as they investigated the utility of the drug as a heart medicine.

The drug was discovered that it had the ability to enhance muscle relaxation effects of nitric oxide, which is the chemical that is released when an individual is sexually stimulated. This relaxation increases blood flow and assists in the production of an erection.

FDA approved the patent name Viagra as the name of the blue pill for the treatment of ED in 1998. From then, Viagra is now the world’s favorite little blue pill that has revolutionized erectile dysfunction’s treatment. It has improved many men’s sex life and given a new ray of hopes to those suffering from erection problems. However, the pill does not work if one is not sexually stimulated.

At around $84.2 million per year, the Pentagon spends a significant portion of their annual budget on erectile dysfunction medication. This amount is huge compared to the estimated $8.4 million needed for gender transition-related health care for transgender military personnel.

With the recent ban on transgender military members, attention is on the massive military budget line item, recently approved by President Trump, for erectile dysfunction medication. A closer look reveals the budget line item is largely due to military retirees and psychological issues prevalent among post-Iraq and Afghanistan active duty military members.

Military Retirees

Equivalent to the cost of multiple fighter jets, the annual $84.2 million spent on erectile dysfunction medication is mostly due to older retirees. Millions of military retirees and their family members are covered by the Pentagon’s healthcare system. With a total cost of $52 billion in 2012, the massive healthcare system covers around 10 million people. More prevalent among older men, over 90% of prescriptions for erectile dysfunction are written for retired military personnel.

Psychological Issues

Though less than 10% of erectile dysfunction prescriptions are written for active duty military personal, the disorder has increased since the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts began. Psychological issues, specifically post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), are a major cause of erectile dysfunction and other sexual problems.

From a study published by the Journal of Sexual Medicine in 2015, male veterans with PTSD are significantly more likely than their civilian counterparts to experience erectile dysfunction. The Rand Corporation also reported that one in five veterans, serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, suffers from PTSD or a similar psychological disorder.

An increasingly common condition, heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure are all linked to erectile dysfunction. With an estimated 18%, as reported in 2007, of US men suffering from erectile dysfunction, it is unsurprising that a large amount of healthcare spending would be allocated for this prevalent disorder. Supplying healthcare to millions of men, both active duty and retired, results in huge amounts of money spent on male-specific health issues, specifically erectile dysfunction.

When a drug is made specifically to help men have stronger, more predictable erections, it only stands to reason that men will want to take it recreationally, even if they’ve never had erectile dysfunction. The reasoning is, “If it helps men get an erection when they can’t otherwise, maybe it will make my erection that much better!”

In general, it’s not wise to turn to Viagra to make a good night better.

That’s a little like taking your friend’s eyeglasses when you have perfect vision and expecting them to give you super-human vision. Here are some frequently asked questions about taking Viagra when you don’t have erectile dysfunction. Spoiler alert:

you shouldn’t.