Viagra – Is It Safe?
 
Viagra (Sildenafil citrate) received FDA approval in 1996 and was brought to the market as the world’s first oral medication designed to aid men with erectile dysfunction (ED) in 1998. Since its introduction nine years ago, Viagra has been used by more than 23,000,000 men worldwide with a 50%-70% success rate. There are rare cases of serious side effects and some common side effects that are temporary in nature. However, every known medication has some potential side effects and risks, even the simple aspirin we all take for the occasional headache has potential side effects that you should be aware of.
 
In most cases, doctor’s look at medication risks in terms of whether the benefit to the patient outweighs any risk factor and Viagra is no different. Based on medical assessments with patients since its introduction, Viagra is considered a safe drug as long as it is provided from a prescription and supplied by a reputable, certified pharmacy. Viagra also needs to be taken as prescribed and all instructions should be followed carefully to ensure that potential side effects are lessened. Viagra supplied by some vendors without a prescription is illegal and thus has no guarantee of effectiveness or safety. There are also fake aphrodisiacs being sold online today that are actually herbal compounds which imitate the color, size and shape of real Viagra and these are not recommended either.
 
Side Effects
 
The rare, serious side effects with Viagra include severe hypotension, myocardial infarction, stroke, and increased pressure of inner eye fluids.   Irregular heartbeats and priapism are also included. Priapism is a painful erection that lasts for long periods of time and if this should happen and remain for more than 4 hours medial intervention is necessary. More common side effects that quickly vanish include flushing (reddening of the skin), dyspepsia, and sensitivity of the eyes to light, sneezing, headache, palpitations, and prolonged erections. Some users have also reported blurred vision and a bluish haze or tinged vision for short periods of time.
 
Contraindications
 
There are certain medical conditions and medications where Viagra is not to be used. These include:
 
A recent stroke or heart attack within the past six months
Cardiovascular risk factors
Severely impaired kidney function
Decreased liver (hepatic) function
Low blood pressure (hypotension)
Hereditary degenerative eye (retinal) disorders and
Medications including nitric oxide donors, organic nitrites or nitrates, nitroglycerine and amyl nitrate.
 
Patients currently taking protease inhibitors for HIV are also advised not to take Viagra since side effects may be severely enhanced by the protease inhibitors. Such patients are being advised by their doctors to take no more than 25 mg of Viagra every 48 hours. Patients using alpha blockers are advised to take Viagra a minimum of 4 hours apart.
 
These cautions and advisories underscore the necessity of a medical examination and consultation with a doctor prior to taking Viagra. As long as known guidelines are followed closely, Viagra has far greater benefits than I do risks.

Cialis manufactured by Eli Lilly is now more popualr than Viagra