For you to know: prescription drugs are medicines that are administered to patients by doctors to treat a specific ailment or health condition. Prescription drugs are not harmful if they are used appropriately and ONLY under a doctor’s supervision. Using prescription drugs without a doctor’s approval (non-medical use) could lead to serious health problems. Taking prescription drugs without a doctor’s approval and supervision is always dangerous. Physicians should discuss the contraindication of any prescription drugs with other medications, with their patients before prescribing the drug in question.
The market of today is rich in numerous medications which may really be effective, but at the same time come with a number of dangerous side-effects. If you see a promotion over the internet claiming to sell prescription drugs, think twice before buying them. Any legitimate medical professional would never prescribe you a drug without even evaluating your symptoms in person. It is best to consult your doctor before you start using any prescription medications, including those for erectile dysfunction.
Say NO to Viagra®
Prescription treatments, such as Viagra®, for erectile dysfunction should generally not be used in men for whom sexual activity is not advisable because of their weak cardiovascular conditions. There is potential for cardiac risk in such patients with preexisting cardiovascular disease. Viagra® has systemic vasodilatory properties that resulted in transient decreases in supine blood pressure in healthy volunteers during trials. In some patients, concomitant use of PDE5 inhibitors (like Viagra®) co-administered with alpha-blockers, may lower blood pressure significantly leading to symptomatic hypotension (e.g. dizziness, lightheadedness, fainting).
There is no controlled clinical data on the safety or efficacy of Viagra® in the following groups of patients with:
- Occurrence of a heart attack, stroke/ life-threatening arrhythmia within the last 6 months
- Resting hypotension or hypertension
- Cardiac failure or coronary artery disease causing unstable angina
- Retinitis pigmentosa
If Viagra® has been prescribed to patients with the above conditions; this should be done with caution.
The safety and efficacy of combinations of Viagra® with other treatments for erectile dysfunction have not been studied. Therefore, the use of such combinations is not recommended.
The safety of Viagra® is unknown in patients with bleeding disorders and patients with active peptic ulceration.
Possible side effects with Viagra®
Prolonged erections for greater than 4 hours and Priapism (painful erections greater than 6 hours in duration) have been reported since market approval of Viagra®. These could cause extreme damage to the penis and permanent loss of potency. In the event of an erection that persists longer than 4 hours, the patient must seek immediate medical assistance.
Viagra® should be used with caution in patients with anatomical deformation of the penis (such as angulation, cavernosal fibrosis or Peyronie’s disease), or in patients who have conditions which may predispose them to Priapism (such as sickle cell anemia, multiple myeloma, or leukemia).
Non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), a cause of decreased vision which may include permanent loss of vision, has been reported post-marketing in temporal association with the use of all PDE5 inhibitors.
If Viagra® is prescribed to patients using Ritonavir (protease inhibitor), caution should be taken because Ritonavir substantially increases serum concentrations of sildenafil. Visual disturbances occur more commonly at higher levels of sildenafil exposure. Decreased blood pressure, syncope, and prolonged erection were reported in some healthy volunteers exposed to high doses of sildenafil (200-800 mg).
