Viagra in Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction in Men

Viagra is a medicinal product, which in the last decade has become the leader in sales in pharmacies throughout the world. It provides full erectile function in men due to its vasodilating effect.

Initially invented for treatment of cardiovascular diseases, Viagra was not used for this purpose at all. As a result of approbation of the drug, side effect such as stimulation of erection was revealed. Strictly speaking, from «side effect» it quickly became the main one, and pharmacological companies, without hesitation, picked up the idea, and pharmacy shelves were replenished with a fundamentally new means for men.

It is understandable, because what is erectile dysfunction? This is a violation of sexual function in men, manifested by inability to achieve erection or, in cases of achievement, inability to keep it during the time necessary for full sexual intercourse. In society, people often replace concept of «erection» with such a word as «impotence».

In one study conducted in 2012, 1 225 men aged 20 – 75 years were questioned for symptoms of erectile dysfunction. The questionnaire was offered to pass to men who applied for medical help to any specialists, except for urologists. That is, the sample consisted of respondents who did not have urological diseases.

Results of the survey make one think about prevalence of the problem, since only 10.1% of the men surveyed did not notice signs of dysfunction. And the rest – 89.1% of those participating in the survey confirmed symptoms of erectile dysfunction from mild to severe. The fact that nearly half of interviewed respondents are overweight (48%) sheds some light on the shocking results.

Causes of Erectile Dysfunction

• 80% of sexual disorders in men in modern times is due to presence of endogenous diseases, the most «popular» of which are cardiovascular, such as arteriosclerosis of blood vessels, arterial hypertension, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, etc.
• Among other disorders, neurogenic mechanism of erectile dysfunction is isolated, for example, due to spinal cord trauma, neuropathy and other conditions, accompanied by impaired impulses along nerve fibers to penis.
• Hormonal erectile dysfunction. Reduced testosterone leads to decrease in sexual desire in men and erectile dysfunction. Most often, decreased level of androgens is observed in the age of over 30 years. This is the so-called age-related hormone deficiency. There is also hypogonadism, characterized by low production of hormones, but these disorders are leveled by appointment of hormone replacement therapy.
• Another form of erectile dysfunction is drug-mediated. Therefore, patients are warned about possible disorders in genital area with appointment of the following drugs: central and peripheral α- and β-adrenoblockers, tranquilizers and antidepressants, and H2-blockers.

Since most causes are triggered by vascular genesis or violation of innervation, use of Viagra in treatment of this condition has become a revolutionary breakthrough. Because mechanism of action of active substance – Sildenafil – is to relax walls of vessels and expand their lumen, which increases flow of blood along them to organs. Viagra and other impotence pills containing Sildenafil, which appeared as a new class of the first line therapy, are inhibitors of phosphodiesterase type 5.

How does Viagra Work?

Active substance of the drug for increasing potency Viagra is sildenafil. This component has a vasodilating effect. And not all vessels are a target, but mainly peripheral ones, which include blood vessels that supply blood to male’s external genitalia.

After taking Viagra during an hour blood circulation in cavernous bodies of penis improves. But erection does not come spontaneously, but after sexual stimulation.

Vasodilating effect is explained by selective inhibition of the fifth type phosphodiesterase, which in turn leads to release of active nitric oxide. It causes walls of vessels to relax, and their lumen becomes wider.

From the stomach, the medicine is quickly absorbed into blood. Maximum concentration of active ingredient Sildenafil in blood is reached after 30 – 120 minutes.

Bioavailability of the drug – 41%. This is a fairly high figure. This is the amount of substance that is absorbed from the whole pill in the stomach.

How to Take Viagra Pills for Men

• Take it orally with a small amount of water. Presumably 60 minutes before sex in a dosage of 50 mg.
• Increase or decrease in dosage is evaluated by efficiency and tolerability.
• Maximum daily dose is 100 mg. Texas Chemist recommends to take the drug no more than 1 time per day!
• Viagra for men is appointed after examination with urologist and tests to determine the cause. Also during examination, concomitant diseases of cardiovascular system are revealed, in which sexual excitation is undesirable!
• For men over 65 years and for men who are take other medicines, initial dosage is 25 mg!
• There are post-clinical observations that there are rare cases of erection lasting more than 4 hours, accompanied by pain, which requires immediate medical attention. In its absence – a man can not avoid damage to penis, and as a result, irreversible impotence can develop!

Side Effects of Sildenafil

• headache;
• dizziness;
• hyperemia of skin;
• reduced vision (due to ischemic neuropathy of optic nerve);
• nasal congestion;
• nausea, vomiting, diarrhea;
• priapism.

Viagra and Other Medicines. Dangerous Interaction for Men!

Another important point of taking Viagra is related to its metabolism in the body. Since liver and its enzymes are involved in processing sildenafil, it is necessary to take into account possible interactions with other medicinal products.

So, for example, Sildenafil enhances lowering blood pressure with parallel intake of nitrates (simultaneous reception is contraindicated!).

Such drugs as ketoconazole, itraconazole, erythromycin and some other antibiotics, antifungal and antiviral agents increase concentration of sildenafil in blood plasma and reduce its excretion, which can lead to side effects and sharp drop in blood pressure.

It is also not recommended to take Viagra together with warfarin and other antiplatelet agents, tricyclic antidepressants, diuretics, anti-tuberculosis drug rifampicin.

Doctors recommend not combining drugs with alcohol intake, as this can lead to development of side effects, increases risk of hepatotoxic reactions and, in the end, may lead to undesired result.

Specifically, Viagra does not increase effects of alcohol on blood vessels. Nevertheless, detrimental effects on liver can not be avoided. Therefore, use of drugs for potency along with alcohol is highly unrecommended!

Viagra in the Old Age

In healthy people older than 65 years, physiological functions of liver and kidneys are reduced. And these organs are directly responsible for removing the drug from the body! Therefore, at this age excretion of Sildenafil is lowered, which means that the amount of the drug in blood will be significantly higher than in young healthy men, which increases risk of developing life-threatening side effects!

This important fact doctors use to correct dosage regimen for men over 65 who suffer from erectile dysfunction. For precise dosages doctors determine clearance of endogenous creatinine by special formula and urine analysis, and then depending on the result, recommend – how much to lower the dosage.

Viagra and Ability of Men to Conceive

The drug Viagra is used only for treatment of erectile dysfunction and stimulation of potency in men. There is no direct influence on activity of spermatozoa, so periodic single-dose medications at a dosage of 100 mg are not accompanied by change in quality of sperm, which was proved in healthy volunteers. Preparations for potency should not be combined with drugs to increase fertility.

Contraindications

Contraindications to taking Viagra – hypersensitivity and treatment with nitrates!

Restrictions for use:

• congenital and acquired disorders of anatomical structure of penis;
• predisposition to prolonged erection, priapism;
• increased bleeding and other blood diseases;
• exacerbation of peptic ulcer of gastrointestinal tract;
• diseases of liver with violation of its functions;
• cardiovascular diseases, including ischemic heart disease, hypertension, as well as blood strokes and heart attacks in history;
• simultaneous reception of drugs that suppress work of liver enzymes.

Viagra for Women

Often men in search of magic pill that can arouse a partner, come to the pharmacy asking if there is a «Viagra for Women». No and no. Viagra is a drug for treatment of erectile dysfunction in men. How does Viagra work on men – we already know. And how does Viagra work on women? The drug does not affect absolutely sexual activity of women.

But! In modern medicine, however, use of this remedy is also found in female population. This is due to its excellent ability to improve peripheral circulation, which is excellent in treatment of pulmonary hypertension, for example, or in treatment of Raynaud’s disease, when pronounced spasm of vessels of fingers leads to violation of blood circulation in them. In general, the drug can be used in other areas of medicine, but not as a stimulant for women.