How to use Viagra (step 6)

Be aware that if you take any nitrate drug such as nitrate medication for heart disease, nitroglycerine for angina, or the party drug, amyl nitrate (“poppers”), you should not use erection drugs such as Viagra, **** or ****. The combination of Viagra and nitrate drugs can cause a precipitous drop in blood pressure and possibly death. Before this problem was identified, the combination of Viagra and nitrate medication killed more than 500 men.

How to use Viagra (step 5)

Know that, despite their success, erection drugs also have limitations. They are ineffective in about 25 percent of cases. As severity of ED increases, their effectiveness decreases. For example, the drugs work well in many men with the beginnings of diabetic ED, but less well in diabetics with considerable cardiovascular and neurological damage. In men with mild erection balkiness, these drugs may not work in some situations—if a man feels particularly stressed, distracted or alienated from the sexual experience.

How to use Viagra (step 4)

Research your insurance coverage. Some health insurers cover erection medications, but many provide only partial coverage, or none at all. However, even without insurance coverage these drugs are quite affordable. The Viagra dose most men take, 50 mg, costs about $10—a modest price to pay for an amorous evening free from erection worries!

How to use Viagra (step 3)

Learn about possible side effects. For most, but not all men, these drugs are quite safe. The only significant side effects are headache (16 percent of users), flushing (10 percent), upset stomach (7 percent), nasal congestion (4 percent), and rarely, visual disturbances (mostly in men with chronic eye conditions such as macular degeneration).

How to use Viagra (step 2)

Step2

Know how erection medications work. Currently there are four prescription drugs available for erection problems: Viagra, ****, **** and Yohimbine. They all essentially work the same way. Sexual arousal stimulates release of a compound, nitric oxide (NO), in the ****. Nitric oxide, in turn, triggers synthesis of cGMP, which relaxes the ****’ smooth muscle tissue, and allows extra blood to flow into the organ’s spongy central erectile tissues. Erection drugs enhance this smooth muscle relaxation, spurring greater blood flow into the ****.

Step 1

Be aware the erection medication is not the answer to every man’s erection problem, though erection medication certainly has a place in treatment of ED. Many erection difficulties are caused by sexual anxiety, and resolve when men learn more about sex, relax about it, and adopt a less ****-centered, holistic and sensual approach to lovemaking. Other erection difficulties are caused by medical problems and resolve when the illnesses are treated. Many erection problems are caused by drugs (notably alcohol and cigarettes) and drug side effects and can be helped by cutting back on alcohol, quitting smoking, or tinkering with prescriptions.

Viagra boom!

The world of erection impairment changed dramatically on March 27, 1998—the day the Food and Drug Administration approved the little blue pill. Viagra is used for treatment of erection impairment, now medically called erectile dysfunction (ED). Viagra was not the first drug treatment for erection impairment (see Yohimbine below), but it was the one that captured the public’s imagination. Viagra took the U.S.—and the world—by storm. During its first month of availability, American doctors wrote more than 300,000 prescriptions, making Viagra the fastest-selling new drug in history. Within six months, repeat prescriptions were being written at the rate of 100,000 per month. Today, Viagra is one of the most successful drugs ever marketed. More than 10 million men have taken more than 125 million tablets. Annual sales approach $2 billion. And with millions of male Baby Boomers in their 50s, the future of the little blue pill—and other erection medications—looks bright.