What is Viagra?
It is unlikely that you never heard about magic drug Viagra. Most of your
filtered spam in the email is attributed to promotion of this substance. You
may not need it or you may be skeptical on the effectiveness, but both
scientific research and consumers’ feedback prove undoubtfully that it works
and allows more adult men to enjoy sexual life even with significant issues
with sexual performance.
Viagra (sildenafil) is an oral medication taken to resolve problems of
erectile dysfunction. This drug helps men maintain sexuality to build or
continue a satisfying physical intimacy. This drug is available in three
different doses, 25 mg, 50 mg and 100 mg. The drug will work most quickly when
taken on an empty stomach or after consuming a meal that is low in fat.
Viagra will work to generate a physical response to arousal. The drug
typically starts working within 30 minutes of when it is taken. Arousal must
occur for the Viagra to start working. This quick time frame for action of the
drug allows for spontaneity in romantic settings, when physical intimacy is
desired.
Once the drug begins working, Viagra will help you to maintain sexual
arousal for 4 hours. Thus, physical intimacy does not have to be rushed through
a small time frame before the drug wears off. While on Viagra, a couple will
have enough time for a fulfilling, intimate encounter that is not frantic due
to time constraints.
The erection created with help from Viagra will diminish naturally once
sexual activity is complete. The ebb of arousal occurs normally without any
special effort after sexual activity during Viagra use.
However, while main therapeutic effect of Viagra is tremendous by itself,
it is not limited by the sexual performance. In this post, we will review
several other positive “side effects” of this drug.
Heart Failures
The latest study performed
at Sao Paulo University Medical School in Brazil, confirmed that Viagra improved
health for male patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) and a history of erectile
dysfunctions (ED).
Sildenafil blocks the
activity of the enzyme phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5), which is active in
multiple tissues and cells. The effects of PDE5 inhibition include increased
production of nitric oxide, which is associated with improved function of the
heart and blood vessels. The cardiovascular effects of sildenafil have naturally
created some concern that the drug might be harmful in men with CHF. However,
the study results proved an opposite.
Most of the men had
moderate or severe heart failure, and each had been referred for treatment of
ED. On separate days, the men underwent two exercise treadmill tests, which
consisted of a six-minute walk and a maximal exercise test. About an hour
before the first test, the men received either 50 milligrams of sildenafil or a
placebo. On the second day, the men received the opposite treatment (sildenafil
or placebo) before exercise.
Those treated with
sildenafil had significantly lower blood pressure and heart rate and
improvement in measures of oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production
compared with those on placebo. Total exercise time also increased
significantly. A separate evaluation showed that treatment with sildenafil was
associated with higher scores on a questionnaire related to erectile function.
Depression
For millions who
suffer from depression, the sexual side effects of many antidepressants can
make treatment plan extremely difficult to stick to. But a new study shows that
more than half of the men who took Viagra (sildenafil) in addition to their
prescribed antidepressant had a significant improvement in sexual function.
Researchers say
that sexual dysfunction occurs in about 30% to 70% of people who take the most
frequently prescribed antidepressants known as SSRIs (selective serotonin
reuptake inhibitors, such as Prozac, Paxil, Celexa, and others). The effects
may include problems with sexual desire or libido, arousal, and orgasm. The
sexual side effects can become so bothersome that the study authors say almost
90% of depressed patients who develop these sexual problems stop taking their
antidepressants too soon, which can put them at risk for a relapse of
depression.
In the study,
researchers looked at the effects of taking Viagra before sexual activity among
90 men with an average age of 45 who suffered from sexual dysfunction as a
result of their treatment for depression. After six weeks of study, researcher
H. George Nurnberg, MD, of the department of psychiatry at the University of
New Mexico School of Medicine, and colleagues found that 54.5% of the men who
took Viagra had much or very much improved scores on overall sexual function
compared with only about 4% of those who did not take the drug.
Researchers say
measures of erectile function, arousal, ejaculation, orgasm, and overall sexual
satisfaction improved significantly among the men treated with Viagra compared
with those who received the placebo.
Psychological Effect
One of the studies showed that Viagra has strong
positive psychological effect on men who take it before intercourse. Their
subconscious is saving the memories of their successful and enjoyable sexual
intercourse with Viagra, and as a result they are becoming more confident in themselves.
This positive experience is very important for men, especially if they had or perceived
any difficulties before. The result of such psychological therapy can be
amazing. It can even help them getting a natural erection the next time without
taking any pills.
Cancer
One of the recent
studies produced very interesting results, showing that Viagra may help the
body's immune system fight cancer. Scientists in Germany genetically engineered
mice to develop melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, and found that
when these mice were given Viagra in their drinking water, they lived twice as
long as untreated mice.
The drug works
because it "wakes up" the immune system to fight cancer, said study
researcher Viktor Umansky, an immunologist at the German Cancer Research
Center, in Heidelberg.
Researchers from
John Hopkins University had discovered in 2006 that Viagra (which is drug
manufacturer Pfizer's brand name for sildenafil citrate) boosted the activity
of T cells in mice with cancer. T cells are part of the immune system, and they
fight tumors. The new study showed how this may work. Most tumors release
chemicals that inhibit T cells, but "sildenafil switches off these suppressor
cells and wakes up the sleeping T cells," Umansky said. Umansky used mice
that were altered to develop malignant melanoma, mimicking the way the cancer
develops in people.
Circulatory Disorders
The Saarland University researchers have discovered that Viagra may ease symptoms of a circulatory disorder called Raynaud's phenomenon. Raynaud's phenomenon, which affects 3 million to 5 million people worldwide, occurs when cold temperatures or stress cause small blood vessels in the skin to constrict, resulting in numbness, tingling and pain in toes and fingers. In severe cases, there's a risk of ulcerations.
The study compared outcomes in 16 patients with severe Raynaud's, who did not respond to standard treatment with drugs used to help dilate blood vessels. The patients received either Viagra or a placebo for four weeks, and were then switched to the opposite treatment for another four weeks. The conclusion was that Viagra had reduced the frequency and duration of Raynaud's attacks, improved capillary blood flow and helped heal chronic toe and finger ulcerations.
Altitude Sickness
Sildenafil has been
shown to be useful for the prevention and treatment of high-altitude pulmonary
edema associated with altitude sickness such as that suffered by mountain
climbers. While this effect has only recently been discovered, sildenafil is
already becoming an accepted treatment for this condition, in particular in
situations where the standard treatment of rapid descent has been delayed for
some reason.
Jet
Lag
A team of Argentine scientists made the discovery that
Viagra may help to recover 50% faster from Jet Lag, when running tests on
hamsters. Interestingly, it only applies when travelling forward through time
zones, or east on a plane. The reason for this is mainly the way mammals’ body
clocks are regulated by light and dark.
The scientists, from the National University of
Quilmes, shifted the light-dark cycle of hamsters six hours forward and monitored
the hamsters’ subsequent activity. Typically, the hamsters were more active
during the light cycles, running in their hamster wheels, and stopped when the
lights went out.
When Viagra injections were used without any changes
to the light cycles, the hamsters were no more or less active. When the light
cycle was sped up, however, the hamsters were much quicker to adjust when given
Viagra.
Dr. Diego Golumbek, who led the research, said the
drug seemed to work this way due to a molecule called cGMP. cGMP has a role in
setting the body’s time clock, and has higher levels of activity during the
day. The Viagra blocks an enzyme that breaks down cGMP, which lets higher
levels build up, thereby reducing the time it takes to adjust to the change in
light.
Exercise
Performance
You may be
surprised but lately Viagra has moved from the bedroom to the locker room. The
buzz on the street was that Yankee superstar Roger Clemens had a bottle of
Viagra disguised as vitamin pills stashed in his locker. Italian cyclist Andrea
Moletta was removed from the Giro d'Italia after police found Viagra in his
car. Not surprisingly, the tabloids had a field day following these incidents
and charged that legions of athletes in baseball, football, bodybuilding and
Olympic sports took Viagra to boost endurance and physical performance. The
World Anti-Doping Association (WADA) considered banning Viagra before the
Beijing Olympics, but backed off because it had no official evidence that the
drug provided a competitive advantage.
A Stanford
University study by Ann Friedlander and colleagues published in 2006 triggered
the Viagra craze among athletes. The researchers found that Viagra improved
cardiovascular capacity during exercise on a stationary bike at a simulated
altitude of 12,710 feet but not at sea level. Viagra increased cardiac output
(blood pumped by the heart per minute), stroke volume (blood pumped by the
heart per heartbeat), and oxygen saturation (percent of red blood cells
carrying oxygen). Cycling performance at altitude improved by 15 percent. The
drug increased exercise capacity by reducing blood pressure in the lungs, which
increases at high altitude.
Note that Viagra has not been scientifically
validated for all side uses, and additional research is needed for the dosage
recommendation development.
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