June 2009 Archives

UK pharmacy chain Boots has been given the go-ahead to dispense Viagra without a doctor's prescription:

Patients will complete a pre-screening questionnaire before having a 30-minute consultation with a pharmacist. The service costs 55 pounds ($90.20) for the initial screening and supply of four tablets and then from 26.59 for four tablets for further supply.

Being forced to complete a detailed questionnaire and having a 30 minute consultation... These patients are going to be much better informed and much better screened than the ones who have to suffer through the process of making, and keeping, an appointment at a doctor's office. This is an obvious case where patient convenience will be matched by better, more thorough health care. It's a true win/win.

Reputable online pharmacies also require detailed questionnaires. The fact is, the average doctor isn't going to do a standardized and detailed inventory of possible risk factors, so even there, you may be getting a more thorough check than doing it in-person.

Pfizer, of course, tried to get Viagra approved as a true OTC drug in Europe but gave up in 2008. This seems like a reasonable compromise. We can only hope it will spread, but I can't imagine them ever making progress in the US. Our puritanical spirit requires us to suffer if we want to have sex. The process has to be difficult, time consuming, and expensive.  Otherwise, we might actually get to have satisfying sex unhindered. And that just can't be allowed, people might enjoy their lives too much.

For most people, Viagra works the first time they take it. You should expect it to kick in anywhere from half an hour to two hours after you take it. What should happen is, with sufficient stimulation, you should be able to achieve a strong erection. Remember, Viagra works on a physical level, not a mental one. I doesn't make you want sex, or feel sexy, it only allows you to get an erection with sexual stimulation.

Some of our readers report that it takes several tries for Viagra to start working. If you don't have any success, you should wait 24 hours and take another dose. Try to take it on an empty stomach and without any alcohol to maximize its effect. You can also increase the dose, but you shouldn't go above the maximum dose of 100mg.

If you still don't get any effect after several tries, you might try Levitra or Cialis. Some men find that these drugs work if Viagra doesn't (and vice versa). Each person reacts differently. Experiment to find the best treatment for your erectile dysfunction.

The disingenuous folks at PETA have a new billboard claiming that "eating meat can cause impotence."

As we've opined before, this is just opportunism with no basis in fact. The funny thing is, their press release mentions meat, eggs, and dairy products as the culprits. So they aren't suggesting people adopt a vegetarian diet, they are suggesting a vegan diet.

We're also informed that "Meat is also murder on animals." Don't get us started on that one.

Even if it is true that a high fat diet isn't healthful, there are plenty of meat-based alternatives that are low in fat. Lean cuts of beef, fish, poultry, skim milk, etc. can (and should) be part of a healthful diet.

Most distasteful is their effort to blame men for erectile dysfunction. Lifestyle choices may, in some cases, be responsible for erectile problems, but most men suffer through no fault of their own. Suggesting otherwise is outrageous.

Many of you consider Viagra a life saver, but every once in a while there's a news story that reminds us that sometimes that isn't just hyperbole.

An infant in India born with a rare congenital heart defect is the most recent beneficiary of Viagra's literal life-saving properties.The girl's heart was positioned on the wrong side of her body, and her right lung was underdeveloped. These malformations were so severe she probably wouldn't have made it to her first birthday without surgery. That's where the Viagra comes in:

"It was a complicated and high-risk, four-hour surgery. The pressure in the lung is normally around 20 MG. But in case of Tanisha, it was 120 MG. We used Viagra before the surgery to reduce the lung pressure," said Dr Balakrishnan.

Treating infants with Viagra isn't new. For several years, hospitals have been using the drug on babies with pulmonary hypertension due to lung and heart conditions. Given the positive publicity that these types of stories garner for Viagra, we think maybe Pfizer could consider
kicking in some sort of contribution for the infants' families as well - perhaps a set of Viagra onesies or a year's supply of Pfizer-branded nappies.

It's not easy being a man. You have to get it up, keep it up, and then finish right on time. Viagra's done wonders for the salute and the standing at attention, but if you're only problem is getting your shot off on queue, it's not quite as helpful. That's where Priligy is supposed to come in.

Priligy (dapoxetine) is a new drug that helps men with premature ejaculation. Its makers applied for approval in the US and were rejected. Recently, though, it's achieved approval in some European countries. It looks like they're going to have another go-around at trying to get approved in the US:

A DRUG company will pursue US approval for the world's first pill to treat premature ejaculation after tests on 6000 men showed it more than tripled the time before they reached climax.

Johnson & Johnson also seeks to sell the pill in Australia, Canada, Mexico, Turkey and six other countries.

The story of Priligy is an interesting one. The drug was initially developed as an antidepressant, but it didn't last long enough in the user's system to be effective. A common side effect of antidepressants is delayed ejaculation. So the drug was repurposed to help with premature ejaculation.

It should be available shortly in some European countries; we'll have to see how men react and how useful they find it. Right now our arsenal is pretty limited; Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra pretty much do the same thing with a few variations. Having a drug just to target premature ejaculation could help a lot of men, especially younger ones who don't have difficulty achieveing erecton.