June 2012 Archives

When it comes to sex and sexuality, people are different, so if you find something that works for you and it's not (unconsentually) hurting anybody, go for it. That said, one man's cure for his erectile dysfunction might turn a few stomachs. Or it might turn some people on, not that we're judging.

TLC's series Strange Sex  is starting its third season with a segment on erotic breastfeeding. (This is not to be confused with adult babies. They have their own episode.)

Jeff discovered his unusual fetish after his wife gave birth to their first child. Now he declares that nothing gets him more aroused than drinking his wife's breast milk, and getting her pregnant.

It's not in the video trailer, but apparently he also claims that breastfeeding cured his impotence. Actually, that might not be as weird as it sounds, since breast milk and breastfeeding are linked to oxytocin, the emotional bonding hormone, and just a couple of months ago, oxytocin was being hailed as the new Viagra.

If there's a scientific explanation for why breastfeeding would cure ED, I think that's it. Or, since breast milk can potentially contain drugs that the mother consumes, maybe his wife is taking Viagra.

A half-empty bottle of gin and a bag of Viagra - sounds like what you'd expect to find if you stumbled into some Lothario's lair. So I imagine New Zealand police were a bit surprised to find those items in the front of a van when responding to a driver who had apparently been driving under the influence and lost consciousness.

Witnesses observed the vehicle swerving across the center line a few times before coming to a stop in the middle of the highway. A passing motorist stopped shut off the ignition and found the 61-year-old driver slumped over the wheel. Two other bystanders and dragged the man out of the van and to the police car.

When police searched the van, they discovered the bag of Viagra - minus two pills - and the gin bottle - minus half its contents. The driver, when he came to, claimed he hadn't been drinking - he said he'd been overcome by paint thinner fumes.

To his credit, there was a leaking can of paint thinner - but his blood alcohol level was also two and a half times the legal limit. No word on what his blood level of Viagra was, or what else had been going on in the back of that van.

Afghanistan is no stranger to the War on Drugs. The country's poppy fields are one of the world's largest suppliers of opium and opiate derivatives. Maybe the Afghan government isn't so concerned about that, because it's going out of the country, not coming in. What is being imported is fake Viagra.

While you'd think the Afghan Health Ministry would be more concerned about the life-threatening effects of say, land mines, they recently issued warnings about the dangers of counterfeit Viagra.

Granted, fake Viagra can have some pretty nasty stuff in it. It's estimated that upwards of 4 million pills are being imported and consumed nationwide. And there are only 9 million men in Afghanistan.

Why is Viagra (or some version thereof) in such demand? Some chalk it up to psychological effects of the country being embroiled in over three decades of war. Then there's the fact that it's not uncommon for Afghan me to have a few (younger) wives to keep satisfied. That's what helped the CIA use gifts of Viagra to get traction with tribal leaders.

Anyway, the government warnings don't seem to be having any effect, as the pills continue to pour into the country to be sold at open air markets. 

Michael Wyllie, one of the team who developed Viagra, has a new contribution to the field of sexual health. Wyllie has invented a spray to help men with premature ejaculation last longer.

I know, that doesn't really sound like anything new. You can go online or to any adult store and get some kind of "delay cream", but Wyllie's concoction, named Tempe, is a bit different. While it's made from two topical anesthetics, it doesn't cause the numbing sensation similar products do. It can also be applied up to two hours in advance of sex, so you don't have to explain to your date why you're spritzing your junk.

The spray is also likely to be much cheaper and accessible than other pharmaceutical alternatives, such as off-label anti-depressants, or Priligy (dapoxetine). I'd also imagine it has fewer side effects than pills.

In trials, the spray helped some men last eight times longer, but the average user can expect to last around three times his typical duration. Apparently it doesn't do much to help men who don't have PE issues. No word on if it has any synergistic effect with Viagra.

Wyllie says he thinks the drug could be "the next blockbuster", and the spray could be on the market in Europe by fall of next year.

I've heard people online talking about "stacking" Viagra with other ED drugs. How is this better than just taking Viagra by itself?

In pharmacology and medicine, "stacking" is an informal term that refers to taking two or more drugs at the same time, or in rapid succession, or alternating doses. In clinical settings, it's sometimes done with painkillers. The rationale is that two drugs that do the same thing but a little differently will have a synergistic effect, or prevent the patient from developing a tolerance to one drug.

The kind of stacking you've heard about probably refers to taking different erectile dysfunction drugs simultaneously, which is unsafe and is something I'm sure no doctor would ever approve of. It's just not a good idea, for several reasons. First of all, you shouldn't need to. There are a few different ED drugs available now, and one of them should work for you by itself.

Stacking is just unsafe. If you're combining ED drugs, you're overmedicating yourself. If you take the recommended dosage of more than one drug, you're way overmedicating. People who "stack" drugs may lower the dosages to try to compensate, but who knows how effective this is, especially if the drugs interact.

That's another thing - these drugs are not intended to be taken together, so you don't know how they will interact. There could be unanticipated side effects. Because Cialis has a longer period of effectiveness, some people think that combining it with Viagra or Levitra will extend those drugs' effects, but who knows? You could be more likely to experience priapism, which would be uncomfortable and embarrassing if you have to seek medical treatment.

Also, while you might be able to score a couple of different samples of ED drugs from your physician, no responsible doctor would prescribe more than one at a time. So chances are the guys who are stacking are getting their drugs from multiple and possibly sketchy sources. If you're not getting medication prescribed through a doctor or certified online pharmacy, who knows what you're getting. That stuff can be dangerous.

But what about stacking with supplements, you say - meaning herbal supplements, like horny goat weed, or "herbal Viagra" blends. Well, you should be careful with those too. You often don't know what's really in them, and it's impossible to gauge what their effect will be when combined with prescription drugs. Really, don't mess around with drug cocktails without checking with your doctor.

By the way, you didn't happen to come across this suggestion on a body building forum, did you? Because among body builders who use steroids, "stacking" steroids, and ED drugs, is not uncommon. You know why? Somewhat perversely, anabolic steroids can stimulate sex drive, but increase the likelihood of erectile dysfunction. They also make your junk shrink, but I don't know any remedy for that.

Pfizer's patent on the blue pill expired in Korea, making them the first country to legitimately produce generic Viagra. I wonder what this will do to the counterfeit Viagra economy.

Viagra's such a strong brand, it's no surprise that manufacturers are bringing out  like "Nurigra" and "Happigra". Happigra?

The sound-alikes aren't all look alikes. Some companies are trying to distinguish their version of the ED drug - or disguise it. Rather than the distinctive blue diamond, one manufacturer is shaping their pills like a green triangle - so it's not as recognizable as an erectile dysfunction drug. And Happigra comes in a mint-flavored powder. Dollars to donuts someone comes out with a sildenafil breath mint.

Pfizer's not taking this lying down (no pun intended). They tried to halt the production of the generic copycats by claiming their patent for the use of sildenafil as an erectile dysfunction treatment should still apply. That wasn't how the Korean court saw it, but Pfizer will probably appeal.