What is Viagra?
If you fail to get an erection or your erection fails before time, Viagra is the drug you need to get everything working again. It’s a PDE5 inhibitor. That means the chemical that comes in the wrong place at the wrong time is stopped before it can do any damage. No PDE5 means hard erections again.
Is Viagra used to treat anything else?
Under a different brand name, Viagra is used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension. Both health problems are solved if your arteries expand and contract at the right time.
Can Viagra be used by all men?
If you have been diagnosed with heart disease and already take drugs to control high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat and the other symptoms of the disease, you need to sit down with your doctor to discuss how Viagra can be fitted into this mixture. You cannot take Viagra at the same time as a drug containing a nitrate and, unfortunately, nitrates are routinely used to treat heart disease. Men with kidney or liver disease, or who are aging will need to take a reduced dosage.
What is the risk of loss of sight and hearing?
There is a rare possibility. One or two older men, who smoked and had existing eye problems, lost their sight after taking Viagra. PDE is used around the body to control muscle movements. Although Viagra is designed to be specific to PDE5, it occasionally seems to affect the PDE controlling sight and hearing. The evidence of cause and effect is still unclear, but if you have any serious eye condition, tell your doctor or pharmacist before taking Viagra.
Dosage instructions
Take the dosage indicated by your doctor or pharmacist. In the rare occasions Viagra does not work the first time, be patient and try the same dosage again. If it still does not work, discuss the situation with your doctor. Do not simply increase the dosage yourself. You need to find out why the drug is not working. In general, you should take one tablet between 30 and 60 minutes before you expect sexual activity. Allow more time if you have just eaten a heavy meal, particularly one containing a large fat content. If you drink more than one or two units of alcohol you may find yourself getting dizzy.
How long does Viagra last?
Not everyone is the same but you should assume that you will be responsive to sexual stimulation for about 5 hours. Once this time has elapsed, do not take another erectile dysfunction tablet for at least twelve hours. In an ideal world, you would wait and not take more than one tablet in any 24-hour period.
What are the side effects?
For almost all men, there are no real side effects. For the few who find noticeable effects, the most common are the symptoms of flu, i.e. a blocked-up or runny nose, some sneezing and a slight sore throat. But if you experience any of the following, go to an emergency room:
- an erection that lasts an unnatural time and grows increasingly painful;
- loss of sight or hearing; or
- chest pain, irregular heartbeat, difficulty in breathing and nausea.
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