Viagra: miracle drug or miracle scam? erectile dysfunction i

VIAGRA: MIRACLE DRUG OR MIRACLE SCAM? Erectile dysfunction is a disorder in men that, over time, keeps men from either having or keeping an erection during sexual intercourse. Erectile dysfunction, or "ED" as it is commonly referred to, affects over 30 million men in the United States (Coon 607). ED can have a significant impact on one's life. Many men feel embarrassed about ED and avoid talking about it, especially to their partners. In return the intimacy between a couples will decrease and tension in the relationship can cause rifts and even divorce. Previous treatments for ED included very embarrassing, painful, and often-expensive treatments that only had a small success rate. Some treatments included putting gel suppositories into the urethra and injecting drugs directly into the base of the penis. Other less painful treatments included vacuum pumps, penile implants, and penis rings. Then in 1998, a pharmaceutical company named Pfizer created a new oral treatment for ED called Viagra. Viagra was a new and simple way to get an erection: the man takes one pill about an hour before any sexual stimulation and with the right "chemistry" between a couple, sexual intercourse will become successful. Despite public belief Viagra does not cause an instant erection. It merely makes an erection in a man with ED possible. Erections still must be achieved the old way and they do not make the erection any bigger or better than the average male. As of June 2000, more than 7 million men have taken the drug. According to the Viagra website, "4 Viagra tablets are dispensed every second in the world" (www.viagra.com). But are the vast amounts of this drug distributed to millions of men safe? According to Pfizer Inc., the drug is relatively safe. After three years of extensive research that included over 3700 male patients in more than 27 controlled clinical studies the drug proved not only safe but also highly effective. With a success rate of 82 % or 4 out of every 5 patients, and such minimal side effects such as headaches and flushing, Viagra had become the most effective drug for erectile dysfunction on the market. Pfizer also claims that the longer the patient is on Viagra the better chances of them maintaining erections longer increases. In fact, there is a 90 % success rate on long-term users (1). The Pfizer website also goes on to claim that in clinical studies Viagra was not shown to be habit- forming nor did the frequency in dosage among patients increase over time. Unlike many other drugs on the market the patients did not build up a tolerance to the drug. However, as time progressed, some patients who had been on the drug for long periods of time began to experience some severe and unusual side effects. These included chest pains, blurred vision, the inability to establish the color blue, and erections lasting for over four hours at a time. Some older patients began to even have mild to serious heart attacks either before or during intercourse. The reason was that the drug Viagra as a treatment for ED was originally meant to be a heart medication designed to treat angina by increasing the blood flow into the heart. However, the drugs main ingredient named Sildenafil failed at opening coronary arteries, but instead opened the arteries in the penis giving men a long lasting erection (Handy 40). Another serious effect of the drug is that when taken with certain medications such as nitrate, drugs that help with chest pains and people prone to heart attacks, it causes the blood pressure in the user to drop to very low and life threatening levels (Handy 41). This information was not released until late in the year 2000, when there were eight reported deaths of men who died of heart attacks while on the drug Viagra (Weeks A01). But Viagra is not the only drug to have serious side effects. Over the past decade there have been several drugs and treatments that at the time seemed the answer until the drug had been on the market. According to Brian Storm, "all drugs are poisons. They are given to interfere with normal body functions to make other functions possible [.] all drugs have side effects, why should Viagra be any different?" (qtd. in Brown C01) A most recent case was in 1997 when the new diet drug known as "fen-phen" was known to be quoted as, "the safest and easiest way to lose weight," until it was pulled off the market because it hardened and blocked the heart valves. What doctors are really worried about is the wrong type of people taking the pills. The desire to have great and instant erections among some men is so great; they are willing to overlook the medical side effects to take the drug. Viagra is a prescription medication that you should only be able to obtain through a doctor. It roughly costs about $8-$10 a dosage and should be taken no more than three times a day. And because of the reactions with medications and high popularity, insurance companies will only pay for it if the patient has been diagnosed with ED for a prolonged period of time. Many people, in order to avoid having to wait to get the drug, started to buy pills that claimed to be just as effective as Viagra, but without the wait. Online one can buy a bottle of a product such as "Herbal V" for only $30 a month and one doesn't have to see a doctor. The American Council on Science and Health (ACSH), just months after the release of Viagra released a statement warning consumers not to confuse Viagra with on-line scams. A search on an on-line web engine for web pages with "Viagra" in the URL can take you to numerous sites where they will even offer (for a small price) prescription Viagra covered by insurance. Instead, the consumer may get a product like "Viagro," which claims, "to be the all natural cure for erectile dysfunction [.] with none of the side effects that Viagra causes" (ACSH). Many men after taking the drug have developed a renewed sense of life and energy. Many men claim to feel young again and have a high self-esteem about themselves and their ability to perform as men. However there are other factors that should be contributed to the cure of ED. Most men who have taken Viagra and had it work have admitted to also changing their lifestyle and habits. Many of them changed their diets, exercised, and took more time to spend with themselves and their partners. The founder of Human Genome Sciences Inc., William Haseltine, believes that the drug has more psychological effects than physical ones. "Most men who had ED to begin with had it because they were stressed about living up to a woman's expectations," claimed Haseltine, "The biggest cure used to be proper communication with their partner, not popping in a little blue pill" (qtd. in Weeks A01). Regardless, Viagra has brought millions of couples all over the world closer together physically, but many psychologists are worried about the negative emotional effects that the drug might cause. Andy McCormick the Pfizer spokesperson for Viagra said, " The Support of women is critical to the success of Viagra [.] and ED is not just a one person problem it is really a couple's condition" (qtd. in Weeks). And not all women are for the little blue pill. There are still thousands of women everywhere who are saying "no" to their partner's new sexual appetite. Many women fear that as the man's appetite for sex changes, they men will expect the same from the woman and that it could be a challenge. Though unofficially tested many women have also tried Viagra and the results have not been the same. Unofficial polls taken by the Washington Post and The New York Times have shown that women who have taken the drug Viagra before sexual relations actually had a decrease in sexual stimulation and enjoyed it less. Ruth Prudhon a middle school teacher from Jackson, Tennessee, was quoted to saying, "If he's 57 and feeling 16, and I'm 55 and look and feel 55, is he going to think about someone younger to match his feelings [.] If he feels like Mr. Stud, is he going to find someone that matches his sexual ability?" (Wee D01). She is just one of the many middle aged women who are upset over the release of Viagra. Many feel that as one gets older the body begins to slow down and with so should a person. "Sex takes a great deal of energy [.] I don't want to be 20 or 30 again [.] I've done that, been there. Let's move on," claims Terry Phillips a 51 year-old from South Wales (Wee D01). And though Viagra was not developed as an aphrodisiac, evidence has shown that many non-impotent men view the drug as one. Sex therapists and marriage counselors around the country have admitted to seeing sexually bewildered wives of Viagra patients. Some women come because they were happy with their quiet and sexually diminished marriages, while others are upset because the sex was unsatisfying before and is worse now that their husbands have sex drives again. There are now several anti- Viagra websites on the net discouraging the use of Viagra and encouraging love between couples again. Many older couples are starting to come out and say that their older version of sex is better. Terry Philips and his wife Hillary are just one of the many couples out there who are against the Viagra craze among older males. They believe that although ED is a serious condition among younger males, but over the age of 50 ED should not be looked at as a dysfunction, but as a natural decline. Pfizer claims that there is more to Viagra than an instant erection. Although the drug works to open the veins in the male penis making an erection possible, it does not actually cause the erection. "If you don't have a sex drive, this pill will not give it to you," says Arthur Caplan a Pfizer consultant (qtd. Weeks A01). ED is a complex disorder that has more psychological that actual physical effects. Most men cannot have an erection because of sexual trauma early in life or feel that they cannot be sexually satisfying. The truth behind the pill is the partner the man on Viagra is engaging sexual relations. "You have to be sexually stimulated in order to get the erection or else the pill has no effect [.] the truth is to give the man no excuse for physical incapability's so that they will have the confidence to have sex and enjoy themselves again." Further explains Caplan (qtd. in Wee D01). Many people tend to overlook this aspect of the drug because they are too caught up in the myth of the "instant erection" that surrounds the drug. Many men believe that the drug will also bring instant pleasure and gratification for both partners and may overlook what their partner may really want. "What many women fear is that the love in the relationship will be lost to the thrill of Viagra," explains Pfizer spokesperson Andy McCormick (Weeks A01). "What they don't understand is that Viagra does not in any way take away from love and romance, in fact that's what makes the pill really effective [.] you have to have to have the psychological spark in order for the physical one to take place." Despite all the controversy over the advantages and disadvantages of Viagra its popularity keeps building. Everyday hundreds of couples take the pill and experience the thrill of sexual experiences that they once thought were over. Millions of men everywhere are regaining their self-esteem because they can now make love to their partner and not worry about being physically incapable of "getting the job done." Viagra has had some positive effects on women. Now that Erectile Dysfunction has an almost 100% cure, men are coming out of the closet and being more open on their sexual problems, letting the women know that it's not completely them that's the problem. Partners who are both in agreement of the use and amount dosage of Viagra are experiencing great rises in the self-esteem and confidence in themselves and their partner. However, Viagra is not out of the woods yet. No drug is ever completely safe to everyone and in the world nor does it solve all the problems of ED men. Couples are still reminded to seek therapy and be more open to each other so that there is communication and understanding between the couple. As Doug Petersen, the Playboy magazine advisor, was quoted to say, "You can take an angry couple and give them Viagra, and then you have an angry couple with an erection" (Handy 43). Love, commitment, and patience have all been proven to be the true cure to ED not a pill or quick fix.
Works Cited American Council on Science and Health. Public Health Advocates Warn Against Counterfeit Viagra Rip-offs On the Internet. New York, New York. 22 Apr. 1998 Brown, David. "Falling for the Love Drug." New York Times. 3 May 1998. C01. Coon, Dennis. Essentials of PSYCHOLOGY: Exploration and Application. 8th ed. Belmont: Thompson Learning, 2000. Handy, Bruce. "The Viagra Craze." TIME. May. 1998: 39-43. Pfizer, Inc. VIAGRAâ (sildenafil citrate) tablets. 25 Nov 2001. http://www.viagra.com/professionals/index.asp?n=0 Sommerfield, Julia. Rev.
of "The Do's and Don'ts of Christmas." MSNBC News. 5 pars. 17 Dec. 2000. 25 Nov. 2001. http://www.msnbc.com/news/344695.asp Wee, Eric L. "Viagra? Not Tonight, Dear." Washington Post 6 May 1998. D01+.
Weeks, Linton. "Drug Sparks Questions of Sexual Politics." Washington Post. 26 Apr. 1998. A01+.
viagra miracle drug miracle scam erectile dysfunction disorder that over time keeps from either having keeping erection during sexual intercourse erectile dysfunction commonly referred affects over million united states coon have significant impact life many feel embarrassed about avoid talking about especially their partners return intimacy between couples will decrease tension relationship cause rifts even divorce previous treatments included very embarrassing painful often expensive treatments that only small success rate some treatments included putting suppositories into urethra injecting drugs directly into base penis other less painful included vacuum pumps penile implants penis rings then pharmaceutical company named pfizer created oral treatment called viagra viagra si mple erection takes pill about hour before sexual stimulation with right chemistry between couple sexual intercourse will become successful despite public belief does cause instant erection merely makes with possible erections still must achieved they make bigger better than average male june more than million have taken drug according website tablets dispensed every second world vast amounts this drug distributed millions safe according pfizer relatively safe after three years extensive research that over male patients more than controlled clinical studies proved only safe also highly effective with success rate every patients such minimal side effects such headaches flushing become most effective erectile dysfunction market pfizer also claims longer patient better chances them maintaining erections longer increases fact there success rate long term users website also goes claim clinical studies shown habit forming frequency dosage among patients increase time unlike many other drugs market build tolerance however time progressed some been long periods began experience some severe unusual side effects these chest pains blurred vision inability establish color blue erections lasting four hours older began even have mild serious heart attacks either before during intercourse reason treatment originally meant heart medication designed treat angina increasing blood flow into heart however drugs main ingredient named sildenafil failed opening coronary arteries instead opened arteries penis giving long lasting handy another serious effect when taken certain medications such nitrate help chest pains people prone attacks causes blood pressure user drop very life threatening levels handy this information released until late year when there were eight reported deaths died attacks while weeks only serious side effects past decade there been several seemed answer until been market according brian storm poisons they given interfere normal body functions make other functions possible should different brown most recent case when diet known phen known quoted safest easiest lose weight until pulled because hardened blocked valves what doctors really worried wrong type people taking pills desire great instant among great they willing overlook medical take prescription medication should able obtain through doctor roughly costs dosage should taken more three times because reactions medications high popularity insurance companies will patient diagnosed prolonged period many people order avoid having wait started pills claimed just effective without wait online bottle product herbal month doesn doctor american council science health acsh just months after release released statement warning consumers confuse line scams search line engine pages take numerous sites where even offer small price prescription covered insurance instead consumer product like viagro which claims natural cure none causes acsh after taking developed renewed sense life energy claim feel young again high self esteem themselves their ability perform however factors contributed cure most work admitted changing their lifestyle habits them changed diets exercised took spend themselves partners founder human genome sciences william haseltine believes psychological physical ones begin because were stressed living woman expectations claimed haseltine biggest cure used proper communication partner popping little blue pill weeks regardless brought millions couples world closer together physically psychologists worried negative emotional might cause andy mccormick spokesperson said support women critical just person problem really couple condition weeks women little blue pill still thousands women everywhere saying partner appetite fear appetite changes expect same from woman could challenge though unofficially tested tried results same unofficial polls washington post york times shown before relations actually decrease stimulation enjoyed less ruth prudhon middle school teacher from jackson tennessee quoted saying feeling look feel going think someone younger match feelings feels like stud going find someone matches ability middle aged upset release gets older body begins slow down person takes great deal energy want again done move claims terry phillips year south wales though developed aphrodisiac evidence shown impotent view therapists marriage counselors around country admitted seeing sexually bewildered wives come were happy quiet sexually diminished marriages while others upset unsatisfying worse husbands drives again several anti websites discouraging encouraging love between couples older starting come version better terry philips wife hillary against craze among males believe although condition younger males looked natural decline instant although works open veins male making possible does actually drive this give says arthur caplan consultant complex disorder psychological actual physical cannot trauma early cannot sexually satisfying truth behind partner engaging relations stimulated order else effect truth give excuse physical incapability confidence enjoy themselves further explains caplan tend overlook aspect caught myth surrounds believe bring pleasure gratification both partners overlook what really want what fear love relationship lost thrill explains spokesperson andy mccormick understand does take away love romance fact makes psychological spark order place despite controversy advantages disadvantages popularity keeps building everyday hundreds experience thrill experiences once thought millions everywhere regaining self esteem make worry being physically incapable getting done positive almost coming closet being open problems letting know completely them problem both agreement amount dosage experiencing rises self esteem confidence woods ever completely everyone world solve problems still reminded seek therapy open each communication understanding couple doug petersen playboy magazine advisor quoted angry give then angry handy commitment patience proven true quick works cited american council science health public health advocates warn against counterfeit offs internet york york brown david falling times coon dennis 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