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Viagra is the most successful drug ever produced reaching $1 billion in sales in its first year on the market alone. |
How many people would not mind getting an extremely low tax rate, a chauffeur driven BMW, a 3-hour lunch-break and an in-office shower? Then add to that a cut-price monthly supply of Viagra? As if there is not enough testosterone flying around with the ‘war-on-terrorism'. This just happens to be the perks for Eurocrats. “We can claim for Viagra but only for so much,” an unidentified spokesman from the European Commission confided to Guardian Weekly reporter Andrew Osborn. The EU's in-house medical insurers have agreed to reimburse the cost of six pills a month i.e $54 per month per bureaucrat – male that is! “However, I haven't felt the need to claim any myself,” just to cover his tracks. It makes one wonder how long it took Brussels to process that application - the slowest bureaucracy everyone loves to hate.
The FDA first approved Sildenafil citrate - trade name Viagra, in 1998. The American manufacturer, Pfizer, stumbled onto a money-spinner – a pill that will go down the esophagus without a second thought. Within its first year Sildenafil reached $1bn in sales making it the most successful drug ever produced selling for $13 per 50mg on the US black market (Price p.1) According to Viagra.com, 10 million men in the US have taken Sildenafil as an answer to their problems. For wealthy Arabs, Sildenafil is $10 per pill and $100 on the black market in Saudi Arabia. In Kuwait it is officially sold for $49 (Athar p.1). After four years of deliberation by the Ministry of Health, it will be made available officially in Egypt. Since the announcement, Pfizer Egypt and Egyptian International have witnessed a consistent rise in sales with local production in place.
How it Works
Sildenafil is only approved for erectile dysfunction (impotence) not loss of libido, premature ejaculation or other causes. A study by Qasr al-Aini Teaching Hospital indicates 25%-30% of married men in Egypt suffer from erectile dysfunction (Farag p.1). In the US, 25% of men aged over 50 are also affected with a total of 10-20 million (Mann p.1). Sildenafil relaxes the smooth muscles in the arteries of the male organ allowing an increase in blood flow, necessary for an erection. It is purely mechanical having no effect on the libido (Prostratecancer.uk p.2). It affects the relevant pathway that includes the release of nitrate oxide by the nerve endings in the corpus cavernosum in response to stimulation. This in turn affects muscle relaxation. Sildenafil reaches its potency one hour after ingestion lasting for 3 –5 hours inhibiting the metabolism of the naturally occurring enzyme phosphodiesterase-5 in the corpus cavernosum (Goldstein p.1). This enzyme is important in the production of a chemical known as cyclic guanosine monophosphate, cyclic GMP, necessary for an erection, the levels of which vary from one man to another. Hence Sildenfil only works if the cause of the problem is inadequate GMP or over-active phosphodiesterase enzyme (deprenyl.org p.1).
Dangerous Side Effects
Like any other man-made drug, however, there are side effects worsened by inappropriate use. From the point of view of male health, they are less likely than women to visit a doctor with any health problems. On the alert, Iraqi health authorities called for a ban on Viagra in 1999 preventing non-Iraqis from bringing it into the country under new regulations. Do not jump to conclusions for Iraq is developing its own version in the form of an injection. Meanwhile, Iraq's response to Viagra has prompted further research abroad (BBC p.1).
Bradley Phillips from the University of Iowa Cardiovascular Research Center commented, “Little is known about the effect on the cardiovascular system, particularly during situations when the cardiovascular system is under stress as it is during sexual activity… Recent concern and reports of heart attacks, arrhythmia and even deaths related to Viagra use in patients with heart failure initially raised questions about the drug's effect on the cardiovascular system.” In the Center's small-scale study they tested 14 healthy men aged 35 – 39 on 100mg of Viagra and a placebo on two separate days. Blood pressure, heart rates, noradrenaline levels and sympathetic nerve activity that cause blood vessels to constrict were measured. They were tested during periods of rest and stressful conditions including exercise, mental stress and cold exposure. The result was doubled sympathetic nerve activity with a 30% increase in blood levels of noradrenaline. After taking Viagra, the sympathetic nerve activity increased dramatically posing a problem for men with cardiovascular disease (USA p.1, 2). Yet a report by Dr. Howard Hermann at the annual American Heart Association concluded there were no cardiovascular side effects. Since September 1999 there have been some 600 deaths worldwide linked to the Sildenafil-nitrate combination (Jancin p. 1-3)! The FDA has, since approving the drug, confirmed reports of the deaths of 39 U.S. male Viagra users but stated there was no evidence to link the two (Price p.2).
Reported side-effects include: allergic reactions, breathing difficulties and closing of the throat; swelling of the lips, tongue, face, ankles or legs; hives, chest pain, irregular heartbeat, dizziness and prolonged erections up to four hours which alone can damage the male organ. Viagra is a nitrate, which when taken with nitrate-based medications for heart disease is problematic. Doctors warn that Viagra should not be taken more than once a day. Those with angina, high or low blood pressure, liver or kidney disease, a bleeding disorder, stomach ulcer, an eye condition or deformity of the male organ are forbidden to take Viagra (Directresponse p.1-6). A letter to the Canadian Therapeutic Products Program by Doctors S. Wolfe et al urgently requests warnings on the labeling of Viagra especially for men with uncontrolled diabetes, stroke or myocardial infarction within six months of taking Viagra. They also point out that doses of 100mg to 800mg cause visual disturbances including an inability to see in dim light, color aberrations and color tinges in vision. Also the labeling should list the drugs that cause sexual dysfunction and drugs like erythromycin and cimetidine that prolong the life of Viagra (Wolfe p.1, 2).
Taking the shortest route in dealing with the health consequences of taking Viagra, one unnamed person is suing Pfizer to the tune of $85mn. Another lawsuit in New Jersey blames Viagra for causing the blue-tinged blurred vision that resulted in a car crash. A 61-year old woman from New York is also suing her 70-year old partner to the tune of $12mn in palimony claiming that Viagra destroyed their 10-year relationship (Price p.2).
Natural Alternatives
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| Tongkat Ali root is taken in the form of a drink to increase the libido. |
If sex is important to the marriage, there are many natural alternatives. Medical herbalist Cheri Wagner recommends foods like pomegranate which the Prophet Muhammed also recommended as a blessing on Fridays in addition to figs and dates which all enhance the libido. Also there are herbs like ginseng, palmetto, avocado and carrot oil (Mann p.2). In Malaysia they use a root called Tongkat Ali – ‘Ali's Cane as a drink but is also available in the form of a pill or a tea bag (Asia p.1-3). Zallouh root from the Middle East is useful for male impotency and female frigidity. Lebanese clinical trials by the Lebanese Society for Urological Studies found 60% –80% efficiency of the root involving 7,000 volunteers with no side effects. Zallouh increases blood flow to the sexual organs. Drunk as a tea, it will be interesting to see what reports there will be as the US-based Nutranex standardizes the root extract with other ingredients in the form of a capsule (Business p.1. 2).
The essential component of marriage is the relationship itself. The 61-year old woman suing her partner serves as an example. “And one of His signs is that He created mates for you from yourselves that you may find rest in them, and He put between you love and compassion; most surely there are signs in this for a people who reflect” (Rum 30: 12). Viagra is not about love and compassion but purely physical needs. This places a risk of increasing promiscuity outside of marriage along with the diseases that can follow, let alone unwanted children. Endocrinologist Dr. Shahid Athar from the Indiana University School of Medicine argues that some Muslims are obsessed with sex not recognizing that Viagra is not a ‘love pill'. Many women complain that they are at the mercy of a ‘Viagra attack' by their husbands even if they are not in the mood. Dr. Athar advises that “instead of trying to achieve potency, men should try to achieve love and respect for and from their wives… The human body is a wonderful creation of God, but not a sex machine” (Athar p.1, 2).
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