The side effects of Viagra are generally very mild and may disappear altogether upon continued use. Even the most common side effects occur in a relatively small percentage of the men who take the little blue pill.
By DAN SEITZ
Viagra is a wonderful drug, but like any drug, it has side effects. The most common ones are headache, upset stomach, and dizziness. The little blue pill’s more serious — but rare — side effects include loss of vision, bluish vision, priapism, and potentially hearing loss. But what are your actual odds of experiencing them?
It depends on the side effects in question. For example, the studies Pfizer submitted to the FDA for Viagra’s approval found the following average odds for what they refer to as “common” side effects:
- 16 percent of users got headaches.
- 6.5 percent of users got dyspepsia.
- 2.7 percent experienced abnormal vision.
- 2.2 percent of users suffered dizziness.
- 1.2 percent of users experienced nausea.
In other words, the “common” side effects they talk about aren’t really all that common and mostly have to do with the fact that Viagra allows more blood into smooth muscle tissues. Just as it does with your penis, it allows more blood into the smooth muscle tissues in your head . . . conceivably leading to possible headaches or increased eye pressure causing vision problems.
Rare Side Effects Very Rare Indeed
The really rare symptoms have even lower odds than that. In fact, hearing loss is so uncommon, Pfizer had no idea it was a potential symptom until it began turning up among men using the drug. There was no way for Pfizer to even figure it out: it took millions of men taking the drug over a long period of time for it to become known. In fact, it’s so uncommon that research is still ongoing as to the actual mechanism; nobody is really sure why hearing loss resulted or how it was even caused in the first place. They’re not even sure Viagra is involved, but Pfizer is making sure its customers are aware of the possibility anyway.
Should I be concerned about Viagra’s side effects? Not really. First of all, the very serious side effects have an incidence of well below one percent: it’s like being concerned about airplane crashes. Sure, you should be aware of the risks . . . but that doesn’t mean you should stop catching flights at the airport.
Secondly, if you’re worried that you’re prone to a common side effect, all you really need to do is talk to your doctor. Viagra has been available on the market for more than a decade at this point, and doctors are very familiar with the common side effects, drug interactions, and other possible issues. Your doctor should be able to tell you if Viagra is going to cause you any problems.
But if the doctor says you’re good to go, and you’re still worried, take the first pill of your prescription and see what happens. Viagra doesn’t cause erections: it simply makes it easier for you to get an erection, and it leaves your system after about four or five hours. Simply take a pill on a day when you don’t have much to do and see what happens.
The odds are pretty good nothing except a little more lift in your step will be the result. That and you’ll have learned pharmacology adds a new dimension to the term “safe sex.”
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