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Misuse and recreational use of prescription medications isn’t exactly novel. A 2014 survey found that of people in the United States age 12 and older, 15 million used prescription drugs “non-medically” in the previous year.
Bear in mind that by the time that survey was completed, the US opioid crisis had not yet reached levels it did in 2016 and 2017. We all know that prescription medications are used for purposes other than their intended ones, and many of us have participated, taking, perhaps, the lone Phenergan tablet belonging to a spouse or relative when we have had a stomach bug and didn’t quite think it warranted a trip to the doctor.
But recreational use of prescription medications can be dangerous and even deadly. What about drugs used to treat male impotence, like Viagra? Are they used in ways more recreational than intended? And is this dangerous? Are drugs like Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra consumed more at certain times of year than others? Here are some answers.
Christmas, Valentine’s Day: Great for Viagra Sales
Oxford Online Pharmacy recently reported that sales of male impotence drugs increased by 61% starting the last week in November and through early December of the year 2015. Normally, Oxford Online Pharmacy fills around 657 prescriptions of these drugs per month, but in the month following November 20 in 2015, they filled 1060 such prescriptions.
Is this phenomenon related to men hoping for their holidays to be a little jollier, or do men request the drugs more due to the stresses of the holiday season? The answer contains probably a little from Column A, and a little from Column B.
The owner of the Oxford Online Pharmacy told The Sun that financial worries and social stress surrounding the holidays can aggravate erection problems. But he also says that the decline of the stigma surrounding male impotence is another factor increasing use of the medications.
Data from 2010 in the US found that during the week leading up to Valentine’s Day, more prescriptions for Viagra were written than during any other week of the year. That represented an increase of 26% compared to the lowest-usage week of that year, which was actually Thanksgiving week. In terms of numbers, the total number of prescriptions for all drugs that treat male impotence, nearly 100,000 more pills and injections were prescribed just prior to Valentine’s Day than in an average week. For many men, Viagra is considered another Valentine’s Day staple, just like champagne, flowers, or candy.
How Will OTC Viagra in the UK Affect Usage Patterns?
In the UK, Viagra recently gained over-the-counter status, but it won’t actually be sold over the counter until next spring, so we can only surmise about what effect this will have on holiday and recreational use of the drug surrounding Christmas, New Years, and Valentine’s Day. The 2017 figures should offer a relatively clean baseline for comparison in the UK once the 2018 winter holidays commence, and when Valentine’s Day 2019 arrives. It seems likely that non-prescription status in the UK will have a strong, positive effect on Viagra sales, especially surrounding dates of celebration.
Cialis May Soon Be OTC in the US, Canada, Europe, and Australia
As the approach of the expiration of the patent for another male impotence drug, Cialis, approaches, there hasn’t been much buzz about generic substitutes for the drug, which is a bit puzzling. However, back in 2014, Lilly (which holds the patent for Cialis) and French drug maker Sanofi, started working on a licensing agreement that would allow Sanofi to sell the drug over the counter once the patent expires, which may account for the relative lack of hype.
Naturally, this depends on procuring the proper approvals for over-the-counter sales, but if and when that happens, Cialis could become available on an over-the-counter basis in the United States, Canada, EU countries, and Australia.
Cialis is hugely popular, because it has a much longer half-life than Viagra, Levitra, Staxyn, or Stendra, its competitors. Some men are able to take Cialis on, say, a Friday night and still feel its effects by Sunday brunch, so it’s easy to see the drug’s appeal. However, Cialis is expensive, and what effect over-the-counter status will have on price is yet to be seen. It does stand to reason, however, that even if the price remains high, men will buy it over the counter simply to avoid the time and hassle associated with obtaining a prescription, so sales are likely to rise.
Dangers of Using Male Impotence Drugs Recreationally
While the use of male impotence drugs like Viagra isn’t going to be as potentially dangerous as, say, misuse of drugs like opioid painkillers or benzodiazepines, there are still risks associated with recreational use of drugs used to treat erection problems.
Viagra is considered the most effective of the drugs used to treat male impotence, but it also has the highest incidence of side effects, which can be annoying, yet negligible symptoms like headaches or indigestion. Side effects may include things like temporary changes in vision, muscle pain, and dizziness. One of the more dangerous side effects is priapism, which is the infamous “erection that lasts longer than four hours.” Priapism can cause permanent damage, and it is considered a medical emergency. Would someone who borrowed a Viagra from his drinking buddy be as likely to seek help for a serious side effect? Possibly not.
Another potential problem with taking Viagra or other male impotence drugs recreationally is the “more is better” line of reasoning. The result of this type of “logic” can be serious side effects, including dizziness and hallucinations. If a man borrowing Viagra also happens to take contraindicated drugs, like nitrates for cardiac pain, the results can be catastrophic due to a potentially major drop in blood pressure.
Male Impotence as a Window into Overall Health
Perhaps the best reason to only take male impotence drugs on the advice of a doctor is that male impotence rarely happens all by itself. Erection health is usually a window to a man’s overall health. Along with the soaring popularity of drugs like Viagra immediately following their introduction, doctors learned that male impotence was frequently accompanied by other health problems, including obesity, cardiac disease, and diabetes. In younger men, in particular, cardiac disease may not have been diagnosed until much later had they not sought medical help for erection problems.
Therefore, a man who takes Viagra as more of a “club drug” than a medical treatment for a medical condition risks not only dangerous side effects, but also foregoing treatment for serious medical conditions that are often found alongside male impotence.
Medical Attention to Erection Problems Still Preferable
There is little question that over-the-counter status for Viagra (and potentially Cialis as well) should relieve both financial and social pressures surrounding procurement of drugs to treat male impotence. That said, however, men who experience erection problems—particularly men under age 40 who experience such problems frequently—owe it to themselves, their partners, and their families to seek help from a physician.
Erection problems are considered by many doctors as “canary in the coal mine” symptoms that indicate something more systemic is going on, including heart disease. The sooner such conditions are recognized, the easier they are to treat, and the less damage they can do. What’s more, the lifestyle changes that address obesity, diabetes, and cardiac disease tend to, on their own, improve sexual functioning. Elimination of these systemic diseases may not eliminate the need for male impotence drugs, but they can lessen the need for them, which is great news.
Probably nobody is surprised to know that prescriptions for Viagra are written in greater numbers before the winter holidays and during the week before Valentine’s Day. And such drugs are considered generally safe and very effective. The problem is, when men use them recreationally, when they either don’t have male impotence or are unwilling to see a doctor about it, they risk side effects that can range from annoying to life-threatening.
Fortunately, men have options for obtaining male impotence drugs safely, easily, and under the care of licensed physicians and pharmacists. If you’re interested, we encourage you to learn more about getting prescription medications online.
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