What Happens When You Use Viagra but Don't Have ED?


Erectile Dysfunction, or inability to initiate or sustain an erectile response even after sexual stimulation, is a problem that impacts thirty million males globally, according to the American Urological Association, with far-reaching consequences on their social and personal lives and self-esteem. Treatment for erectile dysfunction/ ED is primarily through PDE-5 inhibitors that increase the blood supply to the penile regions to help solve the problem. Viagra is one such PDE-5 inhibitor that is a derivative of the compound Sildenafil Nitrate and is considered the gold standard in treating Erectile Dysfunction patients.

Unfortunately, the use of Viagra applies only to patients who have legitimate erectile issues and have been prescribed the medication after consulting a urologist/health practitioner dealing with erectile disorder patients. Using it in healthy people who don't have ED can lead to numerous side effects and adverse reactions and gradually progress into psychogenic Erectile Dysfunction.

What Happens when you use Viagra but don't have ED?

In a study conducted to evaluate the effects of Viagra on healthy men, 60 healthy men between the age of 20-40 were enrolled in a single-dose home-use study. Researchers included subjects that had not used Viagra or other PDE-5 inhibitors for at least six months before being recruited for the study and were in a stable relationship for at least three months before the survey.

All 60 subjects completed the IIEF-5 questionnaire, a diagnostic tool designed to study the prevalence of erectile dysfunction, after which they were randomized in a double-blind manner into two groups. One group received one 25 mg tablet of Sildenafil, the active ingredient of Viagra, before intercourse. The other group received an identical placebo tablet. No differences were observed between the two groups in terms of improvement in erection quality.

The Sildenafil group reported a significant reduction in the post ejaculatory refractory time, the time immediately after orgasm and ejaculation, where a man is either physiologically unable to erect or psychologically disinterested in sex or both. The study concluded that Viagra or any Sildenafil derivatives, when taken in a healthy person, can negatively impact erectile health. Thus it should not be given to young, healthy men to obtain improved erections. Patients should be advised against using Viagra for recreational purposes as it can lead to several adverse reactions and side effects.

Risks of Using Viagra as a Recreational Drug

A recreational drug is a synonym for legal and illegal drugs without supervision that are taken for enjoyment rather than medical reasons. Using Viagra for recreational purposes. Men using erectile dysfunction drugs like Viagra for recreational purposes are at an increased risk of becoming psychologically dependent on them.

Animal studies have previously indicated that the use of Sildenafil (Viagra ) can increase sympathetic nerve activity that is not baroreflex (the body's homeostatic mechanisms that help to maintain blood pressure at nearly constant levels) mediated

And have suggested that using Viagra can result in imbalances in CNS activities and impact the heart and psychological aspects of the person.

Misuse of Viagra or its use as a recreational drug can lead to psychogenic-based erection dysfunction symptoms Patients with psychogenic impotence can have a variety of erectile situations when sexually stimulated with total erectile failure with one partner but not another. Additionally, they have a normal erection during periods of self-stimulation but Erectile issues during the intercourse periods, followed by spontaneous erections, especially during the morning.

Viagra is one of the most popular treatment options for erectile dysfunction. Recently it has acquired the reputation of being on the list of the most commonly prescribed and abused drugs. Studies conducted on male clients visiting community pharmacies over two months have found that 66.2% used the drug for recreational purposes. In contrast, only 33.8% used it for actual erectile problems with the prescription provided by a health practitioner.

Viagra and STDs

Most subjects using Viagra for recreational purposes used it for more than two years and had multiple sexual partners, increasing the risk of sexually transmitted diseases. The extent of the problem is so large that a recent study has found that widowhood in older men was associated with higher rates of STDs, especially after the introduction of Sildenafil. Even though the exact mechanism of STS in older men associated with the use of Viagra is unclear, there are several theories put forward by researchers; one theory proposes the decreased use of condoms in older age to be an underlying factor, while other theories have stressed on lack of sexual risk factor discussion by physicians.

In a descriptive comparison of users and non-users of erectile dysfunction drugs like VIAGRA by presenting average rates of sexually transmitted disease among users of ED drugs in the year after initiating therapy compared to non-users in that same period, users of Erectile Dysfunction had higher rates of chlamydia, herpes, HIV, syphilis, and other STDs in the 12 months after initiating treatment compared to a random sample of non-users in that same time. Researchers have directly linked the cause to the increased availability of drugs like Viagra because of insurance coverage or entry of generic Viagra versions.

Viagra Concomitant use with Other Illicit Drugs

Other mounting evidence has indicated that Viagra and other erectile dysfunction drugs are increasingly used with euphoria-inducing drugs like Marijuana, Cocaine and amphetamine by men and women. While most recreational Viagra users have reported using it concomitantly for enhanced performance, they have also reported side effects from its use in the form of headaches, soreness and intoxication. Recreational Viagra users also reported a 2.5-fold rate of erectile difficulties compared to non-users, with being vulnerable to becoming psychologically dependent on pharmacologically induced erection.

Sildenafil, combined with amyl nitrate, is particularly worrying as both drugs dilate blood vessels, resulting in a dangerous drop in blood pressure and possibly myocardial infarction or stroke. Using it with other organic nitrates like glyceryl trinitrate and isosorbide dinitrate can also result in serious cardiac complications because Sildenafil potentiates the hypotensive effects of the nitrates.

Studies conducted on men recruited into HIV prevention and testing programs have shown that Men who used both methamphetamine and Viagra showed a significantly higher prevalence of hepatitis B, syphilis, and HIV compared to those who used only one or neither drug.

Overall, recreational use of EDMs was associated with sexual risk behaviours and substance abuse along with psychogenic erectile dysfunction Sildenafil in combination with other drugs.

Possible Risk Factors of Recreational Viagra use in Healthy men

To investigate the characteristics and associated risk factors for recreational Viagra use among young, healthy undergraduate men, a cross-sectional sample of 1,944 men were recruited from 497 undergraduate institutions within the United States between January 2006 and May 2007. Patterns of Viagra use and their associations with sexual behavior characteristics were assessed. This led to the discovery that 4% of the participants had used Viagra/other ED medicines recreationally at some point, while 1.4% were currently using them without ED symptoms. Increased aged, gay, bisexual and heterosexual people used it, and no reports were found of Viagra in a group with specific sexual preferences.

Conclusion

Viagra use in people with Erectile Dysfunction can result in a more prolonged and satisfactory erection in addition to positive impacts on premature ejaculation problems. Using it in people without Erectile Problems for recreational purposes can result in many side-effects with life-long effects on erectile functions. For safe sexual activity, it is best to use Viagra under the guidance of a physician after informing them about your medical history and systemic complications.

Updated on: 14-Jul-2023

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