About Viagra

That little blue pill.

What is Viagra?

VIAGRA® (sildenafil citrate) is the brand name of a little blue pill called sildenafil. It's pronunciation: sil DEN a fil. It was developed by Pfizer while trying to find something to lower blood pressure. It was approved by the FDA in March 1998. Sildenafil is used for the treatment of male impotency. It works selectively on the penis to help men get and keep an erection when sexually aroused. Just taking it doesn't cause an erection. It's not a hormone or an aphrodisiac. The man still needs to be in a situation that produces arousal. Once erect, if there's no sexual stimulation, the erection will go down naturally.

How does Viagra work?

There are muscles in the walls of the arteries that control the flow of blood into the penis. When these muscles tense up, the arteries contract, the blood flow into the penis decreases and it gets smaller. When these muscles relax, the arteries expand increasing the blood flow into the penis and it enlarges. If the arteries relax enough, the penis becomes erect. Viagra causes the muscles in the arteries to relax. It is not a penis enlargement pill.

What side effects are reported by users?

Viagra's side effects, in clinical tests, were generally short term and mild to moderate in nature.

Mild headache 12% - 16%
Facial flushing 9% - 11%
Upset stomach or indigestion 7%
Runny nose 7%
Increase for Dyspepsia 5%
Transient visual effects (seeing a blue haze) 3%
Trouble distinguishing between blue and green objects
Blurred vision in a few cases
Sensitivity to light in a few cases

More than 7 million men in the United States have turned to viagra to improve their sex life. There have been reports of several deaths in patients taking Viagra. The exact reason for those deaths has not been determined.

What are the symptoms of overdose or something gone wrong?

If the erection lasts more than 4 hours - seek immediate medical help, permanent damage to the penis may occur.

If, at the start of sexual activity, you develop dizziness, nausea, or angina (pain, tightness, discomfort, numbness, or tingling in the chest, neck, arms, or jaw), swelling of the ankles or legs, refrain from further sexual activity and notify your doctor.

Do not take viagra more than once a day.

Taking more than 100 mg per day is NOT recommended.

You may be having an allergic reaction if you have any of the following:

difficulty breathing
closing of your throat
swelling of your lips, tongue, or face; or hives
chest pain or an irregular heartbeat
swelling of the ankles or legs
shortness of breath
prolonged or severe dizziness
dizziness
nausea

Storing Viagra

Store Viagra at room temperature away from moisture, heat and children.

Conditions you should tell your Doctor about before taking Viagra:

angina
bleeding disorder
chest pains
deformity of the penis such as Peyronie's disease
dizziness
ever had an erection that lasted more than 4 hours
eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa
heart problems of any kind
kidney problems
leukemia
liver problems
low or high blood pressure
nausea during sex
sickle cell anemia
stomach ulcers or any type of bleeding problem
stroke
tumor of the bone marrow

Tell Your Doctor if you are taking any of the following medicines:

You may still be able to use Viagra, but your doctor should know if you are using any of these:

alprostadil
Anastrozole (Arimidex)
another medicine to treat impotence
antibiotic drugs
antifungal medications like fluconazole (Diflucan), itraconazole (Sporanox), ketoconazole (Nizoral)
Carbamazepine (Tegretol)
Caverject
Danazol (Danocrine)
Deponit
Dilatrate-SR
Disulfiram (Antabuse)
Edex
Erythromycin (E-Mycin, Eryc, Ery-Tab)
Fluvastatin (Lescol)
Heart medications amiodarone (Cordarone) or quinidine (Quinidex, Quinaglute)
Heart medicine containing nitrates
HIV medications like amprenavir (Agenerase), delavirdine (Rescriptor), indinavir (Crixivan)
HIV medications like nevirapine (Viramune), ritonavir (Norvir), or saquinavir (Fortovase, Invirase)
ISMO
Isordil
Isosorbide dinitrate
Isosorbide mononitrate
Metrogel
Minitran
Monoket
Muse
Nitrate medicine, nitrates of any kind
Nitro-Bid
Nitro-Dur
Nitroglycerin
Nitroglycerine
Nitrolingual
Nitrostat
Phenobarbital (Luminal, Solfoton)
Phenytoin (Dilantin)
Primidone (Mysoline)
Rifampin (Rifadin, Rifamate) or rifabutin (Mycobutin)
Septra
Sorbitrate
Steroid medications dexamethasone (Decadron, others) or prednisolone (Prelone, others)
Stomach medications like cimetidine (Tagamet, Tagamet HB), ranitidine (Zantac, Zantac 75), or omeprazole (Prilosec) Sulfamethoxazole
Sulfinpyrazone (Anturane)
Transderm-Nitro
Troglitazone (Rezulin) or pioglitazone (Actos)
Troleandomycin (TAO)
Yocon
Yodoxin
Yohimbine
Zafirlukast (Accolate)

Viagra for women:

The FDA puts Viagra in pregnancy category B. That means sildenafil is not expected to harm an unborn baby, but don't take it without first talking to your doctor if you are pregnant.

It's not known if Viagra is passed by breast milk. If you are breast-feeding, talk to your doctor before taking Viagra.

General Notes on Viagra

Take each dose with a full glass of water.

Follow your doctor's directions. It's generally taken 1 hour before sexual activity, but you can vary this anywhere from one-half hour to 4 hours before sex.

Viagra doesn't work well if taken with a big meal or after taking alcohol.

The older you are, the more likely you are to experience side effects. If you are over 65 years of age, you may be able to get the same effects from a lower dose. That means you could get the 50 mg or 100 mg pills and break them in half.

63% of men reported improvement on 25 mg pills
74% of men reported improvement on 50 mg pills
82% of men reported improvement on 100 mg pills

Viagra works in 4 out of 5 men ( 83% )

Common Misspellings for Viagra

Viagra is often misspelled, as many people hear the word verbally, write it down and spell it incorrectly. Here are a few of the most common misspellings for Viagra: Vigra, Viegra, Viaegra, Vaegra, and Viagara.

Viagra Feedback

Click here to read feedback, questions and answers about Viagra.

We hope you find this page useful. If you've used Viagra, you can help others by adding your feedback. What would you tell someone considering using this product? Please remember that we do not give medical advice. That is for your local health care provider, who is familiar with your medical history. Use the form below to add your comments, feedback or Viagra review.

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