by Donna Ulett

Created on: November 12, 2009   Last Updated: November 13, 2009

Viagra is a drug mostly used by males suffering from erectile dysfunction. Viagra (sildenafil citrate), the male potency drug from Pfizer, has had the growth of any new drug in the industry's history. Within approximately two months of introduction, and a few days of advertising, and over one million prescriptions had been written, far exceeding the expectations of Pfizer.

How Viagra works?

Don't get me wrong, Viagra is not an orthomolecular therapy, and I'm certainly not a fan of the pharmaceutical industry, but if it actually works for you then I am all for it. Viagra has been shown in clinical studies to be effective dysfunction of many causes: diabetes mellitus, spinal cord injury, radical injury etchowever Viagra should never be used by anyone taking organic nitrate drugsthis includes any form of nitroglycerin regardless of how frequently you take it, as this may lead to potentially fatal drops in blood pressure. Viagra is mostly taken about one hour before sex and on a empty stomach. Having a high fat meal just before taking Viagra can decrease its effectiveness.

Does it have side effects?

Yes it does, the most common side effect is headaches and flushing. Also, because the dug inhabits another enzyme in the retina, it also causes distortion in color-vision in some cases, particularly those who are taking a higher does. Although it's not very expensive, Viagra comes in 25, 50 and 100 mg tablets. The usual starting does is 50 mg. Interestingly, all of these pills are at the same cost. You might consider buying the 100 mg tablets and cut them in half in that case so you can save some money, but compared to penile injections, suppositories, vacuum pumps and implants, Viagra is the hands-down winner at the time for the treatment of erectile dysfunction.

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