I train alot of older male clients, so this information on viagra as you can imagine is important for me as a trainer to know if there may be any side effects associated with this drug. Doing some digging on viagra, here is what I came up with. Thanks to www.drugintel.com for most of this viagra information.
Viagra Opinion
Viagra prescribing practices not modified despite death rates that exceed
many other recalled drugs. Viagra warnings and adequate information for physicians
to prevent heart attacks seems to be lacking.
Developments in the scientific, medical, and legal community indicate that
viagra Litigation is experiencing a second wind.
Drug names (TRADE, generic):
viagra, sildenafil
Viagra medical usage:
Penile erectile dysfunction
Viagra side effects
Serious Viagra side effects are:
Priapism, severe hypotension, myocardial infarction, ventricular arrhythmias,
sudden death, stroke and increased intraocular pressure.
Common viagra side effects include:
Sneezing, headache, flushing, dyspepsia, prolonged erections, palpitations
and photophobia. Visual changes including blurring of vision and a curious
bluish tinge have also been reported while using viagra.
Viagra is produced by:
Pfizer
Viagra side effect presentation:
Heart attack, sudden death, exacerbation of existing cardiovascular disease
Viagra
Lawsuit Status:
Initial lawsuit cases dismissed.
In July 1998, a lawsuit was drawn against Pfizer for heart attacks caused
by viagra. In September 2000, the court dismissed the viagra lawsuit. A case
argued by Mr. Ronald Benjamin July 23, 2001, Stockton CA resulted in dismissal
of the case.
On the scientific and medical front, the most important development is the
June 2001 issue of Current Problems in Cardiology. This issue features a comprehensive
peer-reviewed article that not only summarizes and analyzes the relevant new
clinical and preclinical data since, but also reports their own analysis of
adverse events reported concerning viagra associated deaths spontaneously
reported through MedWatch. T. Alloggiamento et al., "Sex, the Heart, and Sildenafil",
Current Problems in Cardiology 20(6)381-416, June 2001. The senior author
of this peer-reviewed article was previously a member of the Pfizer cardiovascular
advisory board.
Stroke (Cerebrovascular accidents) have also been spontaneously reported in
high numbers in the post-marketing experience (Medwatch). Most strokes thus
reported as viagra side effects are not fatal.
A number of factors lend strong weight to the notion that the prescription
drug viagra caused these
deaths:
The temporal association with ingestion of viagra is exactly what a causal
relationship would predict: most patients died (or show initial symptoms leading
to death) within six hours of ingestion of drug.
There is a very clear pattern of association of viagra related mortality with
the use of other drugs, particularly anti-hypertensives and hypoglycemic agents.
The attribution of viagra
related deaths to resumption of sexual activity is effectively crushed
by the higher rate of deaths per million prescriptions associated with viagra
(31), compared to Caverject (4), Muse (1), or yohimbine (0.25).
Deaths due to cardiac causes did not necessarily require a pre-existing diagnosis
of coronary arterial disease or previous myocardial infarct, although these
were risk factors.
The reporting of deaths over months has been relatively constant, and not
attributable to media attention.
Most deaths occurred with the first use of viagra. This suggests that some
patients are intrinsically more sensitive to viagra than others; and it may
suggest that those who have used viagra with impunity many times are unlikely
to encounter cardiovascular or cerebrovascular accidents.
The Simple Solution: The major step needed to prevent these deaths, heart
attacks, and strokes is simply to warn the patient to be extra-cautious on
the first and second use of viagra, and know what to do should symptoms of
heart attack or stroke occur. Statistically, it appears that there is very
low risk to the patient after the second dose of viagra ever used. Pfizer
has not taken this step. Other drugs such as Imitrex (sumatriptan) carried
similar risks when it first appeared on the market; patients were requested
to use their first dose of viagra in the physician's office to limit risk.
Further viagra information