FirstMed Consulting Blog

Who said romance is dead? The anti-impotence drug Viagra goes on sale on the high street for the first time on Wednesday 14. The date happens to be Valentine’s Day, for those who hadn’t already noticed the glut of hearts, cupids and flowers filling shop windows. Wednesday is also National Impotence Day

Men with erection problems will be able to buy the infamous blue pill without having to get a doctor’s prescription first.Those aged 30 to 65 can have a short consultation with a pharmacist and then buy pack of four tablets for £50 at branches of Boots participating in a pilot scheme.

To ensure safety, customers must give medical histories and have their blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels tested. Boots healthcare director Alex Gourlay said of the pilot scheme at three Manchester stores: “This is an innovation in access to treatment of erectile dysfunction. We hope we help more men seek help for a common condition.”

Not everybody will see it in such rosy terms. On the gay club scene, Viagra is simply ‘part of the package’. For those who want to run with the big boys, steroids are de rigeur, and to keep up with the 48-hour disco circuit, chemical cocktails form the backbone of many a gay boy’s weekend.

Of course, in case you didn’t know, if you’re wired on coke, gurning on E, or cracked out on crystal meth, the chances of getting a healthy boner are quite remote.

Unless you’re completely comfortable being seen as a greedy bottom who can’t get it up, Viagra is the solution to a very gay and hedonistic problem. The pills can be bought on the black market, from most recreational drug dealers for about £5. It’s as easy to buy Viagra on the Net as it is to buy books from Amazon.

In the US, the trend for using Viagra at sex-parties, saunas and as an aid to meth-fuelled internet sex has become so widespread that it’s reached mainstream news.

Last month one of the nation’s largest HIV/AIDS healthcare providers filed a suit against Pfizer, which manufactures Viagra. They accused the company of encouraging the recreational use of the drug and in doing so contributing to sexually transmitted diseases including HIV.

Healthcare Foundation’s lawsuit alleges that Pfizer engaged in “unlawful, unfair and fraudulent business practices” in violation of California Business and Professions Code.

The lawsuit wants the court to force the company to begin a public education program primarily aimed at ‘men who have sex with men’ “about the increased risks of transmission of sexually transmitted diseases associated with using Pfizer’s Viagra.”

Their argument is quite simple- if you’re going to have sex for longer, with more partners, you’re more likely to be exposed to STDs…and more likely to spread them if you’re already infected.

The lawsuit has the backing of Dr. Jeffrey D. Klausner, the Director, STD Prevention at the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

“Several of our studies and those I reviewed for my research showed strong independent associations between the use of Viagra and increased sexual risk behavior, including an increased risk for diseases like syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia and HIV infection,” said Klausner when the lawsuit was announced.

“The promotion of Viagra for what some have called ‘recreational use’ must be stopped. Why the FDA has not acted on this is unclear to me,” Klausner said.

Pfizer has denied any wrongdoing and has said it will fight the lawsuit in court. The matter is further complicated by the fact that men living with HIV often report erectile dysfunction.

A study by St Mary’s Hospital in west London found that 26% of their gay male patients with HIV (regardless of whether or not they were on HAART) reported low libido and the same percentage reported problems achieving an erection.

When it came to individuals taking antiretrovirals, the proportion with erectile dysfunction (ED) increased to 48%, although the proportion of men experiencing loss of libido did not increase.

In a control group of HIV-negative men, the percentages were 2% and 10% respectively for loss of libido and ED.

Dr. Pepe Catalan, consultant psychiatrist at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London, confirms that “sexual dysfunction is very common in people with HIV, even in patients not on antiretrovirals.” He says, “I see two or three patients a week here for it.

Matthew Hodson from GMFA (Gay Men Fighting AIDS) told GAY.com: “It’s neither wholly good or wholly bad. Gay men obviously take Viagra with recreational drugs which have a disinhibiting effect and therefore there’s increased potential foir transmission of HIV and other infections.

“That said, some men have difficulty maintaining a hard-on when using condoms. Viagra can actually encourage safe-sex in those circumstances. GMFA absolutely believe that all gay men have the right to a full and fulfilling sex life.

“Another important thing to say is that Viagra and poppers (amyl nitrate) can kill you. I doubt Boots will be telling you that when you buy it over the counter….but there again, I doubt you’re black-market drug dealer would mention that either.”