FirstMed Consulting Blog

Here at Firstmed we often get asked to describe what the Viagra experience is really like. Most people have heard of ED treatments but a lot fewer actually understand what to expect when they seek treatment. In spite of the notoriety in the press, Viagra and its lesser known competitors Cialis and Levitra remain largely misunderstood. Beyond the name people don’t really understand the treatment of erectile dysfunction

Men who use it rarely talk about ED treatments openly. But in the UK an estimated 33% of all men ages 40 to 70, suffer from some significant level of erectile dysfunction. Most of them, about 80%, never seek treatment.

So, from doctors who prescribe it and people who use it, over the course of the next week, Firstmed will attempt to answer some of the more common questions put to our customer service team.

What Happens When a Man First Takes an ED Pill?

Absolutely nothing. Pfizer Inc., the maker of Viagra, long has said the drug isn’t an aphrodisiac, but many men who take it still expect to feel something. The nothingness is so intense that the most common reaction is a slight panic that the drug isn’t going to work. Though you may not feel anything, things are happening in the body. As the pill moves into the bloodstream, it starts to block an enzyme called PDE-5. Blocking the enzyme eventually increases blood flow to areas where PDE-5 is most heavily concentrated, the penis, nose and skin. Diminished blood flow to the penis is the cause of most erectile-dysfunction problems.

So How Do You Get It to Start Working?

Viagra takes about 30 minutes to kick in. Men who don’t normally have problems, or who have only mild dysfunction, say it takes only a minor stimulus, such as the brush of a hand that wouldn’t cause arousal under normal circumstances, to trigger an erection.

For men who have serious erectile dysfunction, getting things going may still require extra effort, partly because of nervousness or embarrassment about unsuccessful past attempts at intercourse.

Viagra gets the blood flowing, but your brain has to be in the mood as well. The biggest misperception is that it changes your psychology and makes you want sex.