Firstmed Blog

You are dancing together in the party, your hands accidentally rubbed through your husbands trousers and you sensed he has got an erection. He says ‘be prepared for tonight’, winking when you looked at him. From that look you know that the night would be one of the many nights when you and your husband like to engage in a sexual escapade.

Sexual escapades like this one are nights full of fun days, for those who will miss the monotonous office work for a dose of sex. The couple abandons all inhibitions and becomes one as if they will never part. Sexual intercourse is only a part and not the whole, as some of us will think. It starts with foreplay, which is an introduction for sexual intercourse. Foreplay brings about mutual sexual gratification by arousing the couple. People engage in this act according to their age, religion and beliefs. Some of the most common acts are deep tongue kissing, touching and massaging erogenous zones, mutual masturbation, oral sex etc.

Foreplay is necessary to increase the emotional comfort level between partners. It also represents the willingness of both partners to be involved in the sexual activity. More specifically, foreplay helps bring an erection in men. In the women, the act of foreplaying results in vaginal lubrication. A man can comfortably move the woman to the heights of enjoyment when her wet vagina is invaded with his hard erect penis.

While many of us will feel fortunate of satisfying the urge of their spouses, there are some men who cannot. The reason is not having a proper erection or an erection that does not last for long. This is a serious problem and is known as Erectile Dysfunction or ED in medical terminology. Erectile dysfunction creates rift in the relationship between the couple, with either the man feeling inferior or the women complaining for not being satisfied.

But medical science has devised a solution for erectile dysfunction. Now one no longer has to feel embarrassed for his failure on bed. With Levitra, the patient can get sufficient erection during the sexual intercourse. This is a prescription drug and works by blocking PDE5. This smoothens the blood flow to the penis and thus creates a natural erection in user. Thanks to this discovery of Levitra, many men who were silently witnessing their relationship with spouse going down the dumps can now ably satisfy them.

We at Firstmed keep abreast of all the news pertaining to the treatment of impotence or erectile dysfunction. This Sunday, a cover page article appeared in The Sunday Times entitled, ‘Viagony and the Ecstasy’. This article touched on many relevant and topical issues surrounding the sale of ED treatments. We have therefore decided that for the remainder of the week, we will dedicate our Blog to discuss some of the issues mentioned and hope that you give your views too.

One of the first issues discussed in the Sunday Times was the growing numbers of young recreational users of ED treatments. This is an issue that we at Firstmed have highlighted many times in the past.

Recreational user of Viagra is undeniable but it is by no provides an accurate profile of an average Viagra user. It was somewhat inevitable that a drug which is proved to increase sexual stamina was going to fast become part of the trend towards experimentation with drugs in today’s modern society. However, the type of customer who combines Viagra with hard partying, drug use and group sex is not the norm.

Far from simply giving sexual license to those looking to sell themselves as sexual supermen, the mainstay of customers seeking Viagra, tend to be the genuine article- Men who due medical reasons, age or psychological reasons are unable to maintain an erection sufficient enough for penetration.

ED treatments like Viagra and its predecessors Levitra and Cialis, have been very successful in treating ED as a genuine medical condition and in giving back sexual satisfaction to a host of men and their partners. I wonder if these patients find it objectionable that Viagra is often pegged in the media as being a destructive force in today’s society and that those who take it are thrill seekers. We would like to hear your views.

As I was trawling through the latest news regarding the treatment of impotence I noticed a voting poll on the site of Men’s Sexual Health Center. This poll gives new insight as to the percentage of younger men using Viagra, Cialis and Levitra impotence prevention drugs for their love making experience.

I knew there has always been some evidence to suggest that these pharmaceuticals have caught on as recreational drugs in some circumstances and that men who have never suffered from impotence or performance anxiety, are using ED treatments anyway, in some cases as an insurance policy against the effects of alcohol, in others simply to enhance endurance. But this poll suggests that more than half the men less than 20 years old polled used Viagra Cialis or Levitra.

This is a very worrying trend. Erectile-dysfunction drugs such as Viagra and its newer rivals, Levitra and Cialis, were developed and intended for those suffering from erectile dysfunction due to age or any number of medical or psychological conditions not for young men who want a performance boost after a night on the town.

Viagra is also being combined with ecstasy in drug club culture to produce an aphrodisiac drug called ‘sextasy’. Most worrying of all is the trend in the gay clubbing community of mixing Viagra and Amyl nitrate(otherwise known as ‘poppers’). Combining the two chemicals can cause dangerously low blood pressure. Anyone who uses amyl nitrate is denied treatment as a result.

Taking ED treatments when you don’t need them may help to alleviate performance anxiety but Urologists warn that some men who don’t need the medication might develop a psychological dependency. And the long-term effects are still unknown.

All that said, not all under 30’s are taking ED treatments for recreational purposes. Indeed, Pfizer contends that if someone can feel the effect of Viagra, then they, by definition, have lost some sexual function.

If you are of a young age and have erectile dysfunction you should take a good look at your health and make sure that you go and see a doctor rather than just popping an illegally gained erectile dysfunction drug.

The drug Levitra is one of several new pharmaceutical drugs meant to help men struggling with impotency. It is the latest impotence pill that was introduced in the market sometime back after Viagra. The manufacturers of Levitra, Bayer and GlaxoSmithKline claim that their wonder orange pill is even speedier than Viagra and is effective in as early as 15 minutes time. Many men who were earlier not happy with Viagra are trying Levitra and are satisfied with the results.

It is available in the U.S. market since August, 2003.Levitra is believed to be an enzyme-blocker that helps increase the blood flow to the penis. On an average, this orange pill can be effective for 4-6 hours. The manufacturers claim that Levitra has a 70 percent higher success rate in patients with diseases such as diabetes or those who have undergone prostrate cancer surgery — these being the two common causes of erectile dysfunction. The preferred dose of Levitra is once a day. A lower dosage definitely helps with fewer side effects.

Just like Viagra, Levitra is also not suitable for people taking nitrate drugs for angina, or even alpha-blockers taken for prostate problems. This is because taking Levitra might result in dangerous drop in blood pressure.

Over half of all males between the age of 40 and 70 years experience erectile dysfunction, making it the most common chronic condition affecting men. This can be because of diabetes, blood pressure medications, prostate cancer surgery or numerous other conditions. It is surprising but whether because of embarrassment or lack of information about treatment, as many as 90 percent of men with the condition don’t take help. Experts believe that Levitra’s arrival would definitely help in bringing an end to the stigma of impotence. The problem will no remain a problem and men will again enjoy a healthy sexual life.

Viagra
Generic Name: Sildenafil citrate
Manufacturer: Pfizer
Approved By FDA: March 27, 1998
Color: Cooling blue
How Fast Does It Work: The FDA-approved package insert says it takes 30 minutes to 120 minutes, but new studies say it takes less than 15 minutes in most men.
Famous Face: Politician Bob Dole

Levitra
Generic Name: Vardenafil hydrochloride
Manufacturers: GlaxoSmithKline and Bayer
Approved By FDA: Aug. 20, 2003
Color: Orange
How Fast Does It Work: The FDA-approved package insert says it takes 30 minutes to 120 minutes, but new studies say it takes less than 15 minutes in most men.
Famous Face: Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka

Call it getting a rise out of the competition. In its first month of sales, Levitra, the new erectile dysfunction treatment from Bayer and GlaxoSmithKline managed to grab a 50% share of prescriptions in newly diagnosed patients. Sounds impressive, but analysis by Bernstein Research of data from health information provider IMS Health reveals another side to these figures. Viagra maker Pfizer still has well more than 95% of total prescriptions for impotence.

Worse, Bernstein pharmaceuticals analyst Richard Evans sees U.S. sales of only $425 million each annually for Levitra and another erectile dysfunction drug, Cialis, being developed by Eli Lilly and ICOS. Cialis is expected to go on the market early next year. Viagra, which now has U.S. sales of $1 billion, will drop by nearly half.

The new drugs will merely cannibalize the existing market. All three drugs – Viagra, Levitra and Cialis - work by inhibiting the same enzyme, but there are significant advantages to the new entrants. Levitra is a more potent molecule, and it seems to work faster and on a full stomach. (Expect more studies from Pfizer, showing that Viagra works fast and with food, to keep up.)

Levitra also clearly works better in hard-to-treat cases, such as men whose impotence is caused by diabetes. Cialis, on the other hand, clearly works for 36 hours or more, making it an ideal choice for men who are very sexually active. Viagra is still good at treating female sexual dysfunction, a yet-unapproved but potentially lucrative use. Pfizer is five years ahead of the competition in that area.

There’s another advantage for Levitra. Viagra patients have been ordering high-dose pills and splitting them, because all doses come at the same cost. Levitra, a small, hard orange pill, is much more difficult to cut, so at least it won’t have to deal with sales reduced by pill splitting.

Source: Netscape

Jerry Hall , the super model, actress, and former wife of Mick Jagger , was recently appointed as the “Global Ambassador for [Levitra’s] Erectile Dysfunction Campaign.” Bayer HealthCare, producers of the third place brand in a category dominated by Viagra and Lilly ICOS’s Cialis, is hoping that the global icon will inject much needed sex appeal to their marketing strategy. Hall has declared: “I’m working with Bayer HealthCare to encourage men to confront erectile dysfunction and take action. It might be a conversation with your doctor or maybe with your partner, but it’s never too late to get the most from your love life. A healthy love life is not and should not be the preserve of those in their 20s and 30s. It’s important at all ages”.

In the past, Levitra used male images and spokepeople in its ads — e.g., football coach Mike Ditka to launch the “Levitra Challenge” during Super Bowl XXXVIII. However, it seems that the ads with men telling men to see their docs to ask about ED are duds. Cialis may have gained market share in part due to its ads that portrayed couples on the verge of coupling as it were.

One might point out that Pfizer enjoyed great success by casting humorless elder statesman Bob Dole as spokesperson for Viagra. But at the time erectile dysfunction was a very little discussed condition and Pfizer cunningly gave us permission to mock the failed presidential hopeful about his sex life while we simultaneously and silently thanked Jesus for the discovery of the little blue pill. As soon as everyone on the planet knew about Viagra, the inherent snicker factor of its product was diluted and Pfizer brazenly shifted its marketing strategy. Their advertising isn’t even remotely directed at men with erectile dysfunction anymore. It’s full of vibrant sports heroes (NASCAR drivers declaring, “Gentlemen, start your engines!”), attractive professional types strutting through offices and most recently, ads featuring guys with the blue V from Viagra’s brand logo rising behind their heads like a pair of Devil horns. The slogan? “Get back to mischief?” Pfizer is now selling sexual performance. The not-so-very subtle new message is obvious: every guy can have a mischievous, raging, new and improved penis.

If the marketing maxim ‘sex sells’ still holds true then Jerry Hall is the perfect ambassador for Levitra’s campaign. She is a global sex symbol who embodies an open, confident and bold approach to sex and relationships. According to the Texan -”My mother said it was simple to keep a man, you must be a maid in the living room, a cook in the kitchen and a whore in the bedroom. I said I’d hire the other two and take care of the bedroom bit.”

St Patricks Day is celebrated annually on March 17th in honor of Ireland’s patron saint. Celebrations are generally themed around all things green and Irish In many parts of North America, Britain, and Australia, expatriate Irish and ever-growing crowds of people with no Irish connections but who may proclaim themselves “Irish for a day” celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, usually by drinking alcoholic beverages (lager dyed green, Irish beer and stout).

The most well known of all Irish alcoholic exports is Guinness, and many will be clambering for pint of the ‘black stuff’ this March 17th. Lovingly poured around the world, Guinness is associated with strength and sexual virility. It is not surprising, therefore, among the many lovers of the beverage, Guinness is called ‘black power’ and Viagra. Because of its color, stout is commonly perceived to be thick, rich, heavy and filling. It’s a meal in a glass, according to some and “liquid Viagra” according to others.

Does the powerful surge and settle that gives Guinness Draught beer its uniqueness, aid male potency. Well if the fact that 70million people across the globe claiming to have Irish roots is anything to go by then maybe there’s some truth to the rumour. However, according to Firstmed, the UK’s leading online impotence specialists, erectile dysfunction treatments such as Viagra, Levitra and Cialis are enjoying much popularity in the emerald isle. Perhaps these days, an unholy conncoction of Guinness and Viagra is being used to ensure that Irish Eyes stay smiling. I’m not sure that St Patrick would approve.

One makes you strong, one makes you stronger,
One makes you long — I mean, makes you last longer.
Don’t ask me no questions, it’s none of your business
What shenanigans come when I mix Viagra and Guinness!

Men are often too quick to despair when Viagra fails to work for them. As the industry’s pioneer, Pfizer’s Viagra currently has the most brand recognition of all ED treatments Marketed as a proven performer, successfully improving the quality of sex lives for millions of men over the years, many feel hopelessness which the ‘magic blue’ pill proves to be less than magic for them

However, there is light at the end of the tunnel. There are currently 3 oral treatments for erectile dysfunction available on the UK market, namely Viagra, Cialis and Levitra. These treatments work in a similar way as they all share the same active ingredient. However they all retain slightly different qualities making them affect people in different ways and fit different situations.As a result it often varies as to which treatment is preferred by customers. It is important to note that if your first choice of treatment does not work, it is quite possible one of the others may prove more suitable. It is therefore important to be aware of the unique properties of each in maximise treatment and ensure a successful return to full and satisfactory intercourse.