Phosphodiesterase type-5 (PDE5) inhibitors like sildenafil (Viagra) or tadalafil (Cialis) are medicines used to treat erectile dysfunction. If you have difficulty getting or keeping an erection, your doctor will determine whether this medicine is the right treatment for you before it’s prescribed to you.
Some people who don’t have problems with their erections misuse Viagra, believing it will help enhance sexual performance, confidence and erection quality[1]. However, Viagra use in healthy men does not improve erections[2] and it could have side-effects for your health. Here’s what you need to know about recreational Viagra use.
Firstly, what is erectile dysfunction?
If you have erectile dysfunction, you might:
- Have difficulty getting or keeping an erection
- Experience problems engaging in sexual intercourse due to your penis not being hard enough.
There are many physical and psychological factors that can affect a man’s ability to get and keep an erection. Erectile dysfunction is often a sign of an underlying health problem, especially cardiovascular disease, so it’s important to chat to your doctor about it to work out the cause and find a treatment that suits you.
How do erectile dysfunction drugs work?
Getting and maintaining an erection involves changes in blood flow within your penis in response to nerve stimulation. PDE5 inhibitors work by helping to relax the blood vessels in the penis, allowing blood to flow into the penis, causing an erection.
Why is Viagra taken recreationally?
Viagra is misused by guys looking to get harder, more reliable erections and increase their sexual performance and self-esteem. Others might use it to counteract the effects of other drugs that affect their ability to have erections.
Possible side-effects of using Viagra recreationally
Side effects of Viagra include headache, nausea, dizziness, vision loss, nasal congestion, muscle pain and back pain. Although uncommon, Viagra can also cause more serious side effects such as priapism (prolonged, painful erection) and vision problems (mostly in older men)3.
Men who use erectile dysfunction medication recreationally might get their information on using it from friends or the internet. This can be a problem when it comes to correct dosage and understanding how the medicine may interact with other medications, especially those used to treat cardiovascular disease.
Anecdotal reports of serious events have included young men abusing Viagra in combination with other sex-related drugs such as amyl nitrate (poppers) or in combination with ecstasy or cannabis. Nitrates or nitrites (the active ingredients in poppers) can interact with Viagra and cause severe low blood pressure that can kill4.
If you’re worried about your erections…
Have a chat to your doctor. If you're dealing with performance anxiety or have concerns that your erections aren't good enough, it might help to chat to a counsellor or psychosexual therapist. Porn, media or chats with your mates could be creating unrealistic expectations about sexual performance and feelings of inadequacy.
References
[1] Bechara A, Casabé A, De Bonis W, Helien A, Bertolino MV. (2010) Recreational use of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors by healthy young men. J Sex Med
[2] Mondaini, N., Ponchietti, R., Muir, G. et al. (2003) Sildenafil does not improve sexual function in men without erectile dysfunction but does reduce the postorgasmic refractory time. Int J Impot Res
[3] Etminan M, Sodhi M, Mikelberg FS, Maberley D. (2022) Risk of Ocular Adverse Events Associated With Use of Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitors in Men in the US. JAMA Ophthalmol
[4] James JS. Viagra warning re "poppers" and notice re protease inhibitors. (1998) AIDS Treat News
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