This health condition is known as priapism, which happens when the erect penis does not return to its flaccid state after the stimulant that caused the erection is gone. In this condition, the blood (that flowed into the penis to make it erect) stays trapped into the penis causing it to remain “up”. If the erection lasts for more than 4 hours, it can cause serious problems including: permanent impotence, death of the penis (which may require amputation of the organ), and even death of the patient.

Priapism can be caused by other health problems, or as a reaction to the use of ED drugs (like Viagra, Cialis and Levitra). In this man’s case, doctors believe that the erection was triggered by a neurological disorder, and that the patient did not use Viagra or any other medication for impotence. Unfortunately and ironically, the man will be impotent for the rest of his life as a result of the surgical operation that saved his life.

The FDA and ED drug manufacturers persistently advice patients who take prescription ED medications (i.e. Viagra, Cialis and Levitra) to seek immediate medical care, or see their doctor, if an erection lasts for more than 4 hours. Otherwise, the price can be as high as the patient’s life.

Recently, a blast of Viagra spam messages targeted Twitter users who received “get bigger and last longer” offers with a link to a “pharmacy” site selling herbal/fake Viagra. The spam messages were sent out from other compromised Twitter accounts that belong to innocent users. Twitter has warned its users about this issue and urged those of possibly-hacked accounts to change their password immediately.

Viagra spam has always been a huge problem and source of concern to end users (who get lots of annoying pill ads), website owners (who get hit by spammers), manufacturers of authentic medications like Pfizer (Viagra maker), and health authorities. As long as Viagra sells, spammers will try to do anything to push it to as many potential online customers as possible. So, educating Internet users and consumers about the dangers of spam would (in my opinion) be a better investment than trying to put roadblocks in the spammers’ way, because they can always find one byway or another.

The new product contains revised ingredients (some of which are also found in Viagra) that make it safe and available for use without a prescription, i.e. anyone will be able to buy it over the counter without seeing a doctor.

Pfizer has always been trying to make their in-demand ED drug as easily obtainable as possible, even if it was at the expense of the patient’s health. In fact, Pfizer has already sought to make Viagra available over the counter in Europe in 2007. However, they withdrew the application after the European Medicines Agency objected to the bid due to the potential health risks of Viagra, and to prevent increased misuse of this medication.

So, will this new ED treatment replace Viagra? Well, it will all come down to results. Even though OTC drugs are generally less effective than prescription-only ones, Pfizer may be cooking some “big” surprises in this new product. We will be following and posting updates on this story.

The claim is based on medical archives and papers from Hitler’s personal physician, Dr. Theodor Morell, who was well-known for his controversial and quirky treatments.

The papers revealed that Morell prepared an energy-boosting “medicine” that contained testosterone and a mix of young bulls’ semen and prostate glands. Morell gave this “Viagra” to Hitler as an injection, like he preferred to take most of his medications, because Hitler was afraid of pills. Who wants to take a pill that has bull semen in it, anyway? Yuck!

Testosterone supplements are used nowadays to improve male potency as an alternative to prescription ED drugs, like Viagra (sildenafil citrate) and Cialis (tadalafil). But I am not sure about the bulls’ semen and prostate glands.

Well, at the end of the day, there’s a great woman behind every great man, and a little blue pill in his pocket!

Cialis gained a lot of popularity due to its 36-hour-lasting effect, which gave it a considerable edge over the 4-hour-lasting little blue pill (Viagra). This is also why Cialis is often referred to as the Weekend Pill.

In 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Once-a-day Cialis (2.5mg and 5mg tablets). This innovative treatment gives patients an almost permanent remedy for ED as long as they keep taking the daily dose as directed by their doctor. When no dose is missed, the drug stays active in the user’s system almost 24/7, which allows him to enjoy sexual activity with full “functionality” anytime of the day without worrying about dose timing.

Cialis has become the closest rival to Viagra, and it even outsells Viagra in many European countries where Lilly ICOS LLC (the manufacturer and marketer of Cialis) widely markets this medication. In terms of performance, many experts would agree that Cialis outranks Viagra. However, the early introduction of Viagra (in 1998) and the huge controversy it has created worldwide made it very difficult for other competitor drugs to defeat Viagra at sale numbers, even if they work better or quicker.

Many health professionals vouch for Cialis and expect it to overthrow the long-established brand in the ED treatment industry, Viagra, in the near future. An interesting turning point for the impotence treatment market shall be in 2012-2013, when Pfizer’s worldwide patents on Viagra expire, at which point Pfizer should stop marketing Viagra as extensively as they have been doing for more than a decade. By that time, Lilly will still have more than 4 years until their patent on Cialis expires, and this could be a golden opportunity for Cialis to easily claim the #1 spot for the best anti impotence drug.

Viagra Vouchers

The best place where you can get free Viagra is at your doctor’s office. Pfizer gives away vouchers and sample packs to doctors who can offer these to patients diagnosed with ED. So, if your doctor prescribed you Viagra, ask him/her for a free trial pack. If it is your first prescription for Viagra, then they’ll most probably give you a few tablets (with the prescribed dose) to try it for free.

Cialis Promise Program

Eli Lilly has a special Cialis Promise Program that provides free trial vouchers for Cialis. You can get and print the voucher from the official website of Cialis (see the preceding link). In order to redeem it, you will need to take it together with your doctor’s prescription to your pharmacy, and based on your doctor’s prescription, you will either get free 3 pills of 36-hour Cialis (dose: 10mg or 20mg), or 30 pills of Cialis for daily use (dose: 2.5mg or 5mg).

Levitra Three-For-Free Voucher

The official website of Levitra also provides 3-pills-for-free vouchers that you can redeem at your pharmacy to receive 3 free Levitra pills with the dosage that your doctor has prescribed for you.

Note: These offers are only valid to US residents. If you live outside the US you can still visit/call your doctor or pharmacy to see if they have any free vouchers or special offers for ED drugs.

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This is probably our last blog post in 2009, so see you next year with more news and content updates.
Finally, we wish a healthy and happy new year to everyone!

Viagra was developed and approved for the treatment of erectile dysfunction, and only to be used with a doctor’s prescription. However, many men who do not have ED or a prescription use Viagra as a recreational drug hoping for more action in bed. In fact, the maker of Viagra, Pfizer, has been accused and even sued many times for promoting the recreational use of this drug through pushy, off-label marketing.

The abuse of Viagra is so common among old and young men who can become psychologically addicted to the magic little blue pill. This can negatively affect relationships as it takes intimacy out of the relationship and makes sexual experience for men a mere physical activity that only requires a stiff erection. Read more on how Viagra can affect women and relationships.

More dangerously, Viagra abuse has repeatedly been linked to many sexual abuse, violence against women, and other criminal cases.

People who misuse Viagra are often unaware of the health hazards this drug may pose on their own bodies and well-being. Viagra may interact with other medications (like nitrates) and the results can be fatal. Viagra may also have risky or deadly results in users who suffer from other health conditions. Read more about the dangers of abusing Viagra.

So, if you (plan to) use Viagra without a prescription you might want to think twice before popping the pill. A doctor’s physical examination is required to ensure that Viagra is safe and appropriate for you, and also to be aware of the possible short-term and long-term side effects of this medicine.

But for women, sexual dysfunction is more complicated and requires more than just a drug to deal with. Common sexual dysfunctions in women, e.g. low libido, are usually caused by psychological factors that no medication has yet been clinically proven to address effectively.

While some drugs, like the famous Viagra, are being prescribed off-label to women who suffer from sexual difficulties, there’s no medication that is approved by the FDA as a “female Viagra”.

Many pharmaceutical companies around the world are still in search for a female counterpart of Viagra, but until something is proven to solidly work (if any), women can discuss their sexual problems with their doctor and/or partner to work things out.

In the following video, Dr. Jennifer Ashton speaks to CBS HealthWatch about Flibanserin, an antidepressant drugs that could be the long-waited-for female libido booster.

In a clinical trial of Avanafil, 646 men with ED were given 50mg, 100mg, and 200mg doses of the medicine. All patients experienced improvement and increased ability to get an erection within 30 minutes of taking the medication.

Vivus is expected to continue safety and effectiveness studies on this new treatment before filing for FDA approval. If approved, Avanafil will enter the highly competitive, multi-billion ED treatment market in the US, which is already dominated by the blockbuster little blue pill (Viagra), Cialis and Levitra. The company hopes that Avanafil’s quicker onset will give it an edge over competitor drugs.

Another ED drug marketed by Vivus is Muse (alprostadil). The brand name of this drug, MUSE, stands for Medicated Urethral Suppository for Erection, and as the name suggests this drug is administered as a urethral suppository. Ouch!

Earlier this month, Dong-A Pharmaceutical Co. announced that their ED drug, Udenafil, is en route to FDA approval and US marketing authorization.

With Pfizer’s worldwide patents on Viagra (sildenafil citrate) expiring in a few years (2011-2013), the impotence treatment market is definitely on the edge of some dramatic changes with more and more new rival drugs (brand and generic) lining up for FDA approval.

ED patients should be excited about these upcoming competitors, which will hopefully help reduce the skyrocketing prices of prescription ED treatments.

Udenafil is a long-lasting PDE-5 inhibitor, and so it works in the same mechanism as Viagra, i.e. it relaxes blood vessels and allows more blood to flow to the genitals, which improves the man’s ability to achieve and maintain a firm erection during sexual arousal.

This drug is already approved and marketed under the brand name Zydena in some countries, including Korea and Russia. Dong-A is crossing fingers that in a couple of years they will be granted marketing authorization for Udenafil in the US and EU.

If it gets approved by the FDA, Zydena (Udenafil) will become the fourth prescription treatment option for ED patients that will compete with Viagra (sildenafil citrate), Cialis (tadalafil), and Levitra (vardenafil). More competition is always in favor of consumers who get more options, from which they can choose what is best for them in terms of results, safety, and price (after consulting a doctor, of course).