Can Viagra cause priapism?

The levels of success recorded with the use of Viagra tablets is such that a man suffering from erectile dysfunction who hears this heartwarming news for the first time is filled with renewed hope. What such a man, who has understandably been in a state of gloom all the period of his failure to have a normal healthy life, is probably thinking at that moment is how to get his sex life back.

Because of the man’s recently found hope, he is not thinking of anything else but to order Viagra tablets so that he can once again experience the thoroughly enjoyable act of lovemaking. However, there are situations in which the man finds himself that he wishes he has never taken the drug.

Look at this play out of events. A man buys Viagra tablets for his erectile dysfunction, gets home and takes the little blue pills. He calls his girlfriend, who tells him she is on her way to his place. While waiting for the girl, the man decides to put himself in the mood by slotting in a pornographic movie into his DVD player.

Forty minutes into watching the movie, the Viagra gradually starts producing its erectile effect and the man is aroused. The man looks at the wall clock. The time is fifteen minutes after 12:00 AM, over one hour since he called the girl. What could be delaying the girl? The man wonders.

Two hours and thirty minutes later, the girl is yet to arrive. The man’s patience is already stretched thin, allied with his fully engorged penis now reduced to a throbbing ache. His anxiety is not helped by the girl’s phone which has been unreachable since an hour ago.

A further two hours, the man has completely lost all hope of seeing the girl, but there is a more urgent need to be attended to: His throbbing erection.

The maker of Viagra – as well as that of the two other phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors, Cialis and Levitra – has constantly affirmed that though priapism – a painful and potentially harmful medical condition in which the erect penis is unable to return to its flaccid state, even in the absence of a sexual interest – is a possible side effect of Viagra, this however should not be a cause for concern. Viagra-related priapism, according to the maker, has in fact hardly – if it has at all – ever been reported.

If the words of the maker are anything to go by, the question is: What then could have gone wrong in the man’s case?

Two things could be possible for the man’s priapic state. One is if the man used Viagra pills on combination with other medications such as prostaglandin injections and a certain recreational drug known as Ecstasy.

The second possible scenario is the presence of an underlying medical condition which predisposes the man to priapism. Viagra tablets, like the other PDE5 drugs, require sexual stimulation to produce their erectile effect. Caution should, therefore, be applied when using the drug with such conditions as sickle cell anaemia, high blood pressure, multiple myeloma and cardiovascular problems etc.

It is advisable to get prescription from a doctor when you want to use any of the three phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors – Viagra, Levitra and Cialis – to avoid the possibilities of priapism.

Priapism is a serious medical condition that could lead to permanent erectile dysfunction if immediate medical attention is not sought. The erection can be easily reduced if the person seeks medical help within 6 hours. Also, the use of decongestant medications may decrease blood flow to the penis for priapism that has lasted less than four hours.