VIAGRA ERECTION

Miss quinine? Try tonic water

February 28, 2007

Your column about quinine really upset me. I have been taking it for leg cramps for many years, and it has helped me incredibly. I have none of the symptoms you described.

My doctor keeps renewing my prescription. I can’t believe she would keep doing that if what you wrote is true. I am very skeptical about your information.

The Food and Drug Administration has decided that quinine is too dangerous to be used against leg cramps. Some people are susceptible to a life-threatening blood disorder triggered by quinine. As a result, soon doctors will only be allowed to prescribe it for malaria.

For the vast numbers of people like you who have taken quinine safely, the FDA’s action will be painful. One reader suggested an alternative:

“At one time I used Legatrin, but it is no longer available. Now when I get leg cramps, I drink a small bottle of tonic water with quinine. Within a minute the cramps subside.”

We are sending you our Guide to Leg Pain with other suggestions against cramps and restless legs. Anyone who would like a copy, please send $2 in check or money order with a long (No. 10), stamped (63 cents), self-addressed envelope to: Graedons’ People’s Pharmacy, No. RLS-5, P.O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027. It also can be downloaded for $2 from our Web site: www.peoplespharmacy.com.

Q: My question is about erectile dysfunction. My wife really turns me on, but I always lose my erections.

When I lose it, I have trouble getting another one. Often we do not finish because of my problem, and I get frustrated. She has a strong sex drive and gets frustrated, too. At times I give her excuses, like I’m tired or I don’t feel well. She thinks I do not want to be with her, but I do. I’m just afraid of failing.

My wife would never cheat on me, but I don’t want to frustrate her more, so she considers it. Is there anything over the counter that would help?

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A: You and 18 million other American men suffer from erectile dysfunction (ED). It is nothing to be ashamed of.

There are several medications that can help, but none is available without a prescription. When you see your doctor, make sure he checks your hormone and cholesterol levels. Sometimes ED can be a symptom of cardiovascular problems.

Drugs like Viagra, Cialis or Levitra might help, but are by no means the only solution. Your physician may prescribe another kind of medicine or even suggest a vacuum device that might help you maintain your erection.

A qualified sex therapist also can provide you and your wife with useful advice. Open communication will help her understand what you are going through.

Q: I have been taking Zetia for four months with dramatic results. My cholesterol count dropped from 240 to 183.

I am thrilled, but I have noticed pain in my legs. It is difficult to sleep as I massage them to make them feel better. The soreness and tiredness remind me of pain after strenuous exercise like running.

I would not agree to take statin drugs to correct my high LDL and low HDL levels because I know statin drugs can cause leg pain. Isn’t Zetia different?

A: Zetia (ezetimibe) works differently from statin drugs such as Lipitor or Zocor. Instead of blocking the creation of cholesterol, Zetia interferes with absorption of cholesterol from the intestines. Despite this difference, people taking Zetia sometimes report muscle or joint pain. Please let your doctor know about this reaction.

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Viagra helps after prostate treatment

February 27, 2007

Men say their sexual function and interest after prostate-cancer treatment is buoyed by Viagra-type drug therapy.

Because the prostate gland lies close to critical nerves and blood vessels, men who were sexually active at the time of the treatment frequently report impotence or erectile dysfunction after radiation or surgery for prostate cancer.

“We wanted to determine if the efficacy of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (drugs such as Viagra, Levitra or Cialis) is any different following radical prostatectomy versus radiation therapy for patients with prostate cancer,” Dr. Irwin Lee, a house officer in radiation oncology at the University of Michigan Hospitals in Ann Arbor, said at last weekend’s Prostate Cancer Symposium in Kissimmee, Fla.

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“Following radiation therapy or prostatectomy there is a significant improvement in the adjusted sexual function and sexual interest scores associated with the initiation of the drugs,” he said.

Lee mined the Cancer of the Prostate Strategic Urologic Research Endeavor (CaPSURE) database, identifying 1087 men who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer between 1995 and 2003. The men completed the health-related quality of life assessments prior to their treatment and two years after treatments.

The research team noted that over a two-year period the sexual function and sexual interest of the men in this study improved — in fact, men who had surgery reported a 50-percent increase in sexual function and interest since their surgery.

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Premature expectation problem over Viagra

February 21, 2007

Sex drug Viagra went on sale over the counter today - but men with erection problems will only be able to get their hands on the pill from Monday.

Hundreds of men, and some women, have rung Boots the chemists inquiring about the little blue tablet which guarantees an erection in 70% of users.

With the launch today of a pilot scheme in three Boots stores in Manchester today, it is the first time the pill, used by men who cannot get an erection, is available without a doctor’s prescription.

Sex woes hit young couples too

February 20, 2007

It’s a myth that dysfunctions happen only to the over-40 set, Charlotte therapists say
TONYA JAMESON
Pop Culture Writer

Jason planned the perfect honeymoon.

He and Natalie would spend one night in Charleston, in a hotel room with a Jacuzzi and French doors that opened to Market Street. Then the newlyweds, both virgins, would spend a week in Savannah, Ga.

As it turned out, their honeymoon was unforgettable — but not in a good way.

Jason and Natalie, both in their 20s, didn’t consummate their marriage that night in Charleston, nor did they while in Savannah. They didn’t have sex until a month after they’d been married. Even then, they said the sex wasn’t good.

The Charlotte-area couple, who requested their last name not be used, are among thousands of young people dealing with sexual dysfunction.

Commercials for Viagra or research that focuses on menopause may give the impression that people with sex dysfunction are mostly over 40. But local experts say almost half of their clients are under 35 — young adults building careers and families. They’re stressed and exhausted, and often their sex lives suffer.

“Most people think it’s just older people, and it’s just not true,” said Anne Hancock, a marriage and family therapist in Charlotte.

Hancock said out of the 20 couples she sees a week, most are in their 30s. Licensed Charlotte sex therapist Lisa Terrell sees similar numbers at her practice.

Both say Charlotte sexual patterns follow national norms, and that low sexual desire among men and women is one of the most common problems for young couples. Terrell said female clients also complain about difficulty with arousal and orgasm. Men, she said, complain of rapid ejaculation and erection difficulty.

Reasons vary. One of the most common causes of low sexual desire is exhaustion. Local and national experts say young people are stressed and exhausted, and that’s killing their sex lives.

“It’s very much driven by lifestyle and relationship issues,” said Patti Britton, president of the American Association of Sex Counselors and Therapists.

People under age 35 are under pressure to find a job and build a career. Plus technology allows them to stay connected to the office 24/7. They have little time for intimacy. Add children to the mix and there is even less time for sex, experts say.

“When there is stress in your life, one of the first things that disappears is sex,” said Lou Paget, a California-based certified sex educator.

Couples interviewed for this story don’t have children, but they are all working hard to build careers or start them. They faced a range of problems from physical dysfunction to exhaustion.

`It started to go downhill’

Before Jen and Jeff got married they had a healthy sex life, but four years after taking their vows the relationship changed.”It started to go downhill after we got married,” said Jen. “We had sex less, less.”

Jeff went back to school full-time, which forced the two, both of whom are under age 35, to live off their savings and Jen’s earnings as a receptionist. She was always busy working and taking care of their home. He was stressed about school.

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She became repulsed by sex, but she was cool with holding hands and hugging. Jeff became increasingly frustrated. In August 2005, he told her they hadn’t had sex in a month. So she started giving him “obligatory” sex.

During sex, she said, she thought about what she needed to do the next day, and how late it was. What she really wanted, she said, was to go to sleep.

In March 2006, Jeff moved in with his sister. Jen called a sex therapist. During sessions, the therapist talked about the importance of taking time for each other. Jen and Jeff are back together now and enjoying sex again, but it’s not like it was when they were dating.

“We work pretty hard at trying to make things better,” Jeff said. “It’s a working thing. You can’t just take it for granted.”

`I got so nervous’

John and Ellen, a young couple who live in York County, S.C., dealt with erection difficulty in their relationship. Both are college students and under age 25. John was a virgin, and grew up in a strict Christian home. He believed in abstinence until marriage.

After dating for nearly two years, John and Ellen decided to have intercourse. They had dinner at Blue restaurant and stayed in a downtown hotel, but the night ended badly in the bedroom.

“I got so nervous,” John said. “I was so anxious.”

The two, who are engaged, tried off and on for months. Sometimes they had intercourse. Other attempts ended with fights.

John tried Viagra, but that didn’t work either. They sought counseling and realized they were having issues with communication. Sex has improved, but they want it to get better.

“I would pay all the money in the world for us to be all right,” said John.

`It drove a wedge between us’

Jason and Natalie also sought counseling. After their ill-fated honeymoon, the two spent $4,000 on therapy in about two years to solve their problem: Intercourse was too painful for Natalie.”I thought I was too stressed,” Natalie recalls. “I felt really bad about myself.” Psychologists told her to take a hot bath. Drink wine. Relax. Nothing worked.

They went to a sex therapist, who thought Natalie had vaginismus, or abnormal tightness.

A physical therapist helped Natalie handle the physical dysfunction, and Jason and Natalie sought counseling to address communication problems in their relationship.

“The longer it stayed between us, the more it drove a wedge between us,” Natalie said. “It’s something that should be talked about more.”

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MEDICINE OR PLAYTHING?

February 14, 2007

UNTIL recently, a man would have been far too embarrassed to admit he takes Viagra.

But the anti-impotence tablets are becoming a recreational drug taken as a safe (if a little pricey) way for men to spice up their sex lives.

And with the little blue pills on sale without prescription in Boots for the first time this week, we are likely to see a rise in the number of men taking the drug for fun rather than medical reasons.

From Valentine’s Day, customers will be able to buy a pack of four for £50 after a consultation with a pharmacist.

Men between 30 and 64 will simply have to have their blood pressure and cholesterol levels taken. They will then filling in a medical history questionnaire to make sure they don’t have any health conditions that would make it dangerous to take the drug.

Those wanting a repeat prescription will have to talk to a doctor.

The move will finally make the medication more accessible to the 900,000 men in Britain who currently take it.

It is estimated that only 10 per cent of the three million men who suffer real impotence problems are being treated.

Dr Graham Archard, vice-chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, says: “I very much welcome the availability of this medication to people who need it but it must be tempered so that it goes to the right patients.

“Impotence ‘ is a subject of much humour but it’s incredibly important for the people it happens to and can have devastating effects on loving relationships.”

But it is also bound to open the door to men who simply want to find a new way to boost their performance between the sheets.

Dr Archard admits “It’s a possibility that anyone looking to boost their sex life will try it.

BUT I hope if pharmacists see someone young and fit saying they need it they might refer them to a GP and say, ‘Something’s not right, you shouldn’t need it.’”

Viagra was developed by drugs company Pfizer as it hunted a treatment for high blood pressure. Trials revealed it had little effect on angina, but did give men erections.

So they repackaged it to treat erectile dysfuntion.

The drug was first sold in this country in 1998 and soon became big business. Viagra now nets more than £1bn a year.

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The small blue diamond-shaped pill works for four hours and the black market is already thriving from sales of the drug.

There are hundreds of websites where the pills can be bought and it is also one of the biggest causes of spam in people’s email in-boxes.

Dealers are known to bulk purchase the pills and then sell them on at almost twice the price in pubs and clubs around the country.

While genuine, branded Viagra tablets will cost around £12, fakes are available for as little as £2 each.

There is also growing evidence drug dealers are starting to sell Viagra along with illegal drug Ecstasy in a cocktail known on the drug scene as Sextasy.

THIS is because a side-effect of Ecstasy can be erectile dysfunction.

Harry Shapiro from DrugScope predicts the sale of Viagra in Boots will make little impact on the club scene - because it will still be cheaper to buy the tablets illegally.

He says: “Boots is going to be selling four pills for £50 but I can’t believe you can’t get that cheaper by other means such as the internet.

“There is also the fact people will have to speak to a pharmacist before they can get it. I don’t think many people will do that when it’s already so easily accessible.”

Women are also starting to take the drug. Viagra has been shown to increase bloodflow to the clitoris, but tests show it does little for female libido.

But although Viagra is generally considered a ’safe’ drug by doctors, people are advised to purchase it from a medical professional rather than going on to he internet.

By buying it online, or from a dealer, you risk not knowing if you are buying the real thing.

It is estimated that at least 50 per cent of Viagra offered for sale over the internet is fake.

Problems can also occur if it is taken by men who are taking nitrate drugs for chest pain as their blood pressure could drop to dangerously low levels.

Pharmacists will make these checks to ensure people take it safely.

Dr Archard adds: “Viagra is available over the counter in many countries already but the important thing is it has to be available from a pharmacist rather than a supermarket shop because of the potential of it making people’s blood pressure drop if they’re taking heart tablets.

“So it’s important people are advised appropriately.”

For men who do have a very real problem with erectile dysfunction though, the new move may prove a huge help. Dr Archard says: “We just need to make sure it gets to the right people.”

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British Men Getting Viagra Valentine’s Day Gift

February 13, 2007

But not everyone thinks it’s a great idea. Some doctors worry that health issues could be overlooked, since the need for Viagra often indicates an underlying problem like diabetes.

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The drug store chain says men between the ages of 30 and 65 can walk in and have an hour-long chat with a pharmacist, who will check things like blood pressure and cholesterol. If everything looks O-K, the men will be able to buy four Viagra pills for the equivalent of about 97 dollars.

The pharmacy chain says it’s trying to help men who may be too embarrassed to talk to a doctor.

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How To Spice Up Your Sex Life

February 8, 2007

Since the dawn of time, people have looked toward elixirs and potions to improve their sex lives. Why else, after all, would one consume ground tiger penis, horny goat weed and Spanish Fly?

Perhaps because nearly one in five men in the U.S. suffer from erectile dysfunction, according to a recent study in the American Journal of Medicine. Some researchers have estimated that as many as 40% of U.S. women have low libido or inability to reach orgasm. Most quick fixes simply don’t work, and some, like Spanish Fly, a supposed aphrodisiac derived from beetles that can cause kidney damage, are harmful.

But modern medicine has found ways–both proven and experimental–to improve your sex life. Might they help make this Valentine’s Day more memorable?
In Pictures: Thirteen Steps To Better Sex

That’s anyone’s guess. One place to start: old-fashioned remedies, which some say work best. Regular exercise can actually improve erectile function in most men, says Andrew McCullough, a urologist at New York University Medical Center–and we’re talking jogging, not the acrobatic feats found in the back of a magazine. Not particularly athletic? Therapists say that paying attention to your feelings is as important as any pill, nose spray or cream.

“Have a really wonderful role-play with your partner, have a really great dinner out or watch a romantic movie together,” says Robert Dunlap, who has researched aphrodisiacs at the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality in San Francisco. “The greatest aphrodisiac is your mind.”
Hope In A Bottle

But that’s not stopping the $600 billion global pharmaceutical industry from trying to think up new sex drugs. Viagra, the little blue pill Pfizer (nyse: PFE - news - people ) launched a decade ago, brings in $1.7 billion in sales every year. Cialis, the longer-acting imitator made by Eli Lilly (nyse: LLY - news - people ), rakes in another $1 billion, with several hundred million more for Levitra, from Bayer (nyse: BAY - news - people ) and Schering-Plough (nyse: SGP - news - people ). Other remedies increase blood flow, like the penis injection Caverject, and bring in $30 million more.

A product that could improve women’s sexual function might bring in even more money, if it were truly effective. So far, though, companies have been unsuccessful. Viagra failed in tests on women. Procter & Gamble (nyse: PG - news - people ) tried to push a testosterone patch for female sexual dysfunction through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) but in 2004 the agency balked, citing a lack of long-term safety data.

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Now the idea of using testosterone as a sex-booster for women is being pushed by Lincolnshire, Ill.-based BioSante Pharmaceuticals, Inc (amex: BPA - news - people ). Its LibiGel is rubbed on the upper arm daily, delivering testosterone, which is thought to increase libido, to the bloodstream over time. The company just began late-stage trials, and, after discussions with the FDA, will start a big safety trial before submitting data to regulators in 2009.

Palatin Technologies (amex: PTN - news - people ), of Cranbury, N.J., is trying to get in on the game, developing a nose spray, called bremelanotide, to treat men and women with sexual dysfunction. Applied 10 to 15 minutes prior to sex, it travels through the central nervous system to increase blood flow in the penile or vaginal tissue. The company hopes to get FDA approval for men in 2009 and women around 2011. “On the female front, we’ve got a chance to be first to market,” says CEO Carl Spana. “People wonder how many women will come in for treatment, but my gut tells me they will come in.”
What Really Works

Right now, the treatment available for women with female sexual dysfunction that has been reviewed by the FDA is a handheld vacuum that can be used with a doctor’s prescription to increase blood flow to the clitoris. Called Eros Therapy, it is made by NuGyn of Minnesota. Devices such as this go through fewer hurdles than drugs; the Eros device has been tested in several dozen people, compared with hundreds for a pill such as Viagra.

Joy Davidson, a Manhattan-based certified sex therapist, worries that all this technology may cause some people to ignore important cultural factors that can cause sexual dysfunction. “There are agendas here that are not health-based, they’re profit-based,” she says. “If you’re not looking at these elements–the emotional, psychological and cultural–then giving somebody a so-called magic pill is not going to solve the problem.”
Future Fixes

Meanwhile, drug researchers keep coming up with even more out-there approaches. For instance, a gene therapy, which seeks to fix erectile function by altering the DNA of cells in the penis, then injecting them back in to the patient. It should work for six months, according to inventor Arnold Melman, the researcher at New York’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He has co-founded a tiny biotech, Ion Channel Innovations, to develop the product, which even he doesn’t expect to reach the market before 2012. No gene therapy has ever been approved.

“People always say gene therapy doesn’t work, but at one point it will,” says Melman. “We think this is the one.”

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Study: Erections more difficult with diabetes, heart disease

February 2, 2007

Salt Lake City - Men, take heed: Exercising regularly and preventing heart disease and diabetes can safeguard your sex life.

A study published in Thursday’s issue of the American Journal of Medicine calculates that more than 18 million American men over age 20 are affected by erectile dysfunction, the inability to maintain or achieve an erection.

Almost 90 percent of the studied men with dysfunction had at least one risk factor for heart disease, such as diabetes, hypertension, poor cholesterol levels or smoking. They also were less likely to have had strenuous exercise within the month prior to the study.

With such a strong link between sexual problems and lifestyle, health providers are hoping men will make changes.

“This may be a powerful motivator for male patients who may be at risk for cardiovascular disease or who have diabetes,” said Elizabeth Selvin, lead author and a faculty member in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Department of Epidemiology. “It’s another reason to get off the couch and exercise and eat well.” Researchers culled data from 2,126 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Men who reported being “sometimes able” or “never able” to get and keep an erection were labeled as having erectile dysfunction, while men who reported being “always or almost always able” or “usually able” were not.

The prevalence of erectile dysfunction was 18 percent. Men 70 and older were more likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction, compared to 5 percent of men between ages 20 and 40.

Almost half of all men in the study with diabetes also had erectile dysfunction.

Steven N. Gange, a urologist at Western Urological Clinic in Salt Lake City, said he believes from other studies that the number of men with the condition is much higher.

“This is actually a much lower number than I’m comfortable with,” Gange said.

The diabetes findings make sense to him. “Diabetes ultimately does become a vascular disease, and smoking and aging are also risk factors,” he said.

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Erectile dysfunction can be the first sign of a vascular disease in otherwise seemingly healthy males. Recently, Gange saw a 33-year-old smoker who wasn’t responding to Viagra, Cialis or Levitra, popular drug treatments that increase blood flow to the penis. Gange recommended he see a cardiologist.

Blake Hamilton, a urologist with University Health Care in Salt Lake City, said men may seek medical help for sexual problems before other health issues because it affects their lives so negatively.

“Men often put things off,” he said. “But a lot will go to the doctor for erectile dysfunction. It’s important to make the connection between” erectile dysfunction and cardiovascular disease.

Brent Muhlestein, director of cardiology research at LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City, says cardiologists should ask their patients about erectile dysfunction.

They also need to be very careful when prescribing the three treatment drugs, because they can be dangerous for patients on nitroglycerin. Since both types of drugs can cause blood pressure to drop, when coupled, they can lead to plummeting blood pressure, heart attacks and even death.

“We have to learn when it’s safe and not safe to let patients with heart disease use Viagra or other similar medications,” Muhlestein said. “A lot of men ask for it because it’s very distressing to them.” He also thinks more men might be willing to become healthier if they understand all the ways it can improve their lives.

“One thing I have done is tell patients not only can you prevent yourself from having a heart attack or stroke in the future, but it will also probably help your sex life to last longer,” he said.

Categories

Miss quinine? Try tonic water

February 28, 2007

Viagra helps after prostate treatment

February 27, 2007

Premature expectation problem over Viagra

February 21, 2007

Sex woes hit young couples too

February 20, 2007

MEDICINE OR PLAYTHING?

February 14, 2007

British Men Getting Viagra Valentine’s Day Gift

February 13, 2007

How To Spice Up Your Sex Life

February 8, 2007

Study: Erections more difficult with diabetes, heart disease

February 2, 2007

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