Viagra Pill: Some Things You
Need to Know
Viagra pill overview:
In deciding whether you
should take the Viagra pill, you need to consider the risks as well as the
benefits. It's a decision for both you and your doctor to make. If you are
considering taking the Viagra pill, the following should probably be
considered:
Allergies-
You should make sure to tell your doctor if you have ever had any allergic or
unusual reactions to Viagra. Also you should tell your healthcare professional
whether you have any allergies to any other substances such as preservatives,
dyes or foods.
Pregnancy-Viagra
is not recommended for use by women. It is not even been studied for use in
pregnant women. However, Viagra has not been shown to cause birth defects or
other problems in animal research studies.
Breast-feeding-It
is not known whether Viagra passes into breast milk. It is not recommended for
use among women with erectile dysfunction. Mothers, who are taking this
medicine for pulmonary arterial hypertension and who wish to breast-feed, should
discuss this matter with their physician.
Older adults and the Viagra
pill-
Elderly people are especially vulnerable to the side effects associated with
Viagra. Patients 65 years of age and older who are taking this medicine for
erectile dysfunction are usually started on a low dose (approximately 25 mg) of
Viagra. Older people who are taking this medicine for pulmonary arterial
hypertension may also need to be started at a lower dose. The dose may then be
increased by the physician as needed and tolerated.
Other medicines and the
Viagra pill-While
some medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases, two different
medicines may be used at the same time even if an interaction occurs, but may
require an adjustment of the dosage. In these cases your physician may want to
change the dosage or take other precautions as necessary. When you're taking
the Viagra pill, it is especially important to talk with your healthcare
professional if you're taking any the following medications:
-
Bosentan (e.g.Tracleer)-
Viagra may increase levels of Bosentan in the body
-
Cimetidine
-
Erythromycin
-
Itraconazole
-
Mibefradil
-
Ritonavir
-
Saquinavir- these
medicines may increase the unwanted effects of Viagra unless lower starting
doses of the Viagra pill are used.
-
Nitrates, such as
nitroglycerin-Viagra increases the lowering of blood pressure by nitrates too
much, and are not usually recommended to be used together.
In addition to these above
problems, you also need to consider some of the medical problems on the
following page prior to using the Viagra pill.
Information from Consumer Drug Reference
Additional
information and webpage By
Paul Susic MA Licensed Psychologist Ph.D Candidate
