Rescuing impotent men with Viagra.

Sildenafil citrate is the famous erectile dysfunction treatment marketed and manufactured by Pfizer, the leading drug maker in the world. Initially synthesised and isolated as a treatment for angina pectoris and hypertension, the drug was found to produce a startling side effects: It produced erection among men who used it. Though it wasn’t effective as a treatment for angina, this unexpected turn of events was highly welcome because it proved to have an unprecedented impact on the commercial aspect of their product.

After series of tests and studies, the drug was approved in 1998 as an oral treatment for erectile dysfunction by the US Food and drug Administration. Since becoming available in the market, Viagra has proved an enormous successful in the treatment of millions of men who are suffering from erectile dysfunction. Such is the success story of this product that numerous manufacturing companies exploit the Viagra brand to lure people who want to buy Viagra cheap online.

On 14th of February 2007, boots the chemist piloted an over the counter sales of the drug. The aim of the scheme was to make the drug available to men between the ages of 30 and 65 who want to buy Viagra online without prescription. According to boots, real Viagra tablets would be made available in three stores, and, if successful, would be sold nationwide.

Just what is so special about this drug that has defied all odds to stay as the number one erectile dysfunction treatment, despite fierce competition from newer drugs? One would ask. The reason for this wouldn’t be far-fetched if one says that the drug came at a time when discussion on ED could at best be described as taboo. Also, the little or no known side effects of the other drugs in existence and the inconvenience of the penile implants and injections (also pre-Viagra ED treatments), were not popular among the consumers. Viagra came into the market and burst this myth.

Understanding how Sildenafil works.
Understanding how Sildenafil citrate could be better explained in the context of a balloon. Picture a balloon in its limp, airless state. The balloon becomes swollen and turgid if inflated with enough air. In a similar vein to the pressurised air needed by a turgid balloon, the penis needs pressurised air for erection. This is made possible because the penis contains two long tubular structures which are shaped like cigars. The structures are known as the corpus cavernosa.

For the penis to become erect – the man has to be sexually aroused for erection to take place – the arteries have to open up to allow for blood to flow into the corpus cavernosum. Happening at the same time as the dilation of the arteries, the veins – which take blood out of the penis – have to contract, so that the blood would be trapped in the cigar-shaped tubes. As a result of getting blood trapped in the corpus cavernosum of the penis, the penis increases in length and size. This increase in length is what is now known as having an erection.

However, this natural process may fail to occur at times during sexual arousal. In some underlying medical conditions that cause erectile dysfunction, any time the man becomes sexually stimulated, his arteries and veins fail to dilate and constrict respectively, as it is normal in some other men.

Sildenafil citrate or Viagra helps to correct this abnormal situation by releasing nitric oxide (NO) into the corpus cavernosum of the penis. Through subsequent series of pathways, the primary of which is the increased levels of cyclic guanosine monophosphate, the muscles become relax (vasodilation), thus allowing for increased flow of blood to the penis and erection.