An Associated Press story on the impact of Viagra on the party scene in San Francisco reports it is common to use Viagra with party drugs such as Ecstasy and crystal methamphetamine.
Health officials say the risk is when Viagra is taken with amyl nitrites, known as "poppers." The danger with amyl nitrite in combination with Viagra is that it can result in a precipitous and deadly drop in blood pressure.
Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, head of San Francisco's sexually transmitted disease unit, told AP reporters Kim Curtis and Margie Mason that Viagra is becoming increasingly popular as a recreational drug.
Klausner said an added danger of using Viagra as a recreational drug is that it encourages unprotected sex with a multitude of partners, increasing the danger of contracting sexually transmitted diseases.
Klausner's study appeared earlier thjis month in the London-based journal AIDS.
Viagra over the Internet
Viagra is supposed to be available only by prescription, for about $15 a capsule, but it is increasingly available over the Internet. Capsules then are resold, with a street value of $30-40 a capsule.
Geoff Cook, a spokesman for Pfizer Inc., the makers of Viagra, has said, "We were opposed to be recreational use of Viagra from day one." He said Viagra is marketed for men 40 and older who have erectile difficulties.
Pfizer introduced Viagra in 1998. The drug now earns the company some $1.2 billion (US) a year.
Share Tools
Top News Headlines
- B.C. police shooting video sparks calls for new probe
- Amateur video of the shooting of a mentally ill Vancouver man five years ago has prompted calls for B.C.'s police complaint commissioner and Crown prosecutors to take another look at the case. more »
- 'Engine shutdown' forced Air Canada jet to land
- A Japan-bound Air Canada Boeing 777 jet had to make an emergency landing at Toronto's Pearson airport on Monday, after one of its engines failed. more »
- CP Rail union, Tories battle over collective bargaining
- The federal Conservatives defended their plan to force striking Canadian Pacific Railway employees back to work as a way to keep the economy on track, while the union representing 4,800 workers said their collective bargaining rights are under attack. more »
- Quebec resumes student talks as protests ebb
- A new round of negotiations between student leaders and Quebec's Liberal government over the province's tuition-fee crisis end at night, as hundreds of people take to the streets in protest. more »
- 'Engine shutdown' forced Air Canada jet to land
- Missing Winnipeg kids found in Mexico are back with mom
- Thunder Bay flooding causes state of emergency
- Canadian Everest climber's body recovered
- Vatican denies cardinal suspected in leaks scandal
- Evolution skeptics will soon be silenced by science: Richard Leakey
- Man, woman shot dead in Burnaby restaurant
- CP Rail union, Tories battle over collective bargaining
- Wacky weather mix across Canada
