Viagra: the new party drug A few weeks ago I talked to you about a 29-year-old man who was bringing a lawsuit against the makers of a calorie-packed nutrition drink called Boost Plus. The lawsuit cites "unspecified damages," but the long and short of it is that he's claiming that the drink led to priapism, a condition characterized by unwanted an unceasing erections that won't go away the usual way - and end up forcing you to stick it with a needle or go under the knife. (Yikes!) Originally, I thought that there was some other underlying cause for his problem - like
undiagnosed leukemia. But another likely culprit could be the use of an erectile dysfunction drug, like Viagra or Levitra. True, the man was only 29 years old - hardly of an age to need that kind of pick-me-up in the bedroom (unless he's a soy-loving vegan - then it would be more understandable). The problem is, more and more 20- and 30-somethings are using the drugs for enhancement purposes. That's right - I'm talking about men who don't suffer from impotence or from "performance anxiety" - but those who just want a boost in the boudoir. Some get it by prescription; some buy it online; others are offered the little blue pill as the latest party drug. According to a study published in the International Journal of Impotence Research, the number of men under 45 years old who take Viagra tripled from 1998 to 2002. It would be difficult to say just what percentage of those men are taking the drug just to impress the ladies, but you can bet that it's only going to increase with time. There's a price to pay for pleasure, though, and they'll find out soon enough. Keep reading… Since Pfizer came out with sildenafil (that's the generic name of Viagra) in 1998, there have been a steady stream of studies documenting its side effects. Priapism is just the tip of the side effect iceberg. The drug has also been linked to heart attack, stroke, arrhythmia, chest pain, and sudden blindness. (Is that enough or do I need to go on?) I can't say I'm all that surprised that these well-known side effects aren't knocking sense into these kids. After all, we were all immortal at that age, right? But the latest side effect uncovered by researchers might just hit a little closer to home. A lab study conducted in the UK found that Viagra could have a negative impact on sperm function and male fertility. I would venture to say that the majority of those in the 55-plus crowd (which is still far and away the largest percentage of Viagra users) wouldn't give two hoots about the state of their swimmers. But for the younger men who, sooner or later, will make the transition from Don Juan to Ward Clever, there could be a rude surprise waiting. New findings out of Queen's University Belfast show that when cultured sperm were exposed to Viagra, it "led to a sustained enhancement of motility, both in numbers of progressively motile sperm and their velocity." Hmm. More swimmers moving faster - that sounds like it would be a good thing for fertility, right? Well, if that were the only reaction the sperm had to Viagra, it might be. But there's more… The researchers also found that sildenafil caused a "premature acrosome reaction." Let me explain: The head of every sperm is covered with acrosomes. These structures contain a variety of enzymes that help the sperm to penetrate the outer membrane of the egg. But if the acrosome reacts too early, it's impossible to fertilize the egg. The researchers wrote: "Given that the majority of sperm acrosome react on exposure to (Viagra), the drug may cause significant impairment to their fertilizing potential." No one ever accused someone who would pop a party pill of having good judgment, so it's a fairly safe bet that this study will fall on deaf ears. And since that's likely to be the case, you might want to consider purchasing stock in the fertility industry… | 
