Viagra: Fact...and fantasy

Viagra, the oral medication for treating impotence, has raised more than the obvious. Most people have lots of questions -- from how it's used and how it affects a couple's relationship, to whether women can benefit from it. So here are the facts about what Viagra can do and what it can't.

How It Works

Viagra (sildenafil citrate) was originally developed to treat angina, or chest pain, by increasing blood flow to the heart. While studies showed it wasn't very effective for angina, study participants noticed that blood flow to the penis improved: Men who had not been able to have an erection were suddenly able to.

Viagra increases the penis's response to sexual stimulation by enhancing the effect of certain chemical messengers that allow the smooth muscle of the penis to relax and stay relaxed, thereby increasing its blood flow. Viagra doesn't create sexual desire or produce an erection on its own though. You and your partner need to do that the old-fashioned way: through sexual stimulation and arousal.

Who Can Benefit from Viagra?

In clinical studies, Viagra was most effective in men with impotence due to physical or psychological reasons: hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, spinal cord injury, treatment of prostate cancer, depression, or anxiety. About 70% of men with these problems will benefit from the drug. Since some nerve function and blood flow to the penis are necessary for Viagra to work, men with no erectile function due to severe diabetes or vascular disease won't have as much success.

If you take Viagra hoping it will boost your already active sex life or prevent occasional performance anxiety, you'll be disappointed. There's no scientific evidence that it will improve the sexual performance of men who do not have erectile dysfunction. Nor should Viagra be taken in the hopes of preventing dysfunction in the future. Viagra is only indicated for men who consistently are unable to attain and/or maintain erections.