Sexpert: Dec. 1, 2011

Dear Sexpert,

I’ve heard about people our age without erectile dysfunction who use Viagra. Why would someone do that? Is it dangerous?

—Curious

Dear Curious,

Firstly, let’s get a few terms straight. Erectile dysfunction, sometimes called impotence or ED, is a sexual dysfunction characterized by the inability to get or keep an erection. It does not refer to the cause of the impotence, so it’s not a disease or disorder, but rather the symptom of what could be a variety of causes. That means that a person doesn’t have or not have erectile dysfunction in the same way one might have diabetes or stress, two possible causes for experiencing erectile dysfunction.

Viagra, the first and still by far most common treatment for erectile dysfunction, works by widening the blood vessels, thus making an erection easier. So it doesn’t directly deal with any of the causes of erectile dysfunction; it instead tries to make erections easier in spite of them. Because of this, the effects on someone who does not have erectile dysfunction are usually minimal, with a few notable exceptions.

In general, the belief that Viagra can cause increased sexual performance in men without erectile dysfunction is false. However, one study indicated that taking Viagra did decrease post-ejaculatory refractory time. This refers to the amount of time after orgasm a man must wait before he is able to have another orgasm, usually about 15 minutes in 18-year-olds and up to 20 hours in 70-year-olds. As with many sexual dysfunctions, one main cause of erectile dysfunction is stress or performance anxiety, especially among younger men. This may be the reason the influence of the placebo effect in erectile dysfunction medications is strongly documented.

Another use of Viagra for recreational purposes is in combination with other drugs, especially ones like alcohol, amphetamines and cocaine that decrease sexual performance. Particularly, Ecstasy is commonly mixed with erectile dysfunction medication since it also allegedly increases sexual drive. Many recreational drug users use Viagra or other medicine for erectile dysfunction in an attempt to counteract decrease in sexual performance. Though the research on this particular drug cocktail is not well known, many fear heart problems because Ecstasy increases heart rate while Viagra widens blood vessels. In general, it is very dangerous to combine drugs, especially illicit ones, since the FDA often does not test drugs for how they might interact with illegal drugs, and the side effects could be deadly.

So, in summation, Viagra is sometimes used by younger men, but usually to treat erectile dysfunction caused by stress or performance anxiety. The use of Viagra by men who do not experience erectile dysfunction usually has little effect. However, using it in combination with other drugs for recreational purposes may be dangerous and have many unknown side effects. As always, if you have any concerns about your own or someone else’s drug use or specific questions about erectile dysfunction, make an appointment with the wonderful staff of UHS.

— The Sexpert

The Sexpert is written by a team of peer sexual health educators and fact-checked by University health professionals. You can submit questions to sexpert@dailyprincetonian.com. Don’t be shy!