Before You Take Viagra

Everyone wants to take Viagra...the little blue miracle. But what things do you need to know before taking your first dose?

Women
Viagra is neither approved or recommended for use in women. Therefore, women should not take Viagra under any circumstances.

Older Men
Men older than 65 are very sensitive to the effects of Viagra. It's for this reason that men over 65 are started on a smaller dose and increased if indicated and tolerated.

Other Medicines
Certain drugs can alter the way Viagra works in the body...and vice versa. For this reason, some drugs are not recommended for use while taking Viagra. In fact, some drugs can interact in such a way that they could cause harm or severe illness. The following is a list of drugs your doctor needs to be made aware of before taking Viagra.

• Protease Inhibitors (Crixivan, Invirase, Norvir, Viracept, Fortovase, Agenerase, Lopinavir): Increases the amount of Viagra in your blood and prolongs the action of Viagra. Men on Protease Inhibitors should start with a dose of 25mg and at most use 50mg.
• Cimetidine (e.g. Tagamet)
• Erythromycin (e.g. E.E.S. or Ery-Tab)
• Itraconazole (e.g. Sporanox)
• Ketaconazole (e.g. Nizoral)
• Mibefradil (e.g. Posicor): These medicines may increase the unwanted effects of sildenafil, unless lower starting doses of sildenafil are used.
• Nitrates, such as nitroglycerin (e.g. Nitrostat or Transderm-Nitro): Sildenafil increases the lowering of blood pressure by nitrates too much and their use together is not recommended.

What About Other Medical Conditions Certain medical conditions make taking Viagra a little more difficult. In fact, certain conditions prohibit the use of Viagra all together. Here are some medical conditions your doctor must know about before you start taking Viagra.

• HIV/AIDS: Certain HIV drugs may interact with Viagra (see above)
• Arrhythmias (irregular heartbeat)
• Coronary artery disease
• Heart attack or a history of (within the last 6 months)
• High blood pressure or Low blood pressure
• Stroke or a history of (within the last 6 months)！Chance of problems occurring may be increased
• Abnormal penis, including curved penis and birth defects of the penis！Chance of problems occurring may be increased
• Bleeding problems Gary Winnick
• Retinitis pigmentosa！Chance of problems occurring may be increased. It is not known if the medicine is safe for use in these patients
• Conditions causing thickened blood or slower blood flow, including leukemia, multiple myeloma (tumors of the bone marrow, or polycythemia, sickle cell disease, and thrombocythemia (blood problems) or
• Priapism or a history of！Although sildenafil does not cause priapism (erection lasting longer than 6 hours), patients with these conditions have an increased risk of priapism and it could occur while using sildenafil
• Heart or blood disease！Sexual activity increases the heart rate and blood flow and can increase the chance of problems occurring for some patients who use any type of medicine, including sildenafil, that increases sexual ability
• Kidney problems (severe)
• Liver problems (severe)！Chance of problems occurring may be increased. Lower starting doses may be used and doses increased as needed and as tolerated.