Rick Raw: Viva Viagra on Its 10th Anniversary–The Pill That Launched The Second Sexual Revolution

By Rick Grant rickgrant01@comcast.net www.rickatnight.com

Everyone has seen the commercial: A group of mature but cool looking session musicians are tuning up between takes, and one guy thinks of a clever satire of "Viva Las Vegas" by adding the word Viagra instead of Las Vegas. "Check this out," he says. The musicians jam on the song with big Cheshire cat grins, which implies, "Yeah, we got some nooky last night!"

Ten years ago, no one would dare mention an aging man’s shameful problem of "not getting it up" or the new age term,"erectile dysfunction"(ED). But that was before Viagra hit the market in 1998, and suddenly men over 50 were getting frisky with their wives or chasing other women. Today, over 35 million men in more than 120 countries have taken 2 billion Viagra pills–an average of six Viagra pills every second. Hey, let the good times roll.

Incredibly, when the magic pill hit the market, soon Pfizer was grossing $1 billion a year. Then the jokes started to make the rounds. It was dubbed "Pfizer’s riser." A curious side-effect of taking Viagra was fodder for countless comedians’ jokes. In rare cases, it can cause a four-hour erection which sounds like an extended party, but it’s a serious problem. Imagine going to the doctor with a woody that won’t go down. Not since the birth control pill premiered in the 60s and ignited the sexual revolution had a drug associated with sex gone so ballistic. The drug restored men’s dignity and sexual prowess into their 80s and 90s, if their hearts could take it. If not, what a way to go.

Ironically, helping men achieve erections as they aged was not the original purpose of the drug. Viagra and the other ED drugs such as, Cialis or Levitra, set off a chemical reaction in the bloodstream that produces nitric oxide, a neurotransmitter that opens up blood vessels which is vital to erections and other circulatory health.

Pfizer was holding trials using the active ingredient in Viagra, sildenafil citrate, on patients suffering from high blood pressure or angina. The patients went home and to bed with their wives. The next day smiling test subjects reported that they enjoyed great sex for the first time in years, and their erections were long lasting and hard as rocks. "Hey, never mind high blood pressure or angina," the Pfizer eggheads proclaimed. "This pill will be the biggest selling drug in history." And, they were right.

Before Viagra, male ED was treated as a psychological problem not a physical one. The treatments were medieval, using vacuum pumps, surgical implants, and penis injections (ouch). The drug has been a sensation, bringing this taboo subject out of the closet and allowing seniors to talk about what once was an embarrassing subject. Of course, like any new drug, Viagra was open to abuse. Club goers added Ecstasy to Viagra and dubbed it "Sextasy" as a recreational turn-on drug. This super-Viagra led to unprotected sex and a spike in new cases of HIV.

The truth is, Viagra is not an aphrodisiac. The user’s hormones have to reach the brain which tells the heart to pump blood to the penis, then the drug opens up the blood vessels and viola– wood baby! It all starts the traditional way, with a glass of wine, soft music, making out, and the launch sequence is initiated. Add the emotional component, and a man over 60 or 70 feels young again. In contrast, Viagra has a dark side–older men who cheat on their wives. The rejuvenated geezers armed with Viagra feel youthful again, but their wives may not share their new enthusiasm for sex. This conflict has led to a smattering of divorces. However, the drug’s positive effects far out weigh its negative features.

So let’s tip our glasses to Viagra’s 10th anniversary. Romance, passion, and sex go on into old age. And, that is worth celebrating.