VIAGRA can be safe for some seniors. Patients over the age of 65 should start with only half a regular dose of VIAGRA, according to Pfizer Medical Information. The typical starting dose of VIAGRA is 50 mg, but older men may need to start at 25 mg. Also, seniors tend to have underlying conditions that could put them at risk of adverse reactions from VIAGRA.
What is Viagra?
VIAGRA is a brand name of sildenafil citrate, a drug used to treat erectile dysfunction (ED). The drug works by increasing blood flow to the penis. VIAGRA opens the blood vessels throughout the body, called dilation, which is what increases blood flow. When blood vessels dilate, the person’s blood pressure can decrease. If a man’s blood pressure gets too low, he can lose consciousness or experience a life-threatening cardiac event.
High levels of sildenafil in the plasma throughout the body can increase the risk of side effects. Younger men tend to clear the drug from their systems quickly, but people over the age of 65 tend to retain much more of the sildenafil and its metabolite in their plasma than men who are not elderly. The clinical trials of VIAGRA studied more than 3,000 men from 19 to 87 years of age.
How VIAGRA Affects People with Kidney or Liver Disease
Many older people have underlying kidney or liver disease. These conditions can make it harder for the body to break down and eliminate VIAGRA from the body within the expected time. For this reason, men with severe kidney or liver impairment may receive the directive from a doctor to start with half the regular dose.
Nitroglycerin and VIAGRA
Most of the people who take nitroglycerine, also known as nitrates, for a heart condition are older. VIAGRA is not safe for seniors if the patient takes nitroglycerin because of the heightened risk of significant cardiovascular complications. Men who are 65 or older tend to retain between three and eight times as much sildenafil in their plasma 24 hours after taking VIAGRA as healthier men. As a result, even the next day, an older man may not be able to take his heart medicine safely.
Blood Pressure Drugs and VIAGRA
Men who take medications to reduce their blood pressure should talk with their doctors before taking VIAGRA. Men over the age of 65 are more likely to take anti-hypertensive drugs than younger men. Since VIAGRA can lower blood pressure, a person who already takes anti-hypertensive medications can experience dangerously low blood pressure, which can lead to a loss of consciousness or a life-threatening cardiac situation.
How VIAGRA Can Affect Hearing or Vision
Older men often experience hearing loss and vision issues. VIAGRA is in a category of drugs called “PDE5 inhibitors.” These drugs can cause a sudden loss of hearing or vision, which may be permanent, according to a study in Frontiers in Neurology. Patients who have a history of optic neuropathy or other vision issues seem to be at a higher risk of losing sight in one or both of their eyes after taking VIAGRA.
Cardiovascular Complications with VIAGRA
Generally, a man who has an underlying cardiovascular condition that makes sexual activity inadvisable should not take VIAGRA. Men with high or low blood pressure at rest should exercise caution about using VIAGRA. For this purpose, high blood pressure, or hypertension, is a reading of higher than 170/110 mmHg. Low blood pressure, or hypotension, is a reading of lower than 90/50 mmHg.
Men with unstable angina (severe chest pain that can spread to the neck, shoulder, and arms) from cardiac failure or coronary artery disease should not take VIAGRA. Also, men should not use the drug if they have experienced a stroke, life-threatening arrhythmia, or myocardial infarction within the last six months.
During clinical trials for the approval of VIAGRA, some men experienced these cardiovascular events:
- Cardiomyopathy
- Tachycardia
- Cardiac arrest
- Heart failure
- Cerebral thrombosis
- Angina pectoris
- AV block
- Hypotension, including postural hypotension
- Myocardial ischemia
- Palpitations
- Syncope (loss of consciousness)
- Migraine
- Abnormal EKG (electrocardiogram), also called ECG
The study did not separate the cardiovascular events by age group, so it is unclear whether seniors are at a greater risk of these complications than younger men.
After VIAGRA was released, patients who were not part of the clinical trials reported cardiovascular problems like brain hemorrhages, sudden cardiac death, strokes, and hypertension in addition to the side effects the test group experienced. The adverse reactions occurred after taking VIAGRA, with or without sexual activity.
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Is Viagra Safe For Seniors? In clinical studies of Viagra, there weren’t any differences in side effects seen in people ages 65 years and older compared with those in people younger than 65 years. If you have concerns about using Viagra given your age, talk with your doctor.
Who should not take Viagra?
Viagra is not advised to be taken by patients who: Are also taking medicines called nitrates (such as nitroglycerin), which are used to treat high blood pressure during surgery and certain heart conditions. Use street drugs called “poppers” (such as amyl nitrate or amyl nitrite, and butyl nitrate)
In studies of healthy participants taking up to 800 mg of Viagra, there were similar adverse reactions as those found at a lower dosage. However, the incidence of some adverse reactions and severity of adverse reactions increased with the dosage of Viagra.
Possible adverse reactions from Viagra include:
- headache
- abnormal vision
- flushing
- dyspepsia
- nasal congestion
- nausea
- dizziness
- rash
- back pain
- muscle aches and pains
There are a few common side effects that can result from Viagra. These include:
- lightheadedness
- nausea
- change in vision
If these symptoms become severe, contact your doctor immediately.
More severe side effects from Viagra can include:
- prolonged erections
- loss of vision
- loss of hearing
Seek immediate medical attention if you are experiencing these symptoms.
Is Viagra effective in old age? Oral sildenafil is efficacious and well tolerated by elderly men with ED, even among those older than 70 years.
Viagra typically lasts between 2 and 5 hours before the effects start to wear off. It’s important to make sure to take this medication correctly and ideally take the tablet 30 to 60 minutes before you plan to engage in sexual activity. It’s also important to keep in mind that you must be sexually aroused for the tablet to work properly.
Viagra is a drug that works by helping men maintain an erection. Without touch to the penis, like that experienced in sexual intercourse, an erection will not occur, and the penis will not harden or grow in size.
The effects of Viagra on the body are temporary and will not result in a permanently hard or enlarged penis. In rare cases, some men may experience a prolonged erection that is painful. This requires professional medical attention.
