# Let's talk Viagra! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 19, 2019, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-viagra/834187 "2019-05-19T17:23:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2019, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-viagra/834187/21 "2019-05-21T15:17:15Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > Nobody’s mentioned their dosage? I find even one-third of a 100mg pill gives excellent effect, so this works out to only three doses per dollar if pills are a dollar each! (More, obviously, if Pfizer is still charging $50 a trick in your country.) If you can tolerate any minor side effects I’d recommend it even for those with only mild “dysfunction.” > > However, some advise that _heart disease be a contraindication_, especially since Viagra interacts fatally with nitroglycerine (and similar remedies) widely touted for cardiac ischemia, cf. the Jack Nicholson movie. I use to cut mine into quarters. And took a couple Tylenol with it to eliminate the headache. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2019, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-viagra/834187/22 "2019-05-21T15:32:27Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > It’s been 20 years, literally, since it was launched, and it’s just as controversial now as it was then. Meaning ‘not at all’? Or am I once again oblivious to some major thing? Um…need answer fast. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2019, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-viagra/834187/23 "2019-05-21T15:55:39Z")
I get mine from [get roman . com]. Both GR and [for hims .com] want to rope you into automatic resupply (3 month supply at a time). I may have “misjudged” my usage a little and requested that I would need 2 20mg tablets 2 times a week when I really use around 2 a month. My goal is to build up a bit of a supply and then stop the auto payments. I only use them later in the evening, after 9 pm my performance seems to drop, probably hormonal. I take 1 20 mg pill and my only side effect is a watery eye feeling, like you got bopped in the nose but not as strong. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2019, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-viagra/834187/24 "2019-05-21T16:49:31Z")
If you snort them, you don’t have to wait 30 minutes. At least, those are the notes I’ve got. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2019, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-viagra/834187/25 "2019-05-21T18:40:17Z")
[_“When lawyers take Viagra they get taller…”_](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiO_8Pcoq3iAhXmmOAKHYrBAxAQwqsBMAB6BAgJEAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DmMq5D_AP6MQ&usg=AOvVaw0EazJFEaPH2-176MBTQIBw) ---
**Author:** ![Raza](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raza/32/213_2.png) [@Raza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raza)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2019, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-viagra/834187/26 "2019-05-21T18:53:51Z")
“Someone I know” found, on their doctor’s advice (as a money-saving tactic first, but also to judge initial reactions), that halving a 10mg tablet is plenty, and cuts the cost in half. Yes to the headaches, which is why “he” prefers to take them just before bedtime so “he” sleeps through the worst of the side effects. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2019, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-viagra/834187/27 "2019-05-21T19:26:13Z")
> [@sitchensis](#): > > I take 1 20 mg pill. > [@Raza](#): > > halving a 10mg tablet is plenty. When has Viagra (or even the generic Sildenafil) ever come in 10 or 20mg form? The smallest I’ve ever heard is 50mg. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2019, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-viagra/834187/28 "2019-05-21T20:03:17Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > When has Viagra (or even the generic Sildenafil) ever come in 10 or 20mg form? The smallest I’ve ever heard is 50mg. The 20mg pill of Sildenafil (Ravatio) is approved for treating hypertension and is often prescribed “off label” for ED. The doc will just prescribe taking up to 4 pills as needed or something to that effect. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2019, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-viagra/834187/29 "2019-05-21T23:37:41Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > When has Viagra (or even the generic Sildenafil) ever come in 10 or 20mg form? The smallest I’ve ever heard is 50mg. I get the 20mg generic sildenafil and take 2.5 of them to get the standard 50mg dose. Never had the blue vision or a headache. Cialis is more effective for me, but since sildenafil has gone generic it’s dramatically cheaper. I understand Cialis is supposed to go generic this year, and it will be interesting to see if it drops as dramatically in price. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2019, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-viagra/834187/30 "2019-05-22T03:15:21Z")
> [@sitchensis](#): > > The 20mg pill of Sildenafil (Ravatio) is approved for treating hypertension and is often prescribed “off label” for ED. The doc will just prescribe taking up to 4 pills as needed or something to that effect. Revatio was designed for treatment of primary pulmonary hypertension, and some other rare circulatory diseases, so as to make life easier for pharmacists and other people who have to deal with insurance issues. ED meds are not covered by Medicare or Medicaid when used for that purpose, and most private insurances have limited people to 6 doses per month. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2019, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-viagra/834187/31 "2019-05-22T03:24:10Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > Meaning ‘not at all’? Or am I once again oblivious to some major thing? Um…need answer fast. How many ways is it controversial to someone, somewhere? Let me get started. 1. Viagra’s discoverers won the Nobel Prize, but not for the reason most of you may think. It’s because it led to increased research into the nitric oxide cycle, upon which these drugs (AKA PDE5 inhibitors) act. The NO cycle is believe to play a role in cancer, Alzheimer’s, and the overall aging process. 2. Scientists are, according to many, a bunch of sexist anti-woman bigots because they figured out how men could get more and better boners, but we haven’t come up with a foolproof, side-effect free birth control for men OR women. (And probably never will; sorry. Don’t think we aren’t working on it.) Most people would also be surprised at how many women use Viagra, etc. for their own sexual dysfunction. Really. 3. Yes, it’s true, Tricare spends several million dollars a year on Viagra and other ED meds and treatments. So? Erections and pregnancy are related (doh!) BUT THEY ARE NOT THE SAME THING. I also do not understand why so many women have an issue with elderly or disabled veterans being able to have sex. I’m sure I can come up with others; these are just the first ones that come to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2019, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-viagra/834187/32 "2019-05-22T03:36:40Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > How many ways is it controversial to someone, somewhere? Let me get started. > > 1. Viagra’s discoverers won the Nobel Prize, but not for the reason most of you may think. It’s because it led to increased research into the nitric oxide cycle, upon which these drugs (AKA PDE5 inhibitors) act. The NO cycle is believe to play a role in cancer, Alzheimer’s, and the overall aging process. > > 2. Scientists are, according to many, a bunch of sexist anti-woman bigots because they figured out how men could get more and better boners, but we haven’t come up with a foolproof, side-effect free birth control for men OR women. (And probably never will; sorry. Don’t think we aren’t working on it.) Most people would also be surprised at how many women use Viagra, etc. for their own sexual dysfunction. Really. > > 3. Yes, it’s true, Tricare spends several million dollars a year on Viagra and other ED meds and treatments. So? Erections and pregnancy are related (doh!) BUT THEY ARE NOT THE SAME THING. I also do not understand why so many women have an issue with elderly or disabled veterans being able to have sex. > > I’m sure I can come up with others; these are just the first ones that come to mind. I’m sorry but these are only controversies to you. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2019, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-viagra/834187/33 "2019-05-22T03:37:24Z")
Somehow, there’s a reason we have a boner pill and a hair pill before we have a cure for cancer… ETA: like, what’s the point of a corpse if we can’t give it rock hard erections? ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2019, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-viagra/834187/34 "2019-05-22T03:59:58Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > The latter. It’s not supposed to generate an erection in and of itself; the effect of the drug is to increase the possibilty for a guy to get and maintain an erection, given the usual stimulus (i.e., physical stimulation, watching naughty videos, etc.) > > It typically takes 30 to 60 minutes for the drug to start doing its thing, which means that, if you have difficulty getting an erection without the drug, you’re probably still going to have a problem getting an erection five minutes after you take a Viagra. > > Parenthetical: my now-retired endocrinologist called Viagra the “Disneyland Pill” – as he said, “you wait for 60 minutes for a 2-minute ride.” 😃 When I worked at the grocery store, one of my technicians, who was probably a virgin at the time, asked me, “Why do you always put a ‘Do Not Drink Alcohol’ sticker on Viagra?” and I replied, “Renders it useless.” She answered, “Oh, yeah.” More than once, I had guys ask me, “Can I drink with that?” and I told them that if they did, it wouldn’t work. These were men in their 20s whose impotence was quite likely due to alcohol and/or drug abuse. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2019, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-viagra/834187/35 "2019-05-22T04:07:30Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > I’m sorry but these are only controversies to you. You don’t know very many women, do you? LOTS of women think Viagra, etc. is an aspect of sexism. :dubious: I don’t think they’re controversies, but other women (and MAAAAYBE some men) certainly do. I think Viagra, etc. is a wonderful thing, for the right people when used for the right reasons (and that’s as nebulous as pornography, as in I know it when I see it). In recent weeks, I’ve seen oodles of pictures of women holding signs that say things like “Babies are God’s will? Really? Why isn’t impotence?” :smack: For many of those women, in a few decades, they will be happy that these drugs exist. (Viagra was an accidental discovery, and so was the birth control pill. It was actually first used experimentally as a treatment for infertility.) ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2019, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-viagra/834187/36 "2019-05-22T04:12:47Z")
p.s. Not long after Viagra was launched, the president of the college of chiropractic in my city was found dead in his house; an autopsy discovered that he had a massive heart attack. When it was reported in the newspaper that Viagra was found in his house, one of my colleagues, a middle-aged man, said, “You mean they don’t have an adjustment for that?” ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2019, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-viagra/834187/37 "2019-05-22T04:28:05Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > You don’t know very many women, do you? LOTS of women think Viagra, etc. is an aspect of sexism. :dubious: > > I don’t think they’re controversies, but other women (and MAAAAYBE some men) certainly do. I think Viagra, etc. is a wonderful thing, for the right people when used for the right reasons (and that’s as nebulous as pornography, as in I know it when I see it). > > In recent weeks, I’ve seen oodles of pictures of women holding signs that say things like “Babies are God’s will? Really? Why isn’t impotence?” :smack: For many of those women, in a few decades, they will be happy that these drugs exist. > > (Viagra was an accidental discovery, and so was the birth control pill. It was actually first used experimentally as a treatment for infertility.) It’s not that Viagra is an aspect of sexist. It’s that requiring insurance to pay for Viagra, and forbidding it to pay for birth control, is an aspect sexist. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2019, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-viagra/834187/38 "2019-05-22T11:48:49Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > I’m sorry but these are only controversies to you. Beautiful illustration of ‘controversy’. 🙂 **nearwildheaven** : Thanks for the insights. ‘They can’t cure X, but they can give a guy a bone.’ I have to admit that’s floated through my head a few times. But I take comfort in knowing the drug was an accidental discovery, and not some scientist from the He-Man Woman Haters Club waking up one day and deciding to work on man things. Also, at least for the ‘guys over 50’ camp, a useful erection is at least as much for her benefit as his. You tend to care less about how it’s working when your libido is dead, and it’s frustrating for everyone when the stars align and it’s game time but the quarterback is fast asleep on the bench. I mean, creative folks can find other stuff to do, but the ‘two minutes’ that didn’t happen echoes in the mind for days. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2019, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-viagra/834187/39 "2019-05-22T16:53:13Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > You don’t know very many women, do you? LOTS of women think Viagra, etc. is an aspect of sexism. > > . In recent weeks, I’ve seen oodles of pictures of women holding signs that say things like “Babies are God’s will? Really? Why isn’t impotence?” I know plenty of women. Ive never heard a single one ever say one bad thing about Viagra. I _have_ heard them say things like how grateful they were for it’s existence. The _only_ time i have ever heard of demographics of women speak poorly of Viagra, etc. is when older women complain about having to try to keep up with the newfound vigor and excitement of their husbands who have started taking Viagra. Pregnancy is not a loss of function. Erectile _dysfunction_, obviously, is. But i dont really understand what your point is here. Are you saying that “oodles” of women have sex with men (thanks to those awful blue pills!!), become pregnant and then vilify the very drug that _allowed_ the consensual sex to happen in the first place? Or are you talking about insurance coverage discrepancies between abortions and ED medications? Or about red states passing draconian anti abortion laws? ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2019, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-viagra/834187/40 "2019-05-22T17:01:32Z")
/double post [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-viagra/834187.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-viagra/834187.md?page=3)