Monday, March 09, 2009

Sara Scrafford writes...

Now, Viagra for Women

Much has been heard and said about Viagra; its effects and side-effects have been discussed and argued since the time the pill made its appearance in the market; and in spite of all its drawbacks, it continues to be in great demand. Viagra, in spite of being Pfizer’s brand name, has become the generic name for all sildenafil citrate tablets. This drug is capable of regulating penile blood flow and is hence used for treating patients with erectile dysfunctional problems. Viagra made it possible for men to be men without any embarrassment.

And for women who are looking for an equivalent substitute, there’s good news from Emotional Brain, a research company based in the Netherlands. A similar pill is in the testing stages, one that promises to boost sexual desire in women who have problems getting aroused because of some reason or the other. Details of the pill appeared in The Journal of Sexual Medicine dated March 2009, which also provided information about another pill that promised positive treatment for women who have an aversion towards sex because of negative experiences like rape or abuse.

While it’s true that pills like Viagra are effective in treating men for whom impotence and erectile dysfunctional problems cause embarrassment and stress, it’s also a fact that this little blue pill has spawned hundreds of imposters that promise sexual prowess and a lasting erection. Sildenafil is not a recreational drug, and if used in conjunction with potent substances like amyl nitrate, can have devastating side effects and can even result in death. Similarly, it is not advisable for people who have weak hearts and cannot indulge in normal sexual activities.

What most men do not realize is that this drug does not make much of a difference in normal, healthy males. But maybe the psychological aspect comes into play – if you’ve had a Viagra, your mind is brainwashed into thinking you can perform well, and so you actually do.

The obsession that we as a human race have with sex and the obsession that men have with their penises and the duration of their sexual arousal and performance has increased the potential for the misuse of this drug. Although a prescription is needed to buy Viagra legally, there are various online drugstores where it’s easy enough to buy them. What worries me about the female Viagra is that it could be used as a date rape drug; it’s easy enough to slip into a glass of wine and then get the girl to do your bidding.

The ethical aspects of such drugs are always difficult to quantify – do we need to ban them to prevent possible use and deny them to those who are really in need of them? Or do we just bear the consequences when they’re misused and we find ourselves in trouble? I think it should be the latter option, because it’s no use punishing the innocent to prevent the guilty from sinning!


This article is contributed by Sarah Scrafford, who regularly writes on the topic of online pharmacy technician training. She invites your questions, comments and freelancing job inquiries at her email address: sarah.scrafford25@gmail.com.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

There also three pharma companies coming out with testosterone products for female sexual disorder, including Boehringer Ingelheim as well as Proctor and gamble. The products are in the forms of a gel, a nasal spray, and a patch.

It's estimated that 40 million women have FSD (largely due to their opposing gender, possibly), and that 2 million testosterone products already on the market are prescribed for such women off-label presently every year.

Their target audience appears to be those who are menopausal. The more infrequent the patient population, the more likely FDA will grant approval, and such companies will expand the boundaries of the medical condition after that.


Note that they are terming the condition (FSD) instead of the historical term, 'frigidity'. This is similiar of Pfizer coining the phrase, 'erectile dysfunction', instead of impotence. It's an attempt to create an authentic disease state in order to deviate from the fact that such drugs are in fact lifestyle drugs,

Dan Abshear

Anonymous said...

So what, exactly, does this drug do? How does it replace therapy to overcome "an aversion towards sex because of negative experiences like rape or abuse." And how could it be abused? Does it turn women into nymphomaniacs? Have "they" finally invented the Spanish Fly?