- It was once seen as the saviour of older men who wanted
to reignite their sex lives. But now it seems the anti-impotence pill Viagra
is increasingly becoming the recreational drug of choice for millions of
men in their thirties.
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- A study in the International Journal of Impotence Research
found that Viagra prescriptions to men under 45 have tripled in the past
three years. The fastest-growing segment of the market for the little blue
pills was among men aged 30-39, according to the research.
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- Its use among men under 45 has risen from 0.8 per cent
of that age group's population in 2000 to 1.8 per cent in 2002.
-
- Experts believe that thirty-something men may be taking
the drug to boost their performance as they try to satisfy a generation
of young women reared on Cosmopolitan magazine and programmes such as Sex
and the City.
-
- There is also anecdotal evidence that young male clubbers
who take the so-called love drug ecstasy are finding that its effects can
dampen desire to a sometimes disastrous degree.
-
- Viagra is now available from thousands of internet sites,
where supplies can be posted anonymously to a home address. Viagra UK,
a site which actually operates out of Mexico, offers to ship the little
blue diamonds to British customers for as little as £2 a tablet.
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- Michael (not his real name), 31, from Wandsworth, south
London, started using Viagra last year. He said: "I would go clubbing
and take drugs and then not be able to have sex for hours and sometimes
days, which was obviously a bit annoying. A friend had some Viagra and
when I tried it, it really did the trick. Everyone is taking it. I get
it off friends or just buy some off a website during my lunch hour."
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- He added: "The only problem now is that I've started
to feel I want it all the time."
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- Viagra sales have topped $1bn (£665m) a year since
it was launched as the first oral cure for impotence in 1998. It works
by increasing the flow of blood to the penis. The majority of prescriptions
are still written for men over 50 who have been made impotent through conditions
such as diabetes.
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- But experts have expressed doubt Viagra has any dramatic
impact on most young men's performance, and believe they may simply be
experiencing an imaginary, "placebo" effect. Annette Owens, a
sex therapist, said: "Young men have good erections anyway."
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- © 2004 Independent Digital (UK) Ltd http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health_medical/story.jsp?story=548819
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