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Erectile dysfunction drugs
Category: Medicines
Type
Involuntary
Introduction and description
Erectile dysfunction (ED) or impotence is sexual dysfunction characterized by the inability to develop or maintain an erection of the penis 'during sexual performance' or even sexual activity if you do not view it as a performance! [sorry this is a bad joke].
It has numerous causes, some of which are explored in the section on the problem, ranging from toxins, to pharmaceuticals, however, this class of drugs is aimed at trying to treat the symptoms.
None addresses the cause.
There are two main classes of drug used to treat the symptoms Adrenoceptor drugs and PDE55 based drugs. Of the two, the latter have a record for producing hallucinations.
Background
Adrenoceptor drugs
The Alpha 2 adrenoreceptor is involved in the control of mens’ penises and the smooth muscle that determines whether they stand stiff as a soldier on parade or limp as a wet sock. The agonist effect is to make them limp, so the antagonist makes them stiff. This means that Phentolamine, Yohimbine, Idazoxan, and Atipamezole all have the potential to ‘help with erectile dysfunction’ [ED]. Phentolamine's main use is not as an erectile dysfunction drug and this might explain why - "When given by injection it causes blood vessels to expand, thereby increasing blood flow. When injected into the penis (intracavernosal), it increases blood flow to the penis, which results in an erection".
I could find no record of direct spiritual experiences being obtained from these drugs, other than that of Yohimbine which appears to be being abused.
According to Meyler’s Side Effects of drugs, the major long term side effect of Phentolamine (Regitine), for example, is “prolonged erection which usually occurs early during diagnostic testing and is reduced after dose adjustment. It may be that cases most prone to priapism can be identified in advance by testing erectile abilities in response to erotic stimulation. Side effects are hypotension and dizziness”!
So the potential is there for an experience via the hypotension.
PDE5 based drugs
The mechanism of action of this class of drugs – of which the most famous is Viagra - involves the protection of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) from degradation by cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) in the corpus cavernosum. Nitric oxide (NO) in the corpus cavernosum of the penis binds to guanylate cyclase receptors, which results in increased levels of cGMP, leading to smooth muscle relaxation (vasodilation) of the intimal cushions of the helicine arteries. This smooth muscle relaxation leads to vasodilation and increased inflow of blood into the spongy tissue of the penis, causing an erection.
This looks wonderful on paper, however, this same class of drug also relaxes the arterial wall, leading to decreased pulmonary arterial resistance and pressure. This, in turn, reduces the workload of the right ventricle of the heart. On the plus side, if you have pulmonary arterial hypertension, the drug can improve symptoms of 'right-sided heart failure'. On the minus side, it can have unwanted side-effects for the otherwise healthy or those with other sorts of heart problems – an excess of vasodilation and consequent hypotension and hypoxia – which is where the hallucinations come from. Again, this double effect on the penis and arteries can also lead to priapism.
In effect, this class of drug produces vasodilation and if used by people taking other vasodilators, or with low blood pressure or similar problems it produces extreme hypotension.
The hypoxia can result in very severe eye problems - photophobia and blurred vision, loss of peripheral vision, even permanent vision impairment in rare cases “a number of studies have linked this class of drug with nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy”. Some users have complained of seeing everything tinted blue (cyanopsia) which may be a form of synaesthesia.
Other side effects have included “severe hypotension, myocardial infarction (heart attack), ventricular arrhythmias, stroke, increased intraocular pressure, and sudden hearing loss” in those with erectile dysfunction.
In June 2016, eHealthme ceased to provide the information on which all the data in this section is based. On querying my friends in the USA, it would seem that many of the sites that provided similar information, have done the same. The links we provided to eHealthme also no longer work as this data too has been removed.
As to why all these sites have removed exceptionally important information, my USA helpers said that more and more people are questioning what they are being given – and demanding to know WHY the CAUSE of their illness has not been investigated. It appears that there has been a very heartening increase in the numbers of people who want to be healed – have the cause tackled and not the symptoms. And this is ‘not popular’ with the conventional medical community, who cannot make money from well people.
The statistics collected from eHealthme remain valid for the date they were collected. As such we have left this section as it is – an historical record. Please read this section therefore only as an historical record of the figures that were applicable on the date specified.
Other Side effects
In the PDE5 class of drugs, we must also not forget the ultimate spiritual experience - death. It appears that quite a number of the deaths attributable to these drugs are caused by heart attacks plus a whole host of other heart related problems, as explained above. I am afraid there have even been comments from one of two of my less responsible male friends that this would be their preferred way to go - the problem being that they have not considered the effect on whoever they are 'going with' at the time - so to speak. Anyway here are the figures :
Revatio - On May, 29, 2015: 9,708 people reported to have side effects when taking Revatio. Among them, 2,412 people (24.85%) have Death.
Viagra - On Jun, 4, 2015: 33,744 people reported to have side effects when taking Viagra. Among them, 1,037 people (3.07%) have Death.
Cialis - On Jun, 12, 2015: 8,188 people reported to have side effects when taking Cialis. Among them, 107 people (1.31%) have Death.
Levitra - On Jun, 29, 2015: 7,861 people reported to have side effects when taking Levitra. Among them, 62 people (0.79%) have Death.
How it works
Hypotension leading to hypoxia
Observations
The table below summarises the number of hallucinations from the eHealthme web site as at mid 2015.
The figures were compiled from Adverse Drug Reports submitted to SEDA and the FDA.
The link no longer takes you to the eHealthme site where once an up to date list of side effects was available:
|
Drug |
Total number of hallucinations |
|
55 |
|
|
22 |
|
|
8 |
|
|
7 |
|
|
0 |
|
| Yohimbine * | 8 |
| Vardenafil [same drug as Levitra] ** | 7 |
|
TOTAL |
107 |
* On Jun, 29, 2015: 23 people reported to have side effects when taking Yohimbine. Among them, 8 people (34.78%) have Hallucinogen Abuse.
** On Jun, 29, 2015: 171 people reported to have side effects when taking Vardenafil hydrochloride. Among them, 7 people (4.09%) have Hallucinogen Abuse.
Related observations
Hallucination
- Alprostadil 017981
- Apokyn 018004
- Cabergoline 017431
- Cialis ,Tadafil , Adcirca 016920
- Levitra 016929
- Pramipexole 015662
- Revatio 015699
- Testosterone and Testosterone propionate 017430
- Viagra 005742