Now many men over the age of 40 use pills to improve potency. Often, young fellas also resort to drugs. This is due to better awareness of sexual dysfunctions and increased availability of erectile dysfunction (ED) tablets. Often the medication is used for mild ailments, for no serious reason.
In any case, Viagra, like any other medication, can be used properly and improperly. Some men are reasonably interested – can the ‘blue pill’ cause addiction?
Viagra Cannot Cause Physiological Addiction
Some people have concerns that the ‘blue diamond’ may lead to addiction, such as some painkillers (especially opioid analgesics). However, these fears are completely dangerous.
Viagra and other pharmaceuticals belonging to the PDE5i group (Cialis, Levitra, Stendra, Spedra) act in the same way: they inhibit the activity of the enzyme that directly affects flow of blood in the penis. Subsequently, the blood circulation in the organ improves and the man gets a satisfactory erection. Men also notice that they can stay in bed longer using any of these medicines.
There is no scientific evidence that Viagra can cause addiction at the physiological level. Drug withdrawal does not cause any unpleasant symptoms (as is the case with drugs and some medicines).
Viagra and Psychological Addiction
Well, we found that Viagra is not able to cause physiological dependence, since it does not affect the processes in the brain. This drug works locally, that is in the corpora cavernosa. However, some people who take the medicine too often, in too high dose or without adhering to medical recommendations, may develop a psychological dependence on Viagra. However, some doctors believe that such a condition can hardly be called addiction, it is rather insecurity in one’s own abilities (when it comes to medicine-free sex, i.e. without the ‘magic pill’).
This phenomenon is rare in patients suffering from erectile dysfunction who use sildenafil-containing medicines for genuine purpose (i.e. combating impotence). People who take the blue pill just to increase sexual performance are more at risk. Of course, the use of Viagra even by healthy men can be useful for their sex life, it has been reported that the medication can shorten the period of regeneration between sexual intercourses and increase the hardness of the penis. However, men taking Viagra for recreational purposes are more prone to drug abuse and, as a result, they may develop addiction. In addition, they are at risk of various side effects, such as facial flushing, headache, dyspepsia and stuffy nose.
Read our article: Psychological ED: Causes, Treatment and Prevention
How to minimize the risks of dependence on ED pills? First, use the recommended amount and do not exceed 100 mg per day. Secondly, be realistic in sex, talk with your partner about your expectations. Probably you just too crazy (or vice versa, your partner may have high expectations).
So the potential for sildenafil addiction is low. However, we would not recommend you to use the remedy recreationally, because you may really get hooked on it. Fortunately, such an ‘addiction’ is usually easily eliminable (treatable).
