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National Geographic : 2002 Sep
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Join the m il lions PATIENTSUMMARYOF INFORMATION ABOUT IAteRA (sildenafil citrate)ueu This summary contains important information about VIAGRA.It is not meantto takethe placeofyourdoctor'sinstructions. Readthis informationcarefullybeforeyoustart takingVIAGRA.Askyourdoctoror pharmacist ifyoudo not understand any ofthis informationor if youwantto knowmoreaboutVIAGRA. Thismedicine can helpmanymenwhenit is used as prescribed by theirdoctors. However, VIAGRAis not foreveryone.It is intendedforuse onlybymenwhohavea conditioncalled erectiledysfunction.VIAGRAmust never be used by men who are taking medicines that contain nitrates of any kind, at any time. This includes nitroglycerin. Ifyou take VIAGRAwith any nitrate medicine your blood pressure could suddenly drop to an unsafe or life threatening level. WhatIs VIAGRA? VIAGRAis a pillused totreaterectiledysfunction(impotence)inmen.It canhelp many menwho haveerectiledysfunctiongetandkeepan erectionwhentheybecome sexually excited(stimulated). Youwillnot getan erectionjust bytakingthis medicine.VIAGRAhelps a manwitherectile dysfunctionget an erectiononlywhenheis sexuallyexcited. HowSex Affects the Body Whena manis sexuallyexcited,the penis rapidlyfillswithmorebloodthan usual.The penis thenexpands andhardens. Thisis calledan erection.Afterthe man is done having sex, this extrabloodflowsout of the penis backinto thebody.Theerectiongoes away.Ifan erectionlasts fora longtime(morethan 6 hours), it can permanentlydamage yourpenis. Youshould call a doctorimmediatelyifyoueverhavea prolongederectionthatlasts more than 4 hours. Some conditions and medicines interferewiththis naturalerectionprocess. Thepenis cannot fillwithenough blood.The mancannot havean erection.Thisis callederectile dysfunctionif it becomes a frequentproblem. Duringsex, your heartworksharder.Thereforesexualactivitymay notbe advisablefor people whohaveheartproblems. Beforeyoustart anytreatmentforerectiledysfunction, ask yourdoctor ifyourheartis healthyenough to handlethe extrastrain of havingsex. IIf you havechest pains, dizziness ornausea during sex, stop havingsex andimmediatelytell yourdoctor youhavehadthis problem. HowVIAGRAWorks VIAGRAenables manymenwitherectiledysfunctionto respond tosexualstimulation. Whena man is sexuallyexcited,VIAGRAhelps the penis fillwithenough bloodto cause an erection.Aftersex is over,the erectiongoes away. VIAGRAIs Not for Everyone As notedabove (How Sex Affectsthe Body),ask yourdoctorifyourheartis healthyenough forsexualactivity. If you takeany medicines that contain nitrates-either regularly or as needed-you should never take VIAGRA.IfyoutakeVIAGRAwithany nitrate medicineor recreationaldrug containing nitrates,yourbloodpressure couldsuddenly drop to an unsafe level.Youcouldgetdizzy,faint,oreven havea heartattackorstroke.Nitrates are foundin manyprescription medicines thatare used to treatangina(chest paindueto heartdisease) such as: * nitroglycerin(sprays, ointments, skinpatches or pastes, andtablets thatare swallowedor dissolved inthe mouth) * isosorbide mononitrate and isosorbide dinitrate(tablets thatare swallowed, chewed,or dissolvedinthe mouth) Nitratesare also foundinrecreationaldrugs such as amylnitrateor nitrite("poppers").It youare not sure if any ofyourmedicines containnitrates,or if youdonot understand what nitratesare, ask yourdoctoror pharmacist. VIAGRAis onlyforpatients witherectiledysfunction.VIAGRAis notfornewborns,children, or women.Donot let anyoneelse takeyourVIAGRA.VIAGRAmust be used onlyunder a doctor's supervision. What VIAGRADoes NotDo * VIAGRAdoes not cureerectiledysfunction. Itis a treatment forerectile dysfunction. * VIAGRAdoes not protectyouor yourpartner fromgettingsexually transmitted diseases, including HIV-thevirus thatcauses AIDS. * VIAGRAis not a hormone oran aphrodisiac. What ToTell YourDoctor Before YouBegin VIAGRA Onlyyourdoctorcan decide ifVIAGRAis rightforyou.VIAGRAcan cause mild,temporary loweringofyourblood pressure. Youwillneedto havea thoroughmedicalexamto diagnose yourerectiledysfunctionand tofindout if you cansafelytakeVIAGRAaloneor withyourothermedicines. Yourdoctorshould determineifyourheart is healthyenough to handletheextrastrainofhavingsex. MajorLeagueBaseballtrademarks and copyrights are used withpermission ofMajorLeagueBaseballProperties, Inc. Visitthe officialwebsite at MLB.com. The blue diamond tablet shape is a trademark ofPfizerInc. Besure totell yourdoctorif you: * haveever had anyheartproblems (e.g.,angina, chest pain,heartfailure,irregular heartbeats, or heart attack) " haveeverhad a stroke * havelowor highbloodpressure * havea rare inheritedeyedisease calledretinitispigmentosa * haveeverhad anykidneyproblems * haveeverhad anyliverproblems * haveeverhad anybloodproblems, includingsicklecellanemia or leukemia * are allergicto sildenafilor any ofthe otheringredients ofVIAGRAtablets * havea deformedpenis, Peyronie'sdisease, or everhad an erectionthatlasted morethan 4 hours * havestomach ulcers or anytypesof bleedingproblems * are takingany othermedicines VIAGRAand Other Medicines Some medicinescan change the wayVIAGRAworks.Tellyourdoctoraboutany medicines youaretaking.Donot start orstop takingany medicines beforecheckingwith yourdoctor orpharmacist. Thisincludesprescriptionand nonprescription medicines or remedies.Remember,VIAGRAshould neverbe used withmedicines thatcontain nitrates (see VIAGRAIs Not orEveryone).Ifyouare takinga protease inhibitor,yourdose maybe adjusted (please see Findingthe Right Dose for You.)VIAGRAshould notbe used withany othermedicaltreatmentsthatcause erections. These treatmentsincludepills, medicines thatare injectedor insertedintothepenis, implantsor vacuumpumps. Finding the Right Dose for You VIAGRAcomes indifferentdoses (25mg,50 mg and 100mg).Ifyoudo not get theresults youexpect,talkwithyourdoctor.Youandyourdoctorcan determinethe dose thatworks best foryou. * Donot takemore VIAGRAthan yourdoctor prescribes. * Ifyouthinkyouneed a largerdose ofVIAGRA, checkwithyour doctor. * VIAGRAshould notbe takenmore than once a day. Ifyouareolder thanage 65, orhaveserious liveror kidneyproblems, yourdoctormay start youat the lowestdose (25mg) ofVIAGRA.Ifyouare takingprotease inhibitors,such as forthetreatmentof HIV,yourdoctormayrecommenda 25 mgdose and maylimityouto a maximumsingle dose of25 mg ofVIAGRAin a 48 hourperiod. HowToTakeVIAGRA TakeVIAGRAaboutone hourbeforeyouplanto havesex.Beginningin about 30 minutes andforup to4 hours, VIAGRAcan helpyougetan erectionifyouare sexuallyexcited.If youtakeVIAGRAaftera high-fatmeal (such as a cheeseburger and frenchfries),the medicinemaytakea littlelongerto start working.VIAGRAcan help yougetan erection whenyouare sexuallyexcited.Youwillnot getan erectionjust bytakingthe pill. Possible Side Effects Likeallmedicines, VIAGRAcan cause some side effects.Theseeffectsare usuallymildto moderateand usuallydon'tlastlongerthana fewhours. Some ofthese side effectsare morelikelyto occurwithhigherdoses. The most commonside effectsofVIAGRAare headache,flushingofthe lace,and upset stomach. Lesscommon side effectsthatmay occurare temporarychanges in colorvision(such as troubletellingthedifferencebetween blueand greenobjects or havinga bluecolortingetothem),eyes beingmoresensitive to light,or blurredvision. In rareinstances, men havereportedan erectionthat lasts manyhours. Youshould call a doctorimmediatelyifyouever havean erectionthatlasts morethan4 hours. If nottreated rightaway,permanentdamagetoyourpenis couldoccur (see How Sex Affectsthe Body). Heartattack,stroke,irregularheartbeats,and deathhave beenreportedrarelyinmen taking VIAGRA.Most,but not all, ofthese men hadheartproblems beforetakingthis medicine.It is notpossible to determinewhetherthese eventsweredirectlyrelatedto VIAGRA. VIAGRAmaycause otherside effectsbesides those listedon this sheet. Ifyouwantmore informationor developany side effectsor symptoms youare concerned about,call your doctor Accidental Overdose In case of accidentaloverdose, callyourdoctorrightaway Storing VIAGRA KeepVIAGRAout ofthe reachofchildren.KeepVIAGRAinits originalcontainer. Store at room temperature,59°-86°F (15°-30°C). For More Information on VIAGRA VIAGRAisa prescription medicineused totreat erectiledysfunction.Onlyyourdoctorcan decide if it is rightforyou.Thissheet is onlya summary.Ifyouhaveanyquestions orwant moreinformationabout VIAGRA, talkwithyourdoctoror pharmacist, visitwww.viagra.com, orcall 1-888-4VIAGRA. Rev.4, June 1999 (sildenafil citrate) ables VG112371D © 2002PfizerInc. Allrightsreserved. O U.S Phanmnlemeali.
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