Viagra is a drug used to treat male erectile dysfunction, developed by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer. The generic name for this compound is ''sildenafil''. It is a blue pill with the words "Pfizer" on one side and "VGR xx" (with xx being either 25, 50 or 100 as the miligram dose of that pill) on the other.
Chemical name: 1-[4-ethoxy- 3-(6,7-dihydro- 1-methyl- 7-oxo- 3-propyl- 1H-pyrazolo [4,3-d]pyrimidin-5-yl) phenylsulfonyl]- 4-methylpiperazine citrate. Molecular formula: C22H30N6O4S.C6H807. MW: 666.7
Mechanism of action Part of the physiological process of erection involves the release of nitric oxide (NO) in the corpus cavernosum. This then activates the enzyme, guanylate cyclase, which results in increased levels of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) which results in smooth muscle relaxation in the corpus cavernosum which leads to increased inflow of blood which leads directly to erection.
Sildenafil is a potent and selective inhibitor of cGMP specific phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) which is responsible for degradation of cGMP in the corpus cavernosum. This means that, with Viagra on board, normal sexual stimulation leads to increased levels of cGMP in the corpus cavernosum which leads to better erections. Without sexual stimulation and no activation of the NO/cGMP system, Viagra should not cause an erection.
Contraindications - when taking other nitric oxide donors, organic nitrites and nitrates (which includes glyceryl trinitrate, sodium nitroprusside, amyl nitrite) - in men for whom sexual intercourse is inadvisable due to cardiovascular risk factors - severe hepatic impairment - severe impairment in renal function - hypotension - recent stroke or heart attack (myocardial infarct) - hereditary degenerative retinal disorders (including genetic disorders of retinal phosphodiesterases)
Dose The dose of viagra is 50mg to 100mg taken once per day between 0.5 to 4 hours before sexual intercourse. If taken with a high fat meal, there may be a delay in absorbtion of Viagra and the net effect might be muted slightly as the plasma concentration will be lowered.
Adverse effects Amongst viagra's serious adverse effects are: priapism, severe hypotension, myocardial infarction, ventricular arrhythmias, sudden death, stroke and increased intraocular pressure.
Common side effects include headache, flushing, dyspepsia, prolonged erections, palpitations and photophobia. Temporary visual changes including blurring of vision and a curious bluish tinge have also been reported.
Metabolism and excretion Viagra is metabolised by hepatic enzymes and excreted by both the liver and kidneys.
Is it any coincidence that the choice of virtual reality over reality in The Matrix is a blue pill?
Pfizer Inc. created the Viagra Research Grants program to offer investigators an outlet to submit new and innovative research proposals that can expand the use of Viagra (sildenafil citrate) in clinical practice and extend its scientific knowledge throughout the global medical community..... A multidisciplinary, international Grant Review Committee will judge proposals based on their originality, scientific merit, and feasibility. Advertisement in the New England Journal of Medicine, January 8, 2004
A multidisciplinary, international Grant Review Committee will judge proposals based on their originality, scientific merit, and feasibility.
Advertisement in the New England Journal of Medicine, January 8, 2004
3rd Place
ViagraVision(c)
Michael Eisner and the Pfizer Viagra Grants Research program held a joint press conference today to anounce the latest in cinema technology--ViagraVision.
Viewers can take sildenafil citrate--to be marketed as ViewAgra--to enhance their cinematic pleasure.
While Viagra has been used off-label for years in the adult entertainment industry, Michael Eisner envisions expanding the market to the Disney family of films.
"Taking ViewAgra will induce a blue tint to the viewer's world. We plan to re-issue Finding Nemo in ViagraVision. We are also negotiating with the Jacques Cousteau Society to obtain rights to their filmography," Mr. Eisner said.
Shares of Disney (DIS on the NYSE) soared 11% before closing yesterday.
2nd Place
BabiAgra
Ever change your boy baby while lounging at the pool club?
"Oooh...he's so cute!"...giggles...."I mean, look at it....It's so, well, tiny!"...more laughter"Well, they say you can't tell size when it's so, um, soft...but my Ibn, he never looked like that!" You slink away with your effeminate boy child, and go change him in the Women's Room. He never recovers.
(Disclaimer: VIAGRA is not for newborns, children, or women.) 1
Grand Prize Winner
Diagra
The Bioterrorism Task Force announced today a novel way to stack cadavers.
It's not something we talk about much, but stacking corpses can be dangerous. A pallet can only hold about 3 layers of cadavers before bodies start sliding off. We've tried duct tape, glue, even staples, but nothing has proven as effective as the new Diagra method.Michael Doyle, embalmer for McCall's Funeral Home
Michael Doyle, embalmer for McCall's Funeral Home
Resarchers at Pfizer discovered that sildenafil citrate (originally marketed as Viagra) can induce priapism as long as 36 hours after death. Morticians can mix Diagra with formaldehyde, obtaining firm erections that are used as stanchions to support the overlying body.
Pfizer has a patented stacking program using standardized patterns of stanchion to orifice connections to assure secure corpse stacking. Industry experts believe that using the Pfizer method will increase cadaver to pallet ratio up to 40%.
The Viagra Research Grants panel warns, however, that this method works only for certain methods of terrorist attacks. Cadavers need to be at least 90% intact for the method to work, and requires a M:F ratio of at least 40%.
While obviously most of this is fiction, the advertisement quoted at the top is real. It's an amazing world when we are looking for problems to fit a manufactured solution. In the late 19th century, medical professionals were outraged that the Bayer Corporation in Germany would dare market a drug called Aspirin (a trade name back then)--not because asprin was dangerous, but because drugs should not be sold as commodities.
Viagra was originally marketed towards elderly and aging males as a treatment for erectile dysfunction. The FDA had in 1997 lifted its long-standing prohibition of direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs, and Pfizer took advantage of the new possibilities by running an initial advertising campaign featuring the endorsement of former U.S. Senate majority leader, failed 1996 presidential candidate, and prostate cancer survivor Bob Dole. The dual taboos of open talk about erections and of sex among the elderly, combined with the role of Dole, who had by this point reinvented himself as a somewhat comic figure, made Viagra a goldmine for not particularly creative comedians, and Viagra jokes were a staple of late-night talk shows for months if not years.
While Viagra's public image may have been a common topic of jest, what could not be dismissed so lightly was Viagra's commercial success, coming at a dark time for a pharmaceutical industry facing the imminent expiration of patents on several popular medications. Viagra brought Pfizer over 1.5 billion dollars in sales annually, and competitors hurried "me-too" drugs Levitra (vardenafil, from GlaxoSmithKline and Bayer), and Cialis (tadalafil, from Eli Lilly) through testing and onto the market.
Once Pfizer had firmly established Viagra and sponsored initiatives to significantly dispel taboos and a previously common sense of embarrassment surrounding weak erections, it sought to expand its market to younger men who might not have otherwise considered their unsatisfactory erectile capabilities as a disorder for which they should seek treatment. In contrast to the septuagenarian Dole, figures in later advertising campaigns appeared to be closer to their forties and fifties, and the ads' tone became more playful.
Of course, even this cutoff point was largely arbitrary. Before the introduction of Viagra and its competitors, a trend towards decreased erectile capability and libido and increased difficulty in achieving orgasm that came with age was largely considered a natural, if regrettable, state of affairs, not a medical condition. "Erectile dysfunction" was in large part a definition created and promoted by Pfizer to create a vocabulary by which to legitimate Viagra by medicalizing unsatisfactory erectile function, and as such does not have a solid, hard and fast definition.
Elderly men previously unable to achieve the strength of erection necessary to achieve satisfactory penetration report that Viagra allows them to engage in coitus again, but at the same time 20- and 30-something men who might traditionally have been considered perfectly sexually capable have found that Viagra can lend a strength and rapidity of erection previously considered the exclusive province of 17-year-olds, the age at which male sexual function is considered to reach its peak. In both cases, users report increased pleasure during sex on behalf of both themselves and their partners, a heightened sense of virility and sexual competence, and a resultant increase in confidence and self-esteem.
There is some evidence to suggest that Viagra may also have some benefits for female users - anecdotal reports have indicated heightened sexual drive, increased pleasure during sex, and greater ease in attaining orgasm. The mechanism for these effects is yet unclear. It may stem from increased blood flow to the clitoris, labia, and other structures of the female genitals. On the other hand, it might be some entirely separate mechanism, or simply a placebo effect. With thoughts of a possible doubling or more of their potential market, pharmaceutical companies are currently studying the female use of Viagra and similar compounds closely.
Another popular unapproved use, especially among young people, is that of taking Viagra in conjunction with recreational drugs like ketamine, cocaine or methamphetamine whose circulatory or anesthetic effects inhibit erection. The combination of Viagra with Ecstasy (MDMA), a popular recreational stimulant which augments tactile and emotional sensitivity but inhibits tumescence, has been especially highly praised. The prominence of such Viagra cocktails is perhaps most pronounced in gay dance club culture, where amyl nitrite had historically been used in a similar role.
Viagra isn't a perfect wonder drug, though. Unlike previous attempts at erection-inducing medications, Viagra does not directly cause erection, but simply makes it possible - physical, mental, or other stimulation is still necessary, and Viagra will not cure psychological impediments to erection. Further, Viagra's "window" of effect is somewhat limited, and users are directed to take the pill at least thirty minutes and no more than four hours before, erm, making use of its effects. Given the degree to which sexual intercourse is considered to properly be an impulsive, passionate, unplanned activity, users may find these constraints limiting. For the horndog in a rush, Viagra can be insufflated to produce more immediate effects, but there is yet no clear way to extend its period of effect aside from repeated administration, which may aggravate unwanted or dangerous side effects. Those interested in prolonged periods of effect may want to consider Viagra's newer competitor Cialis, nicknamed "the weekender" for its 36-hour effective duration.
Though Viagra has shown benefits in a wide range of users, its legitimation within a medicalized disease/treatment framework means that the bulk of the millions of its prescriptions written yearly go to older men. However, not all users acquire Viagra in this manner. Viagra's popularity even among those who might not consider themselves recreational drug users is considered a major factor in the growth of "internet pharmacies" - online retail operations, often hosted on flag of convenience servers, selling medications with only the most perfunctory (if any) nods towards legal requirements regarding physician approval. In the face of lingering taboos regarding discussion of the genitals and a culture in which weakness of erection is often considered symbolic of low value and failure as a male, the anonymity these services offer can't hurt, either. Viagra is such a staple of internet commerce that a poorly spelled solicitation for its purchase is generally considered the spam archetype.
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