The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 272 No 7298 p561
8 May 2004

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Men's spirits sink when sildenafil does not work

Expectations that treatment with sildenafil (Viagra) will be successful can lead to severe distress when the drug fails to work in erectile dysfunction.

Doctors explored the impact of treatment with sildenafil and the effects of erectile dysfunction in a qualitative study involving 40 men suffering from this condition, and found that when it worked, sildenafil produced a great improvement in well-being. However, media hyperbole accompanying the launch of this drug had an adverse effect on the morale of patients who found it unsuccessful.

The authors say that, for many men, lack of efficacy “confirmed their lack of self worth” (BMJ 2004;328:1037).