Viagra Without a Prescription: It May Prove Fatal

The risks of having a heart attack are often mentioned when speaking of men's health, but the risks of facing a premature death by taking Viagra without a prescription are still being ignored by a majority. Fortunately, warning usually comes before destruction; those who will heed can be spared, those who won't, sometimes will not get another chance to play it safe. The attitude of "it won't happen to me or anyone I know" is, simply put, unintelligent, particularly when speaking of matters of life and death.

During my clinicals as an emergency medical technician (EMT) student in the emergency room (ER), for the first time, I was face to face with the battle that I fought alongside the doctors, nurses, and paramedics to revive a 55 year old male who had suffered cardiac arrest during or shortly after intimacy. When the paramedics rolled him in, he had what's known as pulseless electrical activity (PEA); that's a nonshockable rhythm. My work on the team, along with another paramedic working in the ER, mainly involved performing manual cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) while the other members of the team busied themselves with procedures such as intubation and suctioning. We could not save him. The charge nurse on duty suspected the use of Viagra without prescription because of the situation in which he was found when cardiac arrest occurred. She spoke of the cases she had seen before in which there was the confirmation of the taking of Viagra without prescription--all of them were fatalities. When I said that I thought there should be more information on the danger of taking Viagra without medical supervision, all of them just looked at me. Finally, the charge nurse said, "It wouldn't matter how you warned, they're still gonna take it if they can get hold of it."

This topic isn't always discussed when speaking of men's health, but perhaps it should be--respectfully and in a medical setting because of the importance of realizing just how dangerous Viagra can be. EMT's, when giving care to a male patient with cardiac compromise that involves the assisted administration of nitroglycerin, must ask if he has taken Viagra or a similar drug, prescription or not, within the last 48 to 72 hours. According to the article, "Study Confirms Viagra Risky To Those With Heart Disease," "There have been several reports of heart attack, heart arrhythmia, and even deaths that have been related to victims who were using Viagra." Among the many side effects of Viagra are angina pectoris (chest pain), tachycardia (accelerated heart rate), and even cardiac arrest.

Some will continue to take Viagra without a prescription, especially if they don't believe they have a heart condition. However, there are many people walking around with heart conditions that they don't yet know they have; my uncle was one of them. Warnings must be heeded if they are to prevent death and/or disaster. It's easy to speak boldly and fearlessly while all is okay, or appears to be okay, but that boldness and fearlessness often disappears when the realization hits that death has arrived and must be faced alone. Is Viagra worth having a fatal heart attack?