Posted on 05/21/2010 10:06:34 AM PDT by Red Badger
Researcher At University Of Alabama-Birmingham Studies 11,000 Men Over The Age Of 40; Docs Urge Caution
YORKTOWN HEIGHTS, N.Y. (CBS) ―
It's the little blue pill that works wonders for the sex life. But does taking Viagra increase the risk of hearing loss?
A new study is raising concern about a troubling side effect from Viagra and similar drugs.
Hearing expert Dr. Scott Messenger has learned to ask men of a certain age a certain question when they report sudden hearing loss.
"We are now asking, are you taking any erectile dysfunction medication?" Messenger said.
Soon after Viagra hit the market in 1998 a handful of reports began to surface of men suffering from sudden hearing loss after taking Viagra.
Three years ago the Food & Drug Administration ordered the makers of Viagra and similar drugs to include a hearing loss warning on their lengthy patient information forms.
That's when a researcher from the University of Alabama-Birmingham decided to take a closer look. Click here to read the study.
He studied medical records of more than 11,000 men over the age of 40. Of those reporting hearing loss 3 percent had taken a drug for erectile dysfunction. But of those with "no" hearing loss only 1.4 percent had taken e-d drugs.
In other words, men who self-reported hearing loss were more than twice as likely to have used a type of erectile dysfunction medication in the past.
Is the slight risk of hearing loss enough to scare men off Viagra?
Many we spoke to today laughed at the idea. But aside from the inevitable joke almost everyone had an opinion.
"I don't think so, because if they need it, they're gonna try it whether they die or not," said Lydia Sanchez of Putnam County.
"Yeah, hearing is more important!" another person added.
"I can tell you that I don't think this is gonna be that big of a threat," added Gabe Savarese of Bergen County, N.J.
"I don't need it, thank God, but I wouldn't take it anyway," added another person.
The experts say Viagra remains safe, but if you take it and suffer hearing loss see your doctor right away.
The maker of Viagra said it is closely reviewing this study. New York-based Pfizer it found discrepancies in earlier research from the same doctor, linking Viagra to sudden blindness.
I keep telling them, you swallow it. You don’t put them in your ears
>> If I got a four hour erection, Id put an ad on Craigs List.
If I got a four hour erection, I’d probably die from the extended two-quart blood diversion. ;-)
For some reason, “Good Morning, Vietnam” comes to mind, specifically the part where Adrian’s pretenging to be the artilleryman calling a song request in to AFN...
“ANYTHING! JUST PLAY IT LOUD, OKAY?!”
we have a winner!
Can’t hear a word you’re saying
Well I guess this may be a WIN/WIN for the men who hate to hear their wife’s voices.
Just a thought!
LOL!!
Huh...?
Hmmmm... I hadn't heard that.
I heard of a guy who tried it once-it went down the wrong way when he swallowed it and he got a stiff neck......
Powder..patch..ball FIRE!
you are not supposed to put the pill in your ears..lol!
Anyone with a 4 hour erection is not really focused on sensory stimuli from other organs.
Most men probably don’t care if they can hear or not...lol
I believe that what happens is that the three little bones in your ears get hard and it affects your hearing.
If you experience a loss of hearing lasting more than four hours, contact your doctor.
Huh!!
LOL!
Seriously, this is not a good study. The men over 40 who take such drugs might be more likely to have other ailments related to the ED than those who don’t. Or those over 40 who take ED drugs may also be more likely to be the kinda guys who spent half of their third decade listening to heavy metal music cranked up to 11.
The better retort for the hearing impaired on viagara would be ... .... “come again.”
There are no impotent men, just ugly women.
They are all beautiful at closing time...............
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.