Addicted to Viagra: A growing number of young men can’t cope without those little blue pills

To the casual observer, bachelor Daniel Atkinson looks like any other healthy, athletic young man in the prime of his life.

Six foot tall with chiselled cheekbones and a trim physique, Daniel admits he never has any difficulty attracting the opposite sex.

But Daniel, 32, has a very intimate secret. When he wants to have sex with a woman, he needs up to two Viagra pills to perform.

The blue tablets, which are available on the NHS, have long been viewed as essential medication for men in their 50s, 60s and beyond.

But Daniel is one of a growing number of young males turning to the drug due to performance anxiety, triggered by a host of psychological issues from the proliferation of porn on the internet making ‘normal’ sex seem boring, to financial pressures.

Viagra was even blamed for its part in the suicide of a 24-year-old writer earlier this year, after his girlfriend discovered he was secretly using it.

James Andrews’s body was found on a railway line between Bristol and Bath on Valentine’s Day. An inquest into his death revealed how he’d rowed with girlfriend Eleanor Sharpe — a ballet dancer who appeared in the Olympic closing ceremony — over his use of the drug, despite the pair enjoying a ‘normal physical relationship’.

Daniel, now an entertainment promoter, was just 20 and on a weekend with friends in Amsterdam when he took his first pill. It was supplied to him by a friend, after he had picked up a girl.

Even though he had never had erectile problems, he was so impressed by the extra stamina it gave him he continued to take the drug with subsequent girlfriends.

On two occasions, he was even prescribed it by his GP, albeit with warnings about the long-term effects

GRAPEFRUIT JUICE & CIALIS
While you may enjoy the vitamin C-packed nutrients found in grapefruits, eating grapefruit with certain medications can negatively impact your health. One example is the medication Cialis, generic name tadalafil, which is prescribed to treat erectile dysfunction. If you are currently taking this medication and wish to consume grapefruits or grapefruit juice, talk to your physician first.

Enzyme Concentration
Grapefruit contains certain enzymes that interact with an enzyme in your intestine and liver known as CYP 3A4. This enzyme is responsible for breaking down certain medications, like Cialis, in your body. When you eat a grapefruit, the grapefruit can reduce the amount of CYP 3A4 in your intestines by as much as 47%.

How Cialis Is Affected
When you typically take Cialis, the CYP 3A4 in your body starts to break down the medication, releasing it at an expected rate and helping it to work on your body’s systems. However, if you have eaten grapefruits, you have less of this enzyme in your body, which means Cialis stays in your body longer. Some people tend to have more CYP 3A4 in their bodies than others, which means grapefruit’s effects on Cialis can vary.

Bioavailability
Cialis is a medication that tends to rank low in terms of bioavailability. Bioavailability is a term that refers to how much medication the body absorbs. For example, if you take a vitamin that has 100 g of calcium, you’re your body may absorb only half this amount. Because Cialis is not absorbed as much as other medications, the medication may be administered at a higher dose. This is problematic when you eat a grapefruit because Cialis’ bioavailability increases, meaning more circulates in your bloodstream.

Time Frame
Even if you do not take Cialis regularly, grapefruit can have harmful effects. This is because even 8 oz. of grapefruit juice can stay in your digestive system for 72 hours. If you drank a glass of grapefruit juice three days before and take Cialis, it is possible you could experience side effects related to grapefruit consumption. Therefore, if you know you may be taking the medication in the near future, it’s best to avoid grapefruit products entirely.

Side Effects
Common side effects associated with Cialis include redness, cold-like symptoms, headaches, memory problems or muscle pain. Eating grapefruit while taking Cialis can heighten these effects. In some instances, you can experience more serious side effects like changes in vision, irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath or fainting. If you have these symptoms, seek immediate medical attention and inform your physician if you have recently consumed grapefruit.

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