Posted on 03/17/2024 6:50:09 PM PDT by Fractal Trader
Can Viagra prevent or reverse Alzheimer’s disease? Older men’s ship may be coming in. New research from the Cleveland Clinic suggests the erectile-dysfunction drug could ward off cognitive decline, illustrating how artificial intelligence can help scientists repurpose old medications for new diseases.
The study, published this month in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, builds on earlier research by the Cleveland Clinic that identified sildenafil, the generic name for Viagra, as a promising Alzheimer’s treatment.
Researchers first identified genes associated with the disease’s pathology, amyloid plaque and tau tangles in the brain. They then mapped out the molecular interplay among more than 1,600 drugs already approved by the Food and Drug Administration and Alzheimer’s-related proteins. After identifying 66 medications that interact with Alzheimer’s genes and pathology, they settled on sildenafil as the one with the most potential.
As a next step, they analyzed insurance claims from more than seven million Americans. They found that people who took sildenafil were 69% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s than those who didn’t after adjusting for sex, age and other diseases. Correlation doesn’t prove causation, but further study suggested they might be on to something.
Researchers grew neurons from the stem cells of Alzheimer’s patients in test tubes and exposed them to sildenafil. What do you know? The drug increased brain cell growth and decreased toxic tau, which usually develops in the early to middle stages of the disease. This suggested possible mechanisms by which sildenafil might arrest the disease.
In their new study, Cleveland Clinic researchers analyzed two patient databases and found that those who took sildenafil were 30% to 54% less likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. They also found that sildenafil activated genes in neurons that are associated with cell growth, improved brain function and reduced inflammation.
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
“...It proved to be of little use for that purpose...”
It might have worked since it opened up more areas the blood could go and thus lowered pressure, somewhere else.
wy69
The premise of Viagra as a blood pressure lowering drug was that it would trigger a release of nitric oxide, which would relax the blood vessels and thereby improve blood flow. As it was, the release of nitric oxide with Viagra is so rapid and substantial that it commonly prompts an erection in males, but the effect on blood pressure and flow are mostly transitory.
Here’s a very interesting medical fact: premature babies in natal ICU are given viagra to increase blood-oxygen levels.
It hardens the arteries. 😎
I remember when Viagra sponsored a car in NASCAR. That was some hard racing because none of the other drivers wanted that car right behind them. Really stiff competition.
NO can be dangerous also. The body produces it naturally but nitric oxide may also worsen other medical conditions, including kidney disease and heart problems. And since it is sold over the counter as a supplement, lighter spread out dosages is a little safer than what it is being used for in too many cases. Other side effects can include gastrointestinal disturbances like vomiting, nausea, bloating, diarrhea, stomach pain, as well as headache besides the heartburn and palpitations. It also has a history of not mixiung well with other meds. Kind of a decision for four hours, possibly, of bliss with all the side effects. But, at least you’ll go down swinging.
wy69
It will make your brain swell.......................
Women actually do take Viagra!
And for the same reasons...................
This is hard to believe.
Drug companies have much to answer for, but at their best, they find ways to reformulate useful drugs to reduce side effects and better focus on the chosen target. Cialis, for example, is a slower and longer acting nitric oxide agonist than Viagra and is generally less prone to side effects. There are other nitric oxide agonists in use and more are in the pipeline.
If it lasts more than 4 hours, I’m calling EVERYBODY!
Good for your brain as well as good for the organ men think with.
good grief! That’s an image I could live without.
“Drug companies have much to answer for...”
That’s an interesting point to open with. I don’t feel drug companies owe anyone anything. They produce a product, they are one of the most overseen business in the country, and they have full disclosure on everything they make even to the point of having to display their products in information like MSDS’s from numerous groups beside the FDA, AMA, and political scrutiny.
We are a real smorgasboard of people in the country. I am not going to sit in judgement of a drug use that I do not expect to be right for everyone. And no one has ever made one that is not wrong for someone. But there is a real problem in the people that perscribe the drug too many times. NO has side effects that can effect different people different ways. About anything can happen with the educated guess of drug use. This is why doctors practice medicine.
But when they perscribe medicine designed to do something for other reasons because the meds can do something else, it seems like too often the original use of the medication is ignored for the practical needs of the patient. And too often it isn’t exactly safe. One of those is Ozempic, a diabetes drug being used for weight loss. Bad idea.
wy69
Unless you happen to be morbidly obese...then you will need a “kickstand extension.”
Drug companies owe the public due care for the products they make and distribute, just as car and appliance makers and farms, food processors, and local restaurants and grocery stores do for their products. Despite the strong regulatory environment, there are sometimes errors, lapses, and even intentional wrong doing by the drug companies. The COVID vaccines for example were dodgy products rushed to use without full testing and proper regulatory scrutiny.
“The COVID vaccines for example were dodgy products rushed to use without full testing and proper regulatory scrutiny.”
I figured this would come up. The covid vaccines were never set up to be like a regulated drug as they were on an emergency distribution and not sanctioned fully by the FDA. So it was really about what the consumer wanted the vaccines to accomplish.
They were originally not presented or advertised as a cure for the virus. They were advertised as something that would make you feel better while you had it. They were never a cure. You body’s immune system did that.That wasn’t lied about until the politicians came in and tried to use it a the answer to the virus. It never was. And originally the CDC admitted that never saying it stopped the virus.
“COVID 19-vaccines are effective at protecting people from getting seriously ill, being hospitalized, and dying. Vaccination remains the safest strategy for avoiding hospitalizations, long-term health outcomes, and death.”
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/vaccine-benefits.html
“This is the purpose of these vaccines: to save lives and prevent severe disease.”
https://www.cdc.gov/ncird/whats-new/5-things-you-should-know.html
You’ve got to watch the wording to see how they wish you to read it. And as the false cures came out of the woodwork, people did all kinds of things to kill the virus to include drinking bleach.
https://www.statnews.com/2020/06/05/cdc-misusing-bleach-try-kill-coronavirus/
The public was mislead. And all they wanted to hear was killing the virus, so that’s what was handed to them. And the drug companies put out a product with numerous MSDS entries. And none of them say their product kills the virus. It fools the body into changing the virus, not killing it. And as for herd immujnityh or only getting it once, toss those.
wy69
“The COVID vaccines for example were dodgy products rushed to use without full testing and proper regulatory scrutiny.”
I figured this would come up. The covid vaccines were never set up to be like a regulated drug as they were on an emergency distribution and not sanctioned fully by the FDA. So it was really about what the consumer wanted the vaccines to accomplish.
They were originally not presented or advertised as a cure for the virus. They were advertised as something that would make you feel better while you had it. They were never a cure. You body’s immune system did that.That wasn’t lied about until the politicians came in and tried to use it a the answer to the virus. It never was. And originally the CDC admitted that never saying it stopped the virus.
“COVID 19-vaccines are effective at protecting people from getting seriously ill, being hospitalized, and dying. Vaccination remains the safest strategy for avoiding hospitalizations, long-term health outcomes, and death.”
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/vaccine-benefits.html
“This is the purpose of these vaccines: to save lives and prevent severe disease.”
https://www.cdc.gov/ncird/whats-new/5-things-you-should-know.html
You’ve got to watch the wording to see how they wish you to read it. And as the false cures came out of the woodwork, people did all kinds of things to kill the virus to include drinking bleach.
https://www.statnews.com/2020/06/05/cdc-misusing-bleach-try-kill-coronavirus/
The public was mislead. And all they wanted to hear was killing the virus, so that’s what was handed to them. And the drug companies put out a product with numerous MSDS entries. And none of them say their product kills the virus. It fools the body into changing the virus, not killing it. And as for herd immujnityh or only getting it once, toss those.
wy69
If men are having more sex, women must be having more sex too, thus being good for women’s brains.
better orgasams.
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