CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
A third pill to treat impotence was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for sale in the United States on Friday, intensifying competition in a billion-dollar slice of the drug market. The new pill will be sold under the name Cialis. It joins Viagra, the oral drug that went on the market in 1998, and Levitra, which was approved earlier this year by the FDA. All three drugs act on an enzyme that helps prompt and maintain erections by relaxing muscles in the penis and blood vessels. The duration and onset of the drug action is different, however, with each pill. Cialis, manufactured by Eli Lilly, was found in studies to stay longer in the body than Viagra. Studies suggest that a 20-mg dose of Cialis is active for 24 to 36 hours. In France, where the drug has been on the market for some time, Cialis is called "le weekend" pill. The drug is not recommended for patients on some heart medications, such as nitroglycerin tablets or some alpha blockers, or for use in combination with the recreational substances amyl nitrate or nitrite, commonly called poppers. Combining the substances can cause a sharp drop in blood pressure than can cause fainting and even death in some men. Sexual dysfunction is relatively common as men grow older, with studies showing that about 5% of men in their 40s experience some symptoms of erectile dysfunction. The percentage of men experiencing erectile dysfunction increases as men age, with as many as half of men between 40 and 70 experiencing at least occasional symptoms. Stephen E. Goldstone, MD, medical director of the Web site GayHealth.com, has told The Advocate that gay men are typically more likely than straight men to seek erectile dysfunction treatments when experiencing even rare signs of sexual dysfunction. "We go for Botox, we go for plastic surgery," he said. "We don't want to see our erections drop as we grow old either." Medications like Viagra, Levitra, and Cialis--and even injectible erectile dysfunction treatments--also are popular among users of drugs like ecstasy and crystal methamphetamine to counter the erection-inhibiting side effects of the party drugs.
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Meet all 37 of the queer women in this season's WNBA
April 17 2024 11:24 AM
Here are the 15 gayest travel destinations in the world: report
March 26 2024 9:23 AM
21+ steamy photos of Scotland’s finest gay men in Elska Glasgow
February 01 2024 10:07 PM
More Than 50 of Our Favorite LGBTQ+ Moms
May 12 2024 11:44 AM
Conjoined twins Lori Schappell and trans man George Schappell dead at 62
April 27 2024 6:13 PM
Latest Stories
Joe Biden sends queer lawmakers & LGBTQ+ allies to Paris Olympics
July 24 2024 12:08 PM
Kamala Harris rides wave of Democratic energy at kickoff event in Wisconsin
July 23 2024 3:36 PM
'Devastated:' A six-week abortion ban will go into effect in Iowa next week
July 23 2024 2:28 PM
Four hours, 44,000 Black women, and one Zoom call
July 23 2024 2:17 PM