Viagra abuse on the Upswing - HIV Digest - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

There's a new drug cocktail out there, but this one isn't recommended for people with HIV--or anyone else, for that matter.

A significant percentage of gay men and a rising number of heterosexual men are combining the impotence medication Viagra with party drugs such as ecstasy, ketamine, amphetamines, GHB and amyl nitrate ("poppers"), according to research presented at the HIV Prevention Conference in Atlanta.

Those who do this are either seeking a sexual high or simply hoping to regain their drug-damaged potency. "We know that ecstasy and methamphetamines reduce sexual function, so men are using Viagra to enhance their sexual ability," says Andrea Kim, an epidemiologist with the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

The most dangerous recipe mixes Viagra with amyl nitrate: Since both drugs dilate blood vessels and lower blood pressure, the combination can lead to dizziness, strokes or heart attacks. A great number of these men obtain Viagra through friends, says Kim, "so they're not getting the [warnings] they need from a doctor."

Public-health experts are also worried that men who take Viagra while inebriated will be more likely to indulge in unsafe sex. In a study of 844 male patients at a clinic for sexually transmitted diseases, Kim found that 32 percent of gay respondents and 7 percent of heterosexual respondents used Viagra, and that these men were more likely to have multiple sexual partners and to have an STD. Among the gay men who were HIV-negative, 30 percent of the Viagra users reported having unprotected anal sex with men of unknown or positive HIV status, compared to 15 percent of those not taking Viagra.

However, the study does not establish whether the use of Viagra leads to high-risk behavior or whether those who engage in high-risk activities are more likely to use Viagra. Some Viagra defenders have even suggested that the drug can facilitate safer sex by making it easier to maintain an erection while wearing a condom.

COPYRIGHT 2002 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group