VIAGRA Info

One of my friends knows that I use Viagra and asked me if I would give him a tablet “to try it out”. I told him to talk to his doctor if he wants his own. Was I right to refuse? How do I get him to stop pestering me about it?

Your friend’s request is inappropriate for a multitude of reasons, but as with all inappropriate requests, a simple “No” without further explanation is all that should be required. If your friend persists, point out that pharmaceutical companies supply physicians with box-loads of trial-size packets for just this purpose. If he simply doesn’t get it, ask bluntly, “Do I look like a doctor?” Obviously, this will not be as effective if you actually are in the medical profession.

True story:

I am sixty years old, and, for the last few years, I have been doing interesting things in order to maintain an erection. For example, I would view erotica, or trim the hairs in my pubic region to increase sensation during sex. Last week, with my wife’s full knowledge and consent, I tried 25mg of Viagra with very satisfactory results. I told my wife that I had read that I should be very careful to be cuddly and loving when using Viagra. She just laughed and said, “Don’t worry about THAT; it just feels good having something that big inside me”.  I told her that I took half the recommended dose so that I wouldn’t cause her discomfort.  She laughed again and blurted, “I like it big and hard, I’d be crazy if I didn’t. Don’t ever worry about taking too much”.  I plan to put this stuff to the test, you can believe that.

Sex enhancement tablets that can be dangerous if taken without medical advice are being sold in Asian corner shops, trading officials warn.

Thousands of cheap variations of the licensed drug Viagra have flooded into Britain from India.

Trading standards officials warn that untested imitation pills could have fatal consequences.

Dubbed the “pills that kill”, anyone who has bought them is being urged to throw them away immediately.

The potentially deadly pills being sold under the counter include Vigora, Proxyron and Kamagra. Kamagra oral jelly is also being sold.

Viagra is licensed in Britain to treat erectile dysfunction and is only available with a doctor’s prescription or from some pharmacies.

Health experts say just one of these pills could kill someone who is already taking prescribed medicines for liver, heart, kidney or blood pressure problems.

“These tablets are illegal and unlicensed and have not been tested to UK standards to ensure they are safe. Anyone taking them could be risking their life,” said Sangeeta Sharma, a senior pharmaceutical advisor who works for the local health authority in Ealing, West London.

Cheap pills

In recent days trading standards officers working undercover have seized nearly 1,600 tablets from one shop in Southall, the same Ealing community where 2,000 tablets were seized three weeks ago.

Authorities believe the fake pills are also being sold in Yorkshire and Scotland and they say they are now targeting the importers who bring in the drugs from the subcontinent.

In India a strip of four tablets can be as cheap as 50p, compared with the £15 they fetch on the black market in London.

At Boots the chemist, which began selling Viagra without prescription in February 2007, an hour-long consultation and medical tests conducted by a pharmacist cost £50, which includes four tablets.

The manufacturers of one of the drugs in question have expressed their concern over the illegal trade, saying their drug should be taken only under medical supervision.

“As far as Ajanta is concerned people should always seek medical advice,” said Arvind Agrawal, from Ajanta Pharma Ltd, the makers of Kamagra.