In fact, those who use Sildenafil (Viagra) believe in its effectiveness and safety. For the rest, today we will present some evidence for Viagra effectiveness based on the medical literature and clinical studies. Take a look at this article!
A brief guide to the reasons for using Sildenafil
First of all, doctors recommend this medication to men suffering from erectile dysfunction. ED, or impotence, refers to the inability to achieve and/or maintain an erection. In other words, a man cannot have sex normally, and/or complete sexual intercourse. Hundreds of millions of men worldwide suffer from this disease. In the US, tens of millions of impotent people need Sildenafil or equivalent therapy. So, let us talk of the evidence for Viagra effectiveness.
Studies to prove the effectiveness of Viagra
All forms of ED are based on damage to a single molecular mechanism of relaxation of the smooth muscle cells of the cavernous tissue of the penis. In most cases, Viagra helps correct the disease symptomatically. On the other hand, as numerous experiments have shown, you cannot completely cure impotence.
However, some exceptions exist. In particular, studies have shown a lot of evidence for Viagra effectiveness in the treatment of psychogenic and post-traumatic ED forms in young patients. Also, the drug (in combination with the treatment of the underlying disease) easily cures erectile dysfunction caused by hormonal disorders.
The most important study with the evidence for Viagra effectiveness
We reviewed data from more than 67 clinical, randomized, placebo-controlled and post-marketing studies with the evidence for Viagra effectiveness. The most important works include two studies carried out in 1998 and formally combined into one.
In the fixed-dose group, the intake of Sildenafil contributed to a significant (p <0.001) improvement in sexual function compared to baseline. For example, patients who took 25 mg, 50 mg and 100 mg tablets noted an increase in the number of committed intercourse by 60%, 84% and 100%, respectively. Patients in the placebo group noted an improvement in this indicator by only 5%. In addition, the medicine contributed to the ability to maintain an erection throughout the entire intercourse. Patients noted an improvement of 121%, 133% and 130% when taking 25, 50 and 100 mg, respectively.
It became clear what the side effects to expect. Most often, men complained of headache, facial flushing and a feeling of heat, dyspepsia, rhinitis, and impaired color perception. Despite this, 92% of patients in the open 32-week study had decided to complete their treatment. They liked the Sildenafil effect, and tolerated the adverse events well enough.
Proof of the economic benefit of such treatment
Besides the evidence for Viagra effectiveness, mind the money. Particularly, other researchers have found that Sildenafil is the most cost-effective drug compared to other treatments and similar medications. A systematic review was published in 2013.
In fact, the researchers conducted a systematic evaluation of studies published in the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases between 2001 and 2011. The authors evaluated the following parameters:
- the cost of the type of treatment
- value for money
- the cost of treating the disease and complications
- illness and treatment-related job loss
- the patient’s willingness to pay for treatment and purchase of drugs
It turned out that Viagra in total has the most favorable cost compared to other inhibitors for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. In addition, among the groups of patients with ED due to diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension and spinal trauma, Sildenafil turned out to be the most economically viable in comparison with other types of treatment.