Is that Viagra injurious?

Ever since Viagra became available on the internet, buying Viagra online without prescription has become a common practice. This practice has, however, been consistently advised against. However, a lot of people still see the internet as a most viable option for buying Viagra cheap deals. Apart from the obvious threat of buying fake copies of the drug, another threat of almost equal proportion could be the rare side effects produced by the drug, if reports of certain people who took the drug are to be believed.

In October 2007, the label of Viagra was modified to include warnings about sudden loss of hearing associated with the drug. This came after the United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA) had requested the changes due to the report it received about 29 patients who experienced sudden loss of hearing just within hours to two days of taking real Viagra tablets.

Because of the predominance of the older population who take Viagra, loss of hearing among this patient population would not be an uncommon occurrence. However, the process is almost always gradual, and sudden loss of hearing is classified a rarity. The sudden loss of hearing associated with Viagra was often accompanied by ringing in the ears – known as or tinnitus – and dizziness, according to the FDA. In a third of the cases reported, the hearing loss was temporary, with every case involving the loss of hearing in one ear.

It is on record that some cases of hearing loss were reported during Viagra’s pre-approval testing. As a result of this, a one-word caution of “deafness” as a possible side effect on the old Viagra label was mentioned. The new warning on sudden hearing loss is included, in contrast, in both the “Adverse Reactions” and “Precautions” sections of the new label. The new label now warns of “sudden decrease or loss of hearing” in the “Adverse Reactions” section. The label also advises physicians to warn patients that sudden hearing loss is a possible side effect of Viagra, in the “Precautions” section. It also advises patients to stop taking the drug and seek immediate medical attention should in case they experience a decrease or sudden loss in hearing, or dizziness.

Nonarteritic Ischemic Optic Neuropathy (NAION): another Viagra side effect?
Another reported case of Viagra side effect is the nonarteritic ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), an eye defect that can result in permanent loss of vision. US researchers, in a recent study, described seven patients who developed NAION after taking sildenafil citrate for their erectile difficulties. When combined with past reports, this study brought the total number of Viagra-related NAION cases to 14 since the approval of the drug in 1998.

Co-author of the study Dr. Howard D. Pomeranz, from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, said in a statement that it had been known for years that a number of men who take Viagra would experience short-term color changes in their vision and see things as blue or green. All the patients developed symptoms of NAION within 24 hours of using Viagra, with the exception of one patient whose symptoms began about 24 to 36 hours after taking the drug.

Pfizer Inc., the world's largest drug maker and the maker of Viagra, affirmed that U.S FDA may require them to include a warning in the label that Viagra has been linked to reports of vision loss and blindness in at least one in a million users of the drug. Discussions are ongoing between Pfizer and the FDA about adding the warning of the rare side effects of vision impairment by Viagra users.