What’s Wrong With A Little Recreational Viagra?
While every man should have a doctor they trust, sometimes you have questions that you don’t feel comfortable asking (is it us, or does that white jacket just seem so judgmental?) Best case would be to have a drinking buddy who also happens to be an MD. You could ply him with questions without fear of embarrassment. That’s basically what this is. Only, no alcohol is involved. And he’s asked us not to call him “buddy”.
I don’t have erectile dysfunction. But, I’m curious about trying Viagra—or some other kind ED drug—recreationally. What are the dangers?
Men want to try ED drugs, even if they don’t technically have erectile dysfunction, the same way a person who lifts weights might be tempted to try steroids. Sure, you’re building muscles, but imagine if they were bigger! Naturally, as a licensed physician I won’t endorse using ED drugs recreationally. And there are some good reasons not to. Yes, there are side effects: it’s reasonable to conclude that a normal individual (not to say you aren’t normal if you suffer from ED. But, you know what I mean) would experience the same side effects as a patient. If you have heart disease, previously had a heart attack, or use any form of nitroglycerine, then taking an erectile dysfunction drug could result in a drop in blood pressure, shock, and possibly death. Even if you don’t have a compromised heart, the most common side effect is related to the drop in blood pressure, and complaints of lightheadedness when getting out of bed quickly. So slam bam thank you ma’am would probably not be a good idea, especially when you’ve had alcohol and are dehydrated.
But, at the risk of inadvertently promoting their use, another potential problem has to do with the psychology of ED. You probably have a perfectly adequate erection that satisfies both partners now, but it will seem less intense than a pharmaceutically enhanced one. Suddenly, there’s a sense of disappointment that the normal erection isn’t good enough. Since most problems with erectile dysfunction occur between the ears and not between the thighs, using an ED drug recreationally might, in a way, result in ED.
If I’m a social smoker—say I smoke a pack a month—how much damage am I actually doing?
Isn’t it pretty to think social smoking isn’t so bad? But, although there are doctors that smoke—both socially, and secretly, there likely isn’t a reputable MD who would shrug his shoulders at the odd cigarette. Smoking one cig increases your blood pressure for 20 minutes, increases toxic carbon monoxide for 8 hours, increases risk of heart attack for 24 hours, causes the airways in your lungs to constrict for up to two weeks, and contains more than 70 carcinogens that bathe all of your bodily tissues in cancer causing chemicals. Will one smoke kill you? Probably not. But, it’s not like carcinogens are good. There is evidence that reducing the number of cigarettes smoked has a measurable health benefit, but, there’s also evidence that people who reduce how many cigarettes they smoke, actually end up smoking for longer. But, there’s no need to be defeatist: the problems caused by smoking are mostly reversible. Within one year of quitting smoking, your risk of heart disease drops by half. Within 5 years of quitting you have the same chance of having a stroke as a non-smoker. 10 years following your quitt date, your risk of dying of lung, mouth, lung, esophagus, bladder, kidney and pancreatic cancer is the same as if you never smoked. And after 15 years following your last cigarette, your risk of heart disease is similar to those health nuts who never lit up in the first place.
In terms of hangovers, is there any truth to the ‘hair of the dog’ treatment? Or am I just delaying the inevitable?
Sure, alcohol helps reduce the symptoms of a hangover. But, really, if you need booze to curb the shaking and irritability that come from a hangover, that’s not really “curing” it. That’s what’s called a red flag. The trick is not to get hung over in the first place. The advice that I give my pilots and executives around mitigating the risks of drinking too much is to start with one large glass of water flat or sparkling, with lime or lemon juice to slake your thirst. Too often, we drink the first round too quickly because we’re thirsty. After the water, enjoy your first drink. Then, drink one glass of water between each standard alcoholic beverage to ensure you are hydrated. Less is more.
I’ve heard recently that sitting is the new smoking, in that sitting at our desks all day is going to slowly kill us. True or false?
True.
Dr. Randy Knipping, BSc, MD, CCFP, is our After-Hours doctor. He is a licensed physician with over 25 years in clinical practice ranging from emergency medicine to aviation medicine with Transport Canada. He founded the Deerfields Clinic. If you have a question for the the After-Hours Doctor, send them to Letters@sharpmagazine.com
