Taking Viagra correctly is an art; proper use is essential for its effectiveness.
**Article 28**
**Taking Viagra Properly is an Art**
**Case Study**
**Name: Chen Hua (pseudonym), 36 years old**
**Region: Baoji, Shaanxi**
**Occupation: Insurance Company Employee**
Chen Hua and Xu Li were college classmates. On the day Xu Li entered the university, Chen Hua was immediately attracted to her. With her delicate face and tall figure, she was the object of many boys' affections on campus. Chen Hua immediately went up to greet Xu Li, helped her with her things, and asked her how she was doing. Chen Hua's care won Xu Li's favor, and soon the two tacitly became boyfriend and girlfriend.
Four years of university passed, and the two never lived together. Their dates were limited to holding hands and hugging, with very few kisses. Chen Hua said, "We must save our first time for our wedding night, so you can be a happy bride." Xu Li felt very happy about this, thinking that her boyfriend was very considerate of her.
Although the two did not live together, Xu Li still found Chen Hua's hobbies quite unique, as he was almost obsessed with "aphrodisiacs." He always carried a large cup with him, which contained Chinese herbal medicines for aphrodisiac purposes. Chen Hua's favorite food was oysters, because he believed that this food was rich in zinc and had the effects of nourishing yin and suppressing yang, tonifying the kidneys and astringing essence.
Xu Li suspected Chen Hua was hiding something, so she suggested they live together. Chen Hua refused, but when pressured, he finally told her he had difficulty achieving an erection. Xu Li had already suspected this, so she comforted him, saying, "Why don't we go to the hospital for a checkup? Only proper treatment can solve this problem." A thorough examination revealed that Chen Hua indeed suffered from erectile dysfunction; years of prostatitis had caused his erectile dysfunction.
Zhang Zhichao, deputy chief physician of the Department of Andrology at Peking University First Hospital: Many people with sexual dysfunction fall into misconceptions about medication. For example, some people take Viagra secretly or indiscriminately, while others are afraid to take it, refuse to take it, and worry about side effects and dependence.
In fact, many medications for treating male reproductive health conditions, such as erectile dysfunction, testosterone deficiency, and premature ejaculation, have specific requirements. We repeatedly emphasize the correct way to take these medications when patients visit us, yet many still take the wrong medication, leading to treatment failure.
Viagra is a medication used to treat erectile dysfunction. It is not an aphrodisiac as some people imagine. Sexual stimulation is required for these medications to work. However, many patients wait for spontaneous erections after taking the medication, and complain to their doctors that the medication is ineffective if it doesn't work.
Many people worry that Viagra is addictive. In fact, drug addiction refers to a specific toxicity of certain drugs or chemicals that induces a particular mental state, creating a strong craving for the substance. Driven by this craving, users exhibit "drug-seeking behavior" and frequent "drug use." A review of the World Health Organization's Adverse Drug Reaction Database has not found any reports of Viagra-like drug addiction.
Some people worry about Viagra's side effects. In fact, any medication can have some adverse reactions, and Viagra is no exception. It can sometimes cause mild dilation of peripheral blood vessels, manifesting as facial flushing, dizziness, headache, nasal congestion, and indigestion. Sensitive individuals are more prone to these symptoms, but they are mostly one-time occurrences, brief and mild, and will not affect sexual life or cardiovascular function.
In addition, it is still recommended that everyone with sexual dysfunction undergo a proper medical examination to find the cause, as the treatment methods vary. For example, testosterone supplements used to correct testosterone deficiency in men need to be taken with food. Mixing with food allows for absorption via the lymphatic system, bypassing the liver, thus improving efficacy and reducing side effects. Since gastric emptying takes one hour, taking these medications half an hour after meals will severely affect absorption, and taking them more than one hour after meals is almost equivalent to not taking them at all.
There are also some medications used to treat premature ejaculation, which are antidepressants used to delay ejaculation in men. These medications take 3-5 hours to reach peak levels in the blood after oral administration, and many patients often take them just before intercourse. This, of course, reduces their effectiveness. Furthermore, these medications typically require two weeks of use to achieve their best results.