More Young Men Using Viagra
Viagra is becoming increasingly popular among younger men, possibly in part because some are using it for purely recreational purposes, according to a new survey.
Express Scripts Inc., which monitors prescription drug use for the insurance industry, analyzed a representative sample of 5 million Viagra prescriptions between 1998 and 2002.
Overall, Viagra prescriptions increased 84 percent, the researchers found. While the majority of users are men in their fifties and sixties, the biggest increase occurred in younger men. Among those 18 to 45, the rate increased from three prescriptions per 1,000 men to nine per 1,000, according to a report published last week in the International Journal of Impotence Research.
Because the researchers found little evidence the men were taking other medications that would indicate they were suffering from erectile dysfunction, they suspect that at least some must be for purely recreational purposes.
"The conclusion one may draw is it's being used more for recreation and enhancement," said Thomas Delate, who led the study. "I'm not making a value judgment. I'm just saying this is what's happening."
Daniel Watts, spokesman for Pfizer Inc., the manufacturer, said the majority of users were clearly men with a medical problem.
"I think it's difficult to look at the study and know what the level of recreational use is. It's probably going on out there, but it's difficult to know how much," Watts said.
-- Rob Stein
