Recreational Viagra and ED Drug Use: Is It Dangerous?
If you struggle with erectile dysfunction (ED), drugs like Viagra®, sildenafil, tadalafil, and other FDA-approved medications could help with your sexual performance. But if you’re not prescribed one of these meds, taking them could cause serious health problems.
Recreational Viagra use does happen, and while some men see harmless benefits from the active ingredient in the famous “little blue pill,” they’re still taking a significant risk every time they take it without medical advice from a urologist, urology expert, or other healthcare professional.
Below, we’ve explained how and why Viagra could become a serious men’s health issue — beyond your erectile function.
Why Do People Without ED Take Viagra?
Viagra is an effective ED treatment that can improve sexual performance, make erections firmer, and improve your sex life. Since those benefits are attractive whether you have ED or not, some men without erectile dysfunction may take Viagra off-label to try to up their sexual game – despite the serious side effects.
Some younger men take Viagra in hope of enhanced performance in bed.
Young men are more likely to take Viagra without actually needing it, given they’re less likely to struggle with ED. Performance anxiety, inexperience, and feelings of inadequacy may play a motivational role as well. Research involving more than 1,900 college-age men found that four percent of otherwise healthy undergraduates reported recreationally using ED drugs like Viagra.
More than 70 percent of these guys were “just curious” about ED medications, while others said they used it to counteract other drugs that were affecting their sexual health. Some reported using it to impress a partner or enhance their self-esteem.
Other men may take Viagra because they’re mistaken about the benefits.
There are a lot of misperceptions about how ED drugs work, and these mistaken ideas make it more likely that someone will take Viagra in a risky way. For instance, many men believe that Viagra might reduce their refractory period — the period of time after ejaculation when it’s difficult to get another erection.
Some men need medication for ED, but don’t want to ask for a prescription.
Some men take Viagra off-label because they lack confidence or want to avoid professional treatment. Research shows that men who use ED medications recreationally typically report lower erectile confidence and reduced sexual satisfaction compared to peers.
Some don’t take Viagra for sexual reasons at all, using it instead to boost their athletic performance.
Since it was originally used as a treatment for pulmonary hypertension (a form of high blood pressure in the lungs) and functions as a vasodilator that increases blood flow to the lungs, “Vitamin V” could have some mildly positive effects on a few types of exercise.
In fact, a 2004 study showed that sildenafil increased the maximum exercise capacity of mountaineers and trekkers at both sea level and at altitude.
If all this blue pill talk has you wondering how exactly Viagra works, learn about the mechanism of action of this type of medication with our full guide to PDE5 inhibitors.
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Side Effects and Risks of Taking Viagra without Erectile Dysfunction
There’s not much research about the long-term dangers of taking ED meds recreationally, but there's more than enough information available about the general risk factors of taking this medication and the health conditions it can cause or exacerbate.
Common side effects of Viagra include:
Headache
Facial flushing
Dyspepsia (indigestion)
Nasal congestion
Myalgia (muscle pain)
Abnormal vision
Back pain
Nausea
Dizziness
Rash
Viagra could lead to more serious side effects, such as:
Priapism (a painful, long-lasting erection)
Vision loss
Chest pain
Flu-like symptoms
Dizziness
You could also face serious risks from drug interactions.
Taking this medication with other medications and products can be dangerous, particularly when using:
Alpha-blockers
Grapefruit juice
Recreational drugs like cocaine
Supplements for premature ejaculation
Certain medications for heart disease
Our guide to Viagra side effects goes into more detail about these side effects, the frequency at which they occur, and the steps you can take to limit their severity.
If you experience severe side effects after using Viagra or other ED medication, it’s important to seek medical advice and assistance as soon as possible.
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What Happens If You Take Viagra and You Don't Need It?
What happens if you take Viagra and don't have sex or erectile dysfunction? There may be no serious side effects, or you may be at risk of damaging the blood vessels in your penis, creating dependency, or causing yourself heart problems.
Using medications when anxious can lead to psychological dependency — a crutch in place of working on the most important problems (sexual self-confidence, physical health, etc.).
Then there’s the behavioural risk. Recreational use of ED meds is associated with risky sexual behaviour, according to a review of 14 studies, 11 of which focused on Viagra use among gay men.
In many of these studies, the researchers found more than 10 percent of men having sex with men used sildenafil citrate — and that its use is associated with higher risks of unprotected sex with HIV-positive partners.
According to the review, men who use erectile dysfunction drugs like Viagra recreationally are likely to display one or more of the following behaviours:
Frequent one-night stands
Multiple sexual partners
Sex with other men
Illegal drug use
Unprotected sex
Last but not least, using Viagra when you don’t have ED brings the risk of poisoning.
Some of the pills out there could be counterfeits or may be manufactured in unsafe environments. They could also be made using potentially harmful ingredients — and those won’t be listed on the labels.
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Taking Half a Viagra for Fun: Not Worth the Risks
Erectile dysfunction medications aren’t magic, and a healthcare professional will explain that phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors aren’t penis growth hormones, nor do they treat premature ejaculation or psychological ED.
Here’s what you need to know about taking Viagra without erectile dysfunction:
You shouldn’t take Viagra for fun. Brand-name ED drugs like Cialis® (tadalafil), Levitra®(vardenafil), Stendra®, and others that are FDA-approved to treat ED are also not safe to use without medical advice.
If a healthcare provider hasn’t prescribed these medications to you for any reason, don’t use them. There is no safe way to use these medications if you don’t need to.
If you want to deal with your ED, work with a healthcare professional to get the right support and erectile dysfunction treatment(s).
We can provide medication after a consultation with a healthcare provider, as well as help with psychological ED, anxiety, depression, and sexual performance anxiety.
Reach out today.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information contained herein is not a substitute for and should never be relied upon for professional medical advice. Always talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of any treatment or medication.