What Is Viagra?
Viagra, otherwise known as sildenafil citrate or ‘the little blue pill’, is a pharmacy medicine that is used to treat erectile dysfunction in men. Erectile dysfunction includes not being able to get an erection, difficulty in maintaining an erection, lack of interest in sex, or low self-esteem when it comes to sex. You may be prescribed Viagra for any or all of these issues.
Viagra, which comes in diamond-shaped tablets, does have other medical uses, specifically to treat high blood pressure in the blood vessels that supply the lungs (otherwise called pulmonary hypertension).
Viagra is also sold under other brands such as Aronix, Liberize, and Nipatra. If it is being sold as a treatment for pulmonary hypertension, it may be packaged as Revatio or Grandipam. Whatever its name, the content is the same – it’s Viagra. Sildenafil belongs to a group of medicines called phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) inhibitors. These medicines prevent an enzyme called phosphodiesterase type-5 from working too quickly.
Erectile dysfunction is thought to affect more than three-quarters of all men at some time in their lives and this problem increases with age.
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What Does Viagra Do to Your Body?
Viagra increases the blood flow to your penis which helps you get and maintain an erection. It does this by inhibiting the enzyme PDE5, which restricts blood flow to the body. Viagra can’t work if you have endocrine impotence, which means your erectile dysfunction is the result of a disorder related to the glands, such as diabetes or obesity. In those situations, you need to treat the underlying cause of your impotence so speak to your doctor.
Viagra generally works between 30 and 60 minutes after taking a dose but it can be much quicker. You can take it up to four hours before you want to have sex. Don’t worry about having an erection before you’re ready – it can only work if you’re sexually aroused. If you are turned on, taking Viagra can give you an erection for up to 33 minutes.
How Long Does Viagra Stay In Your System?
Viagra is most effective in the first five hours after you take it but has been shown to work 12 hours after a dose. It can stay in your system for up to 24 hours.
You won’t have an erection for the entire time Viagra is in your body. When you’re not turned on, it will go down. That is unless you abuse Viagra and develop a side effect called priapism which means you have a painful erection that lasts for days.
The length of time Viagra stays in your system depends on how much you take. The minimum dose of Viagra for erectile dysfunction (it is different if prescribed for pulmonary embolism) is 25g and the maximum dose is 100g. You need to consult your doctor about which is the right dose for you.
You shouldn’t take Viagra more than once in a 24-hour period as otherwise, you may overwhelm your system. Taking more doses won’t have added benefits but it could increase your chance of side effects.
Is Viagra Addictive?
While Viagra is not a physically addictive drug, it can be misused when not taken in line with the prescribed dosage and frequency. Sildenafil is approved in the UK by the MHRA (Medicine and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency), which is a government agency that regulates medicines. After assessing controlled clinical trials they concluded that there is no evidence that Viagra leads to addiction or dependency. In addition, taking Viagra won’t harm your chances of achieving and maintaining an erection in the future.
Can You Overdose on Viagra?
It is possible to overdose on Viagra. One of the signs that you have had a Viagra overdose is altered vision as Viagra can damage the retina. It does this because an ingredient in Viagra inhibits an enzyme in the retinal cells. Retinal damage from Viagra overdose can result in blurred vision and loss of vision and unfortunately, there is no treatment for this.
Another symptom of a Viagra overdose is a persistent and painful erection (otherwise known as priapism). A Colombian man who took so much Viagra in a bid to impress his girlfriend had his penis amputated after the days-long erection resulted in him developing gangrene.
A Viagra overdose is not usually fatal but it is not unheard of. If you feel you may have overdosed on Viagra you need to seek treatment immediately.
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What Is Cocaine?
Cocaine, commonly known as ‘coke’ or ‘Charlie’, is a highly addictive stimulant and the second most popular illegal drug in Western Europe after cannabis.
Cocaine comes from the dried leaves of the coca plant. When it’s in powder form it’s usually referred to as cocaine, and the rock form – which has been cooked with baking soda and water – is known as ‘crack’ or crack cocaine.
The most popular way to take cocaine is to snort it, although you can rub it on your gums. If you are taking crack cocaine, you are most likely going to smoke it.
However you take it, and whether it’s powder or crack, you can be hooked after just one use. As cocaine is expensive, it is often associated with high-earners and has a hint of glamour to it, but rest assured it can have a devastating effect on your life, your physical health and your brain. It also decimates your finances and can destroy your life completely. It can be fatal.
What Does Cocaine Do to Your Body?
Cocaine works by binding itself to the body’s natural feel-good chemical dopamine and causing a build-up of this in the brain, which makes you feel intensely happy. This is the high, and it can be short-lived (with crack cocaine it can be as short as five minutes) and ends with a crash. In order to get that feeling of pleasure again, you need more and this is why cocaine addiction can kick in so quickly.
Cocaine targets the central nervous system, which controls the body’s vital functions related to the heart, spinal cord and brain. Cocaine misuse can leave you unable to perform basic functions such as breathing, moving and talking.
Over a longer period of time, cocaine can alter the way brain cells function. It is psychoactive, which means it affects the way you think and behave and you may feel invincible and take risks that you wouldn’t take while clear-headed. This can make you a danger to yourself and others.
As cocaine enters the bloodstream, it causes the blood vessels to tighten and you may feel your heart beating faster and your body temperature rise. Blood flow to the stomach is restricted and you may feel abdominal pain. Another instant physical reaction is your pupils dilate.
Cocaine affects virtually every vital organ in the body and cocaine side effects include:
- Altered heart rate
- Headache
- Abdominal pain
- Stomach ulcer
- Nausea
- Seizures
- Stroke
- Coma
- Death
Cocaine-related deaths are usually a result of heart attack or seizures.
Can You Mix Viagra With Cocaine?
It is easy to see why you might want to mix Viagra with cocaine. Cocaine will keep you up for hours and increase your libido, but it can decrease your ability to get and maintain an erection. The head is willing but the body is not, so if you have a cocaine addiction you may feel your sex life is over.
Add some Viagra to the mix and you can wave goodbye to erectile dysfunction as you’ll be able to perform sexually again and again for more than 12 hours.
Even its nickname is tantalising because combining the two drugs can be known as ‘sextasy’ – but mixing Viagra with cocaine is dangerous.
What Happens When You Mix Viagra With Cocaine?
Both drugs enter the bloodstream and work in opposite ways. Viagra relaxes blood vessels and increases blood flow to the penis while cocaine tightens blood vessels and decreases blood flow.
This push-and-pull effect on the blood can result in the cardiovascular system (which includes the blood and heart) behaving in unpredictable and damaging ways.
You must always remember that no cocaine is 100% pure. It is always cut with something to maximise its profitability. This could be laxatives, detergents, or anything that can pass for cocaine. It can even be cut with an animal deworming medicine called Levamisole which is known to damage organs. Add this to cocaine and Viagra and you are putting your body in serious danger.
What Are the Adverse Effects of Mixing Viagra With Cocaine?
As each drug affects the blood in opposing ways, mixing Viagra with cocaine can result in an altered pulse and heart rate and severe and potentially fatal heart-related conditions such as heart attack, cardiac arrest, and stroke.
Both drugs raise the serotonin levels in the body (thus making you feel happy), and if you mix Viagra with cocaine, you can cause serotonin syndrome, a life-threatening condition that can start with shivering and diarrhoea but result in seizures and kidney failure.
Another dangerous physical side effect of mixing Viagra with cocaine is the increased risk of sustaining a painful erection for days. Viagra can cause this on its own, as can cocaine, so mixing the two drugs can exacerbate the problem and raise the likelihood of it happening.
Although Viagra is not physically addictive, cocaine is. The powerful effect mixing the two drugs can have on erectile dysfunction means you are more likely to develop a reliance on this heady cocktail. If you believe you can’t perform sexually without taking it, it becomes very difficult to stop taking it.
As the combination of drugs heightens your libido, you are also more likely to embark on unsafe sex without a condom, and this raises your risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases and HIV.
What Are the Side Effects of Viagra?
If taken responsibly, there shouldn’t be too many side effects of Viagra. However, any drug has some side effects and you may experience headache, indigestion, nausea, hot flashes, back pain, stuffy nose, and dizziness. While these are normal reactions to Viagra, if you feel unsure or symptoms are extreme, contact your GP.
Short-term Adverse Effects of Viagra
In rare cases, you can have an allergic reaction to Viagra and go into anaphylactic shock. If you feel light-headed and struggle to breathe after taking Viagra, call 999 or 911 immediately.
Long-term Adverse Effects of Viagra
One man who took large doses of Viagra two to three times a week for 10 years experienced no ill health bar blurred vision. While this type of Viagra abuse is not recommended, it shows that on its own, Viagra is relatively safe.
What Are the Side Effects of Cocaine?
Whether you snort, smoke, or rub it on your gums, the effects of cocaine are almost instant and the feelings of euphoria and endless energy can be attractive. After just one hit, you’re left wanting more, but the side effects of cocaine are devastating, both physically and mentally, not to mention financially.
Short-term Adverse Effects of Cocaine
As cocaine tightens blood vessels your blood pressure, body temperature and heart rate all rise and this can put pressure on the heart and alter its activity.
As cocaine affects the way you think and behave, it is not unusual for you to feel paranoid, hallucinate and start behaving oddly. You may take dangerous risks as you feel invincible.
The highs of cocaine and crack are very high, and the lows are incredibly low. One user admitted that after the effects of each hit, they got restless and agitated…. It’s the most horrible depression I’ve ever got.’
Its highly addictive nature means you want more coke to feel on top of the world again, but you need greater amounts to achieve the same effect and so after just a short while, you’re hooked.
Long-term Adverse Effects of Cocaine
The long-term effects of cocaine misuse are many and wide-reaching and it impacts you physically, psychologically, and financially.
Long-term use of cocaine affects the heart resulting in heart attack, loss of heart function, aortic ruptures, and stroke. It also restricts the blood flow to the gastrointestinal tract, resulting in tears and ulcers which can cause chronic pain and affect your ability to eat and drink normally.
Its effect on the brain causes seizures, bleeds on the brain, long-term memory loss, and Parkinson’s disease. Cocaine misuse is associated with chronic psychological symptoms. Users can feel aggressive and agitated and resort to violence.
If you do try and stop you may find the cocaine withdrawal symptoms – which include depression, paranoia, agitation, and insomnia – are so unpleasant they are unbearable and you reach for the cocaine to make them go away.
Ultimately, cocaine addiction can kill you. If you take cocaine regularly, you are four to eight times more likely to die than another person of your age and gender
When To Seek Help
If you have a cocaine addiction, or even if you are taking it on a regular basis, you need urgent treatment. It is so highly addictive that you don’t need to take it for long to have a dependence.
A dedicated treatment centre can unpick the reasons behind your addiction and arm you with strategies to cope with triggers that encourage you to start taking Viagra, cocaine or both. It will also have trained staff on hand to monitor your withdrawal symptoms and ensure you are not a danger to yourself or others.
If you mix Viagra with cocaine you have a dual substance use disorder and the chances of you coming off both by yourself without help are slim, if not impossible. Reliance on more than one drug means you are more likely to relapse without professional addiction treatment. Don’t be scared to ask – treatment is discreet, bespoke, and non-judgemental.
Please note: the information on this page should not replace the advice of a medical professional.
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