Why Can’t Heart Disease Patients use Viagra?
Generally speaking any man with heart problems are not prescribed Viagra. This medical awareness of the risk in this situation first became prevalent in the mid-1990s.
More and more people were dying suddenly or having sudden heart attacks. The main reason why is because their blood pressure was way too high for them to be on it. They also had a history of heart disease or other cardiovascular problems and/or stroke.
However, the biggest concern was in patients taking nitrates. In patients who did not take nitrates there was not much of a risk in certain individuals who had coronary artery disease (a serious heart condition).
The Problem
The use of Viagra causes blood vessel dilation. This causes a lowering of the top number (systolic) in a blood pressure reading. This normally is not a problem with most patients using anti-hypertensive drugs alone.
However, research conducted over the years has revealed that there is a connection between Viagra use and these certain drugs for high blood pressure. Of which some of course are the nitrates mentioned but a few others.
The end result is then the cause of too low of a blood pressure versus too high of a blood pressure. Part of the reason for this is that Viagra acts as a drug that stabilizes hypertension. This mixed with certain hypertension nitrate drugs then causes extreme low blood pressure.
In this case the problem is sudden fainting. How low blood pressure has been linked to heart attacks is a bit of a challenge for the average person to understand. After all, usually this is what happens when a person’s blood pressure is too high.
However, in either case-low blood pressure and high blood pressure-blood circulation is interrupted or blocked in some way. In the case of low blood pressure the blood would not circulate through the body fast enough to allow enough blood to be pumped to and from the heart.
This is the reason why some people who have taken Viagra had so many problems. One point cannot be stressed enough. People who are using nitrates to correct hypertension issues and/or coronary heart disease should not use this medication.
The Solution
Perhaps the patient will have to discuss with the doctor about a different plan for treatment of heart disease. This may make it possible for a man to once again enjoy sexual activity. Either the Viagra would be dropped or the other medication would be altered, most likely.