Is Viagra a club drug?In a 2002-2003 survey of San Francisco men who have sex with men Men who have sex with men (MSM) is a term used mostly in the United States to classify men who engage in sex with other men, regardless of whether they self-identify as gay, bisexual, or heterosexual. , reported levels of recent use of sildenafil sildenafil /sil·den·a·fil/ (sil-den´ah-fil?) a phosphodiesterase inhibitor that relaxes the smooth muscle of the penis, facilitating blood flow to the corpus cavernosum; used as the citrate salt to treat erectile dysfunction. (Viagra) were elevated among men who engaged in risky behaviors. (1) Overall, 29% of respondents had used the drug within the past six months; the proportion was significantly higher among HIV-positive than among HIV-negative men (39% vs. 27%). Men who engaged in unprotected anal sex with two or more partners, those who did so with an HIV-positive partner and those who went to circuit parties or bathhouses reported higher levels of use than did men who refrained from such behavior. Use also was more common among men who used recreational drugs than among those who did not. The researchers comment that the pattern of associations "strongly suggests that for most participants, there was a nonprescription non·pre·scrip·tion adj. Sold legally without a physician's prescription; over-the-counter. source for this medication." They urge health care providers to intensify their educational efforts regarding sildenafil use and the pharmaceutical industry to be more circumspect cir·cum·spect adj. Heedful of circumstances and potential consequences; prudent. [Middle English, from Latin circumspectus, past participle of circumspicere, to take heed : in its promotion of the drug. (1.) Paul JP et al., Viagra (sildenafil) use in a population-based sample of U.S. men who have sex with men, Sexually Transmitted Diseases Sexually transmitted diseases Infections that are acquired and transmitted by sexual contact. Although virtually any infection may be transmitted during intimate contact, the term sexually transmitted disease is restricted to conditions that are largely , 2005, 32(9):531-533. |
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