In her Saturday feature on the 10th anniversary of Viagra, Globe writer Erin Anderssen interviewed Hamilton urologist Dr. Michael Greenspan, who writes about 400 prescriptions for the little blue pill a year and sits on an advisory board for Pfizer, which holds the patent for the drug.
Dr. Greenspan says the pill revolutionized help for his patients, who previously had to choose between penile injections or implants to solve their problems.
Since Viagra, he says, "I have never had my hand shaken or my back patted as much as I do when people leave my sexual dysfunction clinic."
Do you have questions about Viagra? Erectile dysfunction? Impotence? Would you like to know more about other treatments and medications?
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Dr. Greenspan joined us online Monday to answer your questions.
Questions and answers appear at the bottom of this page.
Dr. Greenspan is head of service - urology - at Hamilton Health Sciences in Ontario and director of the hospital's sexual medicine clinic. He has served as a consultant/advisor for Pfizer Canada, Eli Lilly Canada, Bayer Inc., Solvay Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Greenspan is also a member of the Ontario Doctor's Hockey Hall of Fame.
Editor's Note: globeandmail.com editors will read and allow or reject each question/comment. Comments/questions may be edited for length or clarity. We will not publish questions/comments that include personal attacks on participants in these discussions, that make false or unsubstantiated allegations, that purport to quote people or reports where the purported quote or fact cannot be easily verified, or questions/comments that include vulgar language or libellous statements. Preference will be given to readers who submit questions/comments using their full name and home town, rather than a pseudonym.
Brodie Fenlon, globeandmail.com: I'd like to start with a sincere thank you to Dr. Greenspan who took time away from his busy practice today to answer questions. We had a large number of questions, which suggests there are many men seeking answers on this important subject. We'll try to get to as many of them as we can. (I apologize for the brief delay - we had some technical problems).
Sridhar Nadamuni from Toronto writes: Hello Doc. Can you give us 10 solid reasons why you should not take Viagra? By the way, I am a medical writer who writes for the pharmaceutical industry, but I'm curious why certain people have more than a passing interest in pills like Viagra.
Dr. Michael Greenspan: The only reason not to take Viagra is if you are on nitrates for heart problems or if you are physically unfit to have intercourse. If you are looking for reasons NOT to take Viagra, you won't get them from me!
Peter from Canada writes: What are the optimal conditions for maximum effect (i.e. empty stomach, after exercise, morning, evening etc.)? I have had the habit of extremely hot baths for many decades -- could that be partly responsible for my need for stimulants? Viagra seems to be less and less effective with each use. Any comment?
Dr. Michael Greenspan: Hot baths should not be responsible for sexual problems. For some people Viagra does work better on an empty stomach. Try taking it about half an hour before your evening meal. Decrease in effectiveness might mean you should try one of the other pills. Have your testosterone level checked.
Tony from Campbell River writes: Dr. Greenspan, about 15 months ago I had an LRP procedure on my prostate. At the time they told me that my sexual function would eventually come back to a semi-normal state. I realize that the procedure interrupted the main blood vessel that sends blood to the penis. My question is how long will it take for an erection to come. I have all the feelings (nerve sparing procedure seemed to work), and at times I have a full erection but only for about 30 seconds or so. I have tried Cialis and Viagra as well as the pump but they do not seem to produce any satisfactory results. The only thing I have not tried is the needle. Any suggestions would be dearly appreciated. Thank you
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