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Viagra, or sildenafil citrate, is a medication used to treat erectile dysfunction. The Food and Drug Administration on March 27, 1998 approved this drug. There are three dosages currently available, 25 mg being the minimum, 100-mg being the maximum, and the recommended dosage is 50 mg. The oral tablet should be taken one hour prior to sexual activity and only one should be taken per day. It remains effective for an average of four hour with six hours being the maximum and one and one half-hours being the minimum. The pharmaceutical company Pfizer, which produces Viagra, has gained Fortune 500 status as a result of this drug. In order to understand the purpose of Viagra we must first understand erectile dysfunction, or ED. ED is a condition that 30 million American men suffer from. It is defined as the consistent inability to get or to maintain an erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual activity. ED can be associated with unhealthy blood vessels, clogged arteries and veins, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, depression, medications, and/or any surgery or injury that interrupts the connection between the central nervous system and the penis. Lifestyle factors such as smoking, alcohol, drugs, and stress can also be associated with erectile dysfunction.
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