January 14, 2004
Nine Viagra Pills Sold Each Second
More Young Men Are Turning to 'Mr. Blue'
Hundreds of patients asking Dr. Scott Parry for Viagra at his
Virginia-Highland clinic are young, healthy and virile and they don't suffer from diabetes, hypertension or any other medical cause of impotence.
Some complain about performance anxiety. Others say their marriage is in
need of a spark. Partygoers are looking for something to offset the effects
of alcohol.
They're part of a new wave of men in their 20s, 30s and 40s who look nothing
like Viagra's first spokesman five years ago: former presidential candidate
Bob Dole, who famously used the term ''erectile dysfunction,'' or ED.
Instead, they mirror the drug manufacturer's new spokesman, home run slugger
Rafael Palmeiro, who has used Viagra but reportedly has said he didn't need
it. Or Jeff Dauler, 30, a healthy, married producer of "The Bert Show" on
Atlanta's Q-100 radio, who told listeners he tried the pill on a lark.
"Mr. Blue" --- a slang term for the drug --- has exploded into a
multibillion-dollar industry, with nine Viagra tablets dispensed every
second around the globe.
Men with ED aren't the only ones fueling the business. Curious men and
others looking for that edge in the bedroom can buy the pills from a doctor,
off the Internet or around Atlanta nightclubs, sealed in tiny zip-top bags.
"Some young men will come in for a cold or pain in the leg and say, 'By the
way, I was wondering about this Viagra, and my wife and I have been having
some problems,' or 'I could use something to build my confidence,' " said
Dr. Shangbo Guan, an internal medicine specialist in Sandy Springs, who is
seeing an uptick in the number of younger men asking for the drug.
Experts say that some of these men suffer from unrealistic expectations
about performance or are masking more deep-rooted problems, such as
relationship conflict, poor self-image or drug addiction.
"There seems to be growing interest in having a 24/7 erection and performing
sexually without looking at the context or meaning," said Dr. Gail Wyatt, a
sex therapist, professor of psychiatry at UCLA and author of the book "No
More Clueless Sex."
At other times it's even more superficial: Men simply want to be impressed
with how they function.
"Everybody has insecurity, and here's this one thing they take and they can
feel they have this power and they look good," said Atlanta sex therapist
Virginia Erhardt.
Viagra manufacturer Pfizer and other companies selling impotence drugs
vehemently deny targeting healthy men and say the drugs are intended only
for men with ED.