Patient Issues
What the Drug Ads Don't Tell You About Erectile Dysfunction
By
Jun 15, 2008 - 11:09:05 AM

Looking for a breakthrough in the bedroom? You’re not alone if you’re taking a drug to treat erectile dysfunction (ED).


(HealthNewsDigest.com) - Americans filled more than 18 million prescriptions for ED last year alone. Consumer Reports points out in its online video AD WATCH that commercials for ED drugs have become a mainstay of the nightly TV roundup, and none more so than Cialis, Eli Lilly's answer to Pfizer's blockbuster ED remedy Viagra. Lilly spent more than $150 million advertising Cialis directly to consumers in 2007, making it the 7th most advertised drug in the country last year.

The ads for ED drugs may make you think they’re a cure-all but Consumer Reports chief medical adviser, Dr. Marvin Lipman, blogs that the convenience attributed to Cialis, known affectionately as “The Weekender,” may overshadow significant warnings about side effects.

CR recommends that men talk to their doctors. Opening up the lines of communication will help identify non-drug options for treating ED, such as reducing stress, quitting smoking, losing weight, and drinking less. CR notes that one in four cases of ED results from taking another medication. Another common cause of ED is heart disease—and you want those symptoms diagnosed, not masked by a pill.

Log on to www.ConsumerReportsHealth.org to find out more.

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