If you were told that your magic pill could eventually make you go deaf, would you still take it in? The choice is tough, eh? Tougher still if the “magic pill” we are talking about is one of them designed to treat erectile dysfunction such as Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra.
Check out the following news reports on a new research that links long term hearing loss with Viagra and other anti-impotence drugs:
MSNBC:
Men who take Viagra could be at an increased risk for long-term hearing loss, a new study suggests. The results show that, among 11,525 men over age 40, those who took Viagra or other drugs that act in a similar manner, called phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE-5i), were twice as likely to also report hearing loss as were men who had not used the drugs.
Viagra users may be putting themselves at risk for long-term hearing loss. A new study shows that men taking the drug – or similar ones like Cialis and Levitra – are twice as likely to report hearing loss as men who don’t take it.
The results of the study, which looked at 11,525 men over 40 who took the medication, appear in the May 18 issue of the journal Archives of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.
Study researcher Gerald McGwin, an epidemiology professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, says that the current government warning on hearing loss linked to the use of the Viagra-like drugs, called PDE-5i medications, is warranted.
“Though there are limitations to this study, it is prudent that patients using these medications be warned about the signs and symptoms of hearing impairment and be encouraged to seek immediate medical attention to potentially forestall permanent damage,” McGwin said, according to LiveScience.
