Before Using Viagra
If you have heart problems severe enough to make sexual activity a danger, you should avoid using Viagra. Use it cautiously, if at all, if you've had a heart attack, stroke, or life-threatening heart irregularities within the past 6 months. Be equally cautious if you have severe high or low blood pressure, heart failure, or unstable angina (crushing heart pain that occurs at any time).
If you take Viagra and develop cardiac symptoms (for example, dizziness, nausea, and chest pain) during sexual activity, do not continue. Alert your doctor to the problem as soon as possible. If you have a condition that might result in long-lasting erections, such as sickle cell anemia, multiple myeloma (a disease of the bone marrow), or leukemia, use Viagra with caution. Also use cautiously if you have a genital problem or deformity such as Peyronie's disease. If an erection lasts more than 4 hours, seek treatment immediately. Permanent damage and impotence could result. If you have a bleeding disorder, a stomach ulcer, or the inherited eye condition known as retinitis pigmentosa, use this medication with caution. Its safety under these circumstances has not yet been studied. Remember that Viagra offers no protection from transmission of sexually transmitted diseases, such as HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
This drug is not for use by women. Its effects during pregnancy have not been studied.
