When recreational drug use became popular in the 1960s, people started seeing it as a way to unwind and relax. Many people who took it recreationally would never think about how much it costs in terms of heart medication. However, Viagra was originally developed as a heart medication and is still considered a first-line treatment for erectile dysfunction (ED). In order to understand how and why this happened, one has to go back to the 1950s, when doctors started prescribing the drug to treat hypertension. The problem is that a lot of men who took Viagra recreationally also had heart problems, leading to the discovery of a possible adverse effect. This effect became known as ‘serious adverse events’, and in 1996, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned that these events might occur due to interaction with other medications or supplements, or due to improper use of the drug. Since then, the warnings have remained, and the drug is now considered more of a medication for severe ED than a recreational drug.
Hypertension
When hypertension (high blood pressure) was first discovered, it was incredibly rare. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, only 3.7% of Americans aged 40-49 had it as of 2014. However, since the 1950s, physicians have been prescribing drugs to treat hypertension. Between 1950 and 1969, the number of prescriptions doubled from 500,000 to 1.2 million prescriptions per year. These days, hypertension is considered a major health issue and is even listed as one of the four ‘killer diseases’ along with heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. It’s also one of the most common reasons for visit to the doctor. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 76 million American adults have hypertension, and it’s one of the most common reasons for visit to the doctor.
The main difference between then and now is that people are living longer, which means they’re spending more years with the disease. In fact, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) now lists hypertension as a “chronic disease’, which means it can be long-term and require multiple visits to the doctor. This is in contrast to its previous listing as a ‘pre-existing condition’, which meant it could be short-term and you might only need to visit the doctor once.
Another big change is how physicians used to prescribe medications for it. Back in the 1950s, they would often prescribe a combination of medications, the most popular of which was reserpine. However, the newer generation of hypertension medications work in a different way, targeting the root cause of the problem instead of just treating the symptoms. So instead of combining medications, a hypertension patient might be prescribed a single pill a day.
Heart Disease
When it comes to heart disease, the most significant advance has been in its treatment. This is mainly due to the introduction of new medications and advancements in understanding its causes. A major breakthrough in treatment was the introduction of Viagra in the 1990s. As mentioned above, the drug was originally prescribed for hypertension, but then doctors started seeing it as a possible therapy for erectile dysfunction as well. Since then, it’s been used for both conditions and has proved to be remarkably effective. It’s also one of the most popular medications prescribed for heart disease and is known to be very safe. However, just like hypertension, heart disease is also increasing in prevalence, and more and more people are being diagnosed with it.
Like hypertension, heart disease is also considered a chronic condition, meaning it can be long-term and require multiple visits to the doctor. This makes it a lot more manageable than some of the other diseases on this list, which are considered ‘acute’ or ‘fatal’. Like hypertension, heart disease is also considered one of the major health issues in the U.S. In 2014, about 7.65 million American adults had heart disease. This is up from 6.7 million in 2013 and about 5 million in 2003.
The major difference is that while heart disease is becoming more common, doctors still do not know what causes it. This is in contrast to hypertension, which has a known cause (high blood pressure). So while heart disease is definitely a serious issue, it’s at least somewhat more manageable than some of the other mentioned diseases.
Stroke
Stroke is another disease that has seen a massive advance in treatment due to new medications and new research. However, like heart disease and hypertension, stroke was also considered a chronic condition in the past. This means it can be long-term and require multiple visits to the doctor. Stroke took its toll on about 3.7 million Americans as of 2014, which is up from about 3.3 million in 2013 and about 2.85 million in 2004. Unfortunately, like some of the other diseases on this list, there are no signs that stroke is on its way to becoming less prevalent.
The difference is that while some of the other diseases are increasing in prevalence, stroke is decreasing. This is mainly due to the fact that people are living longer and healthier lives due to advances in medicine and medical research. This is also one of the reasons why stroke is sometimes referred to as a ‘brain disease’. Modern medicine has given us lots of tools to combat it. One of the most popular medications for stroke is Aricept, which is a drug that interferes with the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. This particular neurotransmitter helps control impulses in the brain and prevents them from going haywire, leading to an overactive nervous system and potentially causing a stroke. Interestingly, Aricept was originally developed to prevent Alzheimer’s disease and has been shown to improve cognitive function in patients with dementia as well. So while it’s been a great help in terms of treating stroke, it’s also been shown to improve cognitive function in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia as well!
Stroke is still considered a major health issue, and lots of people are still dying from it every year. However, the trend is definitely towards treating and preventing it instead of just dealing with the aftermath. This is mainly due to better survival rates and the fact that people are living longer and healthier lives due to advances in medicine and medical research.
Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes was considered a fatal disease in the 1950s. This is mainly because physicians did not know how to treat it. Back in the 1950s, the main treatment was insulin, which was very difficult to administer and could cause severe damage to the body. So although there were some medical advancements that allowed diabetes to be controlled a bit better, it was still classified as a ‘major health issue’. The main reason why it was so fatal was due to the fact that people with diabetes were usually also afflicted with other major health issues, such as heart disease and stroke. These are the so-called ‘diabetes complications’.
However, since the introduction of new medications in the 1970s, diabetes is considered a ‘chronic’ disease as well. This means it can be long-term and require multiple visits to the doctor. In 2014, about 17 million American adults had diabetes, and the numbers are expected to double by 2024. This is mainly due to the fact that while there are some treatments available, there is still no cure. So the best way to manage it is by controlling blood sugar levels as much as possible and avoiding complications.
Type 2 diabetes is also becoming more common, which is concerning since there is still no cure. This means it will continue to be a major health issue for the foreseeable future. However, there are some positive signs as well. For example, the numbers are increasing in younger populations, likely due to better diagnosis and increased awareness. Moreover, people with diabetes are now living longer than ever before, which contributes to the fact that they’re more likely to develop other complications. This means that while diabetes is definitely still a major health issue, it’s at least somewhat more manageable than in the past.
Overall
Overall, it’s clear that medical science has advanced significantly since the 1950s, and a lot of these advancements are directly attributed to the discovery and use of Viagra. Although Viagra was originally developed for therapeutic purposes, it has become so popular that it now has a following as a recreational drug as well. This is mainly because of its popularity among older men and its ease of availability online. Due to its popularity and versatility as both a medication and a recreational drug, Viagra has undoubtedly contributed to the advancement of medicine and the betterment of human health.