Could Viagra really be used to treat period pain?

Since it burst onto the market in 1998, sildenafil citrate (sold under the brand name Viagra at the time), has injected a boost into the love lives of couples around the world.

In the subsequent 15 years, the treatment has been explored for other purposes besides erectile dysfunction and has been found to be effective for pulmonary hypertension (marketed under the name Revatio for this condition).

Moreover, clinical trials have shown the impotence drug to be beneficial for people with raynaud’s phenomenon, with Viagra helping blood supply to the fingers, toes, or both, which become pale, cold, and painful, and Viagra has also shown to have an impact in high altitudes for mountain sickness, enabling people to exercise in places with a low level of oxygen.

However, a team of researchers have now discovered yet another troublesome health complaint that sildenafil may work wonders for, and shockingly it is not a male-related problem. Yes fellas, soon you may find yourself having to share your little blue pills with the other half!

Penn State College of Medicine researchers joined forces with fellow researchers at Nova Gradiska General Hospital in Croatia, who assessed 25 women, aged between 18 and 35, all experiencing primary dysmenorrhea at moderate to severe levels.

Dysmenorrhea – more often simply known as ‘painful periods’ can be segregated into primary and secondary dysmenorrhea, with primary being the most common. This is where there is no underlying problem of the womb, usually afflicting teenagers and women in their early 20s.

Symptoms of primary dysmenorrhea are commonly felt after around 6 to 12 months of periods that are painless, with many women feeling a cramp in their lower abdomen, back and thighs. Sometimes this is accompanied with a feeling of fatigue, nausea, diarrhoea and vomiting. Many women find their menstrual cramps start about 1 or 2 days after bleeding.

Unless the cause is related to an underlying health condition, the majority of cases of primary dysmenorrhea occur when the blood supply to the womb has been stopped because the muscular wall of the womb has contracted. With no oxygen, the tissues in the womb emit chemicals that are responsible for the pain that follows.

For the study, the participants were randomly selected to either receive a dose of 100mg sildenafil citrate, administered vaginally for the purpose of the study, or a placebo. Over the next 4 hours the women then documented any improvements in respect of their pain subsiding.

Generally, it was found that those who received the sildenafil citrate reported less pain compared to the women taking a placebo, with no side effects.  The researchers involved in the study say that the increase in blood flow is most likely causing the alleviation of pain, but because both the sildenafil and placebo increased, they admit they are not certain of the exact reason for the sildenafil decreasing the pain.

“If future studies confirm these findings, sildenafil may become a treatment option for patients with PD [primary dysmenorrhea],” study researcher Richard Legro, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology and public health sciences at the university, said in a statement.

Professor Legro added: “Since PD is a condition that most women suffer from and seek treatment for at some points in their lives, the quest for new medication is justified.” Currently, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, are usually the preferred choice to ease the pain associated with severe menstrual cramps.

Sexually transmitted infections on the rise in England

Britain on the whole, is not in particularly good shape when it comes to our weight or indeed our sexual health. Year on year we hear shocking news reports about teenage girls falling pregnant and annual figures on sexual health seem to always show increases across the board.

As it happens, statistics released this year from the Health Protection Agency show a 2% rise in new cases of sexually transmitted infection (STI) for England during 2011. Within this, there is a 10% increase in syphilis diagnoses – incidentally now at its biggest infection rate since the 1950s.

Worryingly, the percent rise of syphilis cases isn’t even the worst of the lot. In fact, gonorrhoea rates spiralled 25% during 2010-11 and there was also a 5% increase in cases of genital herpes. The latter may explain why we at Medical Specialists Pharmacy have been inundated with thousands of requests for genital herpes treatment in the subsequent two years.

In what is another problem that arises from failing to first buy condoms, and then to actually use them, the Depart of Health’s Framework for Sexual Health Improvement also paint a damning, alarming picture.

Abortion rates have gone up by 7.7% in the decade between 2001 and 2011, which is no surprise when more statistics show that up to 50% of pregnancies weren’t even planned.

The Government together with healthcare professionals are continually battling to reverse the trends on STIs and pregnancies and it is this reason why awareness days/events take place every year, such as Sexual Health Week, National HIV Testing Week and World AIDS Day – all of which Medical Specialists have proudly supported by giving away 1,000s of condoms with any sexual health product.

In fact pharmacies such as Medical Specialists are at the forefront of providing sexual health services to the many millions of people who need them.

These services are absolutely vital to people all over the UK and indeed the world, and include things such as medicine supply; this could be chlamydia treatment, genital herpes treatment, or treatment for gonorrhoea.

Also many pharmacies such as ourselves can offer pregnancy tests to be conducted in the comfort of your own home, a wide variety of condoms to suit different preferences, emergency hormonal contraception (morning after pill), other contraceptive pills, and even a chlamydia test you can take at home and post off for a quick analysis and result, saving you the time and embarrassment of having to personally attend a clinic for a check-up.

The role of pharmacy clearly has an important role to play in changing people’s attitudes to STIs, unplanned pregnancy, contraception, and other sexual health subjects. However, what is required is people to reach out and ask for help, don’t be afraid, know that there at pharmacies who will not judge and are purely there to help. Let’s make 2014 a healthy year…Together.

The shocking truth about counterfeit drugs is laid bare

After speaking with many of the thousands of patients who choose Medical Specialists as their pharmacy, we are only too aware of the concerns, worries and hesitations that some people have when it comes to dealing with online pharmacies. We are part of a minority in that we are a fully registered, genuine pharmacy that prescribe genuine branded medication – No cheap and potentially fatal knock-offs like many online ‘pharmacies’!

And now an investigation carried out by WKYC’s Channel 3 News in America has exposed more of the murky, dangerous world of counterfeit drugs after shocking estimates show that around $75 billion worth of counterfeit drugs could have been obtained last year unknowingly.

Some may remember the widely reported 2012 case of fake cancer drug Avastin being circulated in the supply chain. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had to alert medical practices in the U.S. that were suspected to have purchased and used the fakes. Avastin is an injectable medicine that is used to treat cancers of the brain, colon, kidney and lung. It is usually administered to patients in clinics, hospitals, and doctors’ offices. The fake Avastin worryingly did not contain the medicine’s active ingredient, bevacizumab, resulting in patients not receiving much needed treatment.

The new investigation comprised of the purchasing of medications online that the investigators thought looked credible enough. The websites were found by searching ‘online pharmacy’ into Google. Then, they decided to try and obtain two incredible popular medications – erectile dysfunction treatment Viagra, and the ‘bad’ cholesterol-lowering medication Lipitor.

The websites offered a variety of medications; some being brand-name prescription medications, whilst others were cheaper generic alternatives. Proudly displayed on the websites were images of the American and Canadian flags, and pictures of what appeared to be doctors and pharmacists…So far so good.
However, next is where suspicions started to arise. ‘Female Viagra’ and ‘Viagra super active’ were just two of drugs being offered on some of the websites. Viagra has not been given approval to be used by women. Also, although the UK patent on Viagra expired earlier this year, meaning certain pharmaceutical companies can produce medications containing Sildenafil (Viagra’s active ingredient), Americans will have to patiently bide their time until 2020 for a generic alternative to hit their shores.
Therefore, ‘Viagra super active’ should ring alarm bells immediately! It is either Pfizer-made Viagra, or none at all! In a move that should also set alarm bells off, two websites shockingly offered free samples of prescription-only medications with orders, such as another erectile dysfunction treatment, Cialis. Obviously there are questions within a doctor’s consultation that need to be asked to patients before any prescription item is approved and dispensed to the patient.

After ordering Viagra and Lipitor from three websites, it was a few later before anything arrived. Packages then turned up from exotic locations like China, India and Pakistan, not America or Canada. Customs forms on the packages certainly raised eyebrows. One said the package contained ‘plastic beads’, another listed ‘cards’ and a third said ‘harmless medicine’.

The drugs seemed to be genuine upon a quick glance. However, one not-so-minor problem… received was a generic Lipitor – not what the investigators had paid for. In another order, only half of the Viagra tablets had arrived that had been ordered and paid for.

Next, the issue was; were the pills actually real? Samples of the drugs were then sent off to Pfizer’s lab in Groton, Conn., for testing.

Brian Donnelly is director of investigations for Pfizer Pharmaceuticals. He is a qualified pharmacist, with 22 years of FBI work under his belt. Donnelly explained some shocking things about how the tablets were most likely produced.

“The active ingredient in the chemical could be in one part of China. The person who makes the tablets could be in another part of China, and then the person who packages it could be a third person,” Donnelly says.

Donnelly explains only one thing (besides big profit) is of importance to the counterfeiter. “It’s not whether the medication works or not. It’s whether or not it looks like the product. They may use floor wax on it to give it a shine. They may use automobile paint to give it colour. They’ve used ink cartridges for colour. We’ve seen boric acid used as a dilutent to give the tablet its size and shape. One of the favourite things for making the tablets is sheet-rock.”

Donnelly’s team works together with local law enforcement to stop dozens of counterfeit operations each year they bust the dirty labs which are the polar opposite of the hygiene, sterile environments where the genuine article is produced.

“You have no idea how that drug’s been manufactured. You have no idea how it’s been stored,” Donnelly says.

In many cases, it is near impossible to distinguish a fake medication from its real counterpart, so agents use a device known as a TruScan. The device blasts a laser which analyses the drug’s chemical composition to determine authenticity.

“As you can see, it failed. So this is counterfeit. It’s counterfeit,” Donnelly says after scanning one of the Viagra pills.

However, not only was the pill fake, it gets worse. In one batch of counterfeits, the anti-inflammatory medication diclofenac was discovered to be mixed in, for seemingly no reason whatsoever.

“When you get something that’s contaminated with another drug, you have the potential for getting someone sick,” Donnelly warns.

Your love life could be boosted by getting your 5 a day

For many years those unlucky in love have perhaps wondered what the secret(s) is to achieve and maintain a happy, healthy and active love life.

Obviously there are medications such as impotence drug Viagra or premature ejaculation treatments Priligy and Stud 100 spray, which can all provide a huge/satisfying boost between the bed sheets.

However, according to the findings of a new study, getting your 5 a day portion of fruit and vegetables can not only benefit your health in a number of ways, it can also improve your love life.

In particularly, the study suggests that people who consume plenty of fruit and vegetables emit a radiant glow which makes them more appealing to potential partners. The researchers behind the study think that over time we have generally associated bronzed skin with good health, and this glowing good skin that is given off from a high fruit and veg intake may subconsciously help to pick out a good mate and avoid the unhealthier of society.

For the study, published in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters, researchers from York, St Andrews and Cambridge University snapped photographs of 20 men and women, manipulating them to produce four different versions.

One version depicted faces radiating a golden glow, clearly showing the advantageous effect of eating plenty of fruit and veg, whilst another version of the pictures showed a significantly less healthy complexion of the results of steering clear of the salad bowl!

The third and fourth sets also had differing tones of skin, but with faces that were changed to abstract pictures, unidentifiable as human.

Volunteers were then drafted in to view the pictures and judge how ‘attractive’ they deemed the images to be.

Yellowness of the abstract images appeared to have little impact on each person’s opinion, but interestingly the more golden faces were rated as better looking.

This would hint that yellow is maybe not a colour we particularly find attractive in general, but provides information as part of a person’s skin tone.

York University researcher Dr Carmen Lefevre said: “This suggests we use it in other people as a quick of who could be health and, perhaps more importantly, who may be unhealthy.  You don’t want to touch someone who has an illness you might catch.”

For those who really do not like their greens, there is good news in that even eating a small amount can have an impact.

Dr Lefevre, who is working up to eating five-a-day, said: “Other work we have shown that eating one or two more portions makes a visible difference after only four weeks.”

Her work may explain to some extent why people sometimes describe others with a tan as having a ‘healthy glow’.

Dr Lefevre added: “Some other work that our lab has done indicates that people prefer a tan to no tan. However, they seem to prefer the carotenoid colour more than a tan. Eating more fruit is better than going in the sun.”

Of course, there are a multitude of reasons to get your 5 a day intake of fruit and vegetables, besides looking more appealing to the opposite sex! Here is a detailed list of the 5 a day benefits, and information on what counts as one of the portions.

How to survive the work Christmas party

As we quickly approach the second weekend of December, Christmas trees, decorations and lights will be sprouting around homes all over the UK. Around this time is also when many employers decide to arrange a Christmas party for their staff, which can be any one of something to look forward to, something to dread, but more commonly, something to deeply regret (in the morning after the night before!).

Venturing your way through the minefield that is the office Christmas party can be tricky business, but not something that is impossible to do to ensure your dignity, reputation and most importantly, job are all left intact!

Pace yourself

An open bar does not mean drink like it’s going out of fashion for the sake of it, and doesn’t mean you need to drink the bar dry. There is no drinking competition because the booze is free and besides, if you take it easy and get to watch other people’s drunken antics, you have perfect blackmail material for the rest of the year and will get plenty of brews made for you. Alcohol (within limits) can make the evening bearable if you are not looking forward to the party, but be aware of your limits. Remember, this is not a night out with your mates.

Don’t fling yourself at the nearest person

Whether the drinks are flowing or mistletoe is in the air, it is not an invitation to hurl yourself at Jane the receptionist. If you do suspect someone you like may be interested, approach with caution, be subtle, don’t be overly flirty. Control your libido and perhaps limit yourself to a kiss near to the end of the party. Gold spot breath sprays are perfect for this point of night; easily to carry about in your pocket and will mask the unpleasant odour of stodgy food and alcohol from earlier in the night. Should you and somebody else decide to take things a little further, condoms are essential to protect against an unwanted pregnancy or sexually transmitted infection.

The social media aspect

Your Facebook friends will not care for your opinions of the attractive work colleague you are lusting over, or wish to see drunken pictures you have taken of yourself in the toilets. Be careful of what you post on social media as what can turn out to be a bit of harmless fun can end up with disastrous ramifications. What started out as “Rob just stole a plant” may end up as “Rob just received his P45 from HR”. It is a social occasion but it is still a work event, and on Monday morning your boss will still be your boss. Plenty of alcohol and camera phones do not go hand in hand, steer clear of any damaging photo opportunities that can even put your job on the line or result in merciless jibes from colleagues until the next Christmas party!

Don’t over-indulge

Christmas time for dieters can be the most challenging period of the year. The buffet at the party will more than likely feature a whole range of fat-filled stodgy foods such as pizza, quiche and sausage rolls. None are beneficial for your waistline or your cholesterol levels. Alcohol is known to contribute to low blood sugar levels, dehydration, and the typical binge-eating session that many people fall victim to at the end of a heavy drinking session. As alcohol is an appetite stimulant, try not to make a pit-stop to the local kebab shop on your walk home. If you are attempting to lose weight, devouring a doner kebab is not the way to go. Some contain as much as 1,990 calories. This is almost the same as a woman’s recommended daily intake of calories, in addition to a staggering 70g of saturated fat – three and half times the daily guideline amount for a woman, not forgetting a whopping 16.5g of salt.

Don’t mention work

Show you have a life outside of the office and touch upon topics of conversation that aren’t related to the latest spreadsheet figures at work.  If you must, get in touch with the latest news before the party so you have something to talk about and ask people what their plans are for the festive period. You can inject a little creative storytelling into the conversation should you wish, just make sure to keep it clean and credible! Also, the work Christmas party is not the appropriate time to bring up the fact you want a pay rise in the New Year. Everyone wants to let their hair down and work subjects should be put aside for the night.

Quitting smoking can get the blood flowing into your love life

It has long been said that smoking not only harms a man’s fertility but also effects his ability to achieve and sustain an erection, and the findings from a new study suggest that smoking is indeed disastrous for a man’s risk of suffering with erectile dysfunction.

The study, conducted over a period of three years, was carried out by experts based at the University of Hong Kong Schools of Public Health and Nursing. They assessed 700 men aged between 30 and 50, who were all smokers and complaining of impotence problems.

The team found that over half (53.8%) of the participants who successfully managed to quit smoking actually noted their erection problems had subsided, and within merely six months after quitting smoking. Therefore, those who gave up cigarettes had a 91.5% better chance of having a good sex life.

Involved in the study was Professor Sophia Chan, who stressed the need for smoking cessation programs to be introduced in a country such as China where there are a high number of men who are suffering with such problem.

Smokers should be aware of such adverse effects from their smoking and should quit now to prevent erectile dysfunction and other diseases caused by smoking”, commented Lam Tai-Hing, who was involved in the study with Professor Chan. Tai-Hing added; “In fact, erectile dysfunction patients who smoke can expect some quick benefits after quitting smoking.”

Smoking is believed to cause erectile dysfunction as it promotes narrowing in the arterial walls and negatively impacts blood flow to the penis through the pelvic region. There are a number of treatments available to men with impotence problems such as Viagra and Cialis; taken by millions of men around the world.

Viagra works it magic by enabling the blood vessels in your penis to relax, which then allows better flow into your Corpus Cavernosum and Spongiosum when you get sexually excited with stimulation.
Lifestyle improvements to boost cardiovascular health has also been found to ease the symptoms of erectile dysfunction. Men experiencing this problem may be advised to lose weight and begin exercising, lowering bad cholesterol level, lower blood pressure and adhere to a healthy diet that is low in saturated fat.

Maybe the graphic image warnings on cigarette packets about their dangers are not sufficient enough to get some men to quit smoking, but the risk of impotence could perhaps provide the motivation to finally stub out.

Winter Wellness: Protect yourself against flu and other illness

Certain health conditions are triggered or exuberated by cold weather, and considering recent years has seen the winter season in the United Kingdom become increasingly chilly with sub-zero temperatures, this can cause chaos for the majority of the UK’s 63.23 million people.

However, there are practical steps and self-help measures you can take during the winter to stay warm, reduce your risk of developing illness, and sufficiently equip your body to deal with an ailment should you unfortunately become unwell.

Flu

One of the most common winter illnesses, and one not to be confused with a cold. Colds usually start gradually with a runny or stuffy nose and sore throat. Flu symptoms begin much suddenly and it is more serious than a cold.

For many of us, flu is not life-threatening and a full recovery can usually be made after a week. However, flu can prove deadly for vulnerable people and lead to complications such as bronchitis and pneumonia.

These vulnerable, high-risk groups of people are entitled to a free flu jab on the NHS to protect themselves developing flu and serious complications from it. Those eligible for the jab include the over-65s, pregnant women, if you have a medical condition such as diabetes or asthma (your GP will advise you), are a healthcare or social care worker with direct patient contact, or reside in either a long-stay residential care home or other long-stay care facility. There may be other situations where you are entitled to the flu jab, with your GP or practice nurse being able to offer more information.

You can take preventative steps though to try and protect yourself and those around you by: coughing or sneezing into a tissue, disposing of used tissues immediately and washing hands straight away. You should also rest, drink plenty of fluids, and eat healthily (a low-fat, high-fibre diet is generally advised).

Flu FAQ

I am pregnant, do I need a flu jab this year?

Yes. The flu vaccine can be safely administered at any stage of pregnancy following conception to protect both you and your unborn baby. It will help to protect against serious complications in the latter stages of pregnancy, such as pneumonia, and will       even offer protection for the baby in the first few months of their life after birth. The vaccine also means there is a lesser risk of premature birth or the baby having a low birth weight.

I am pregnant but I think I have flu. What should I do?

See your doctor as soon as flu symptoms first appear as there is prescription medicine that can be taken to reduce the chance of complications arising, but the treatment needs to be taken soon after the initial symptoms start to show.

I have already had flu. Do I need the vaccine?

Yes. You will not know which virus caused your flu and the vaccine is essential to protect you against other flu viruses after yours has passed.

I received a flu vaccination last year. Do I need one this year?

Yes. The vaccine will offer protection against different strains than the previous years. Even if you were vaccinated last year, it is strongly advised you receive another this year. Health experts identify the flu viruses way in advance that are most likely to be predominant and appropriate vaccines are made.

Which flu viruses will the 2013/14 vaccine protect against?

. H1N1 – the strain of flu responsible for the 2009 swine flu pandemic.
. H3N2 – a strain of flu prominent in birds and mammals that was notoriously active in 2011.
. B/Massachusetts/2 – a strain of flu that was active in 2012.

Why is flu dangerous for older and chronically ill people?

Those over 65 and/or suffering with a chronic illness will have difficulty fighting influenza as their body’s system for getting rid of infection has usually become much weaker. Older people who have flu are at risk of pneumonia, bronchitis, and even death.

Who should not have the flu vaccine?

There are not many people who should avoid the flu vaccine. If you have had a serious allergic reaction to a previous jab then it is generally advised to avoid having another. Because some flu jabs are created using eggs, people with an allergy to eggs may be at risk of experiencing a reaction with that type of vaccine. Therefore, it is best to check with your doctor who may be able to provide a flu vaccine with low egg content if an egg-free version isn’t available. If you have a fever, you should wait until you have fully recovered before considering the flu vaccine.

What is the flu nasal spray vaccination?

The NHS childhood vaccination programme means that all children aged 2 to 3 years of age are eligible to receive an annual flu nasal spray vaccine. As the initiative rolls out, all children between the ages of 2 and 16 will be vaccinated against flu with the nasal spray. It is administered as a single dose of spray in each nostril and has the major advantage of there being no needles involved and also less side effects.

What is Tamiflu and do I need it?

Tamiflu is a prescription only antiviral medicine for the treatment or prevention of various types of influenza such as swine flu. Tamiflu belongs to a group of medicines named ‘neuraminidase inhibitors’. These medicines prevent the influenza virus from spreading inside the body and so help to ease or prevent the symptoms arising from the influenza virus infection. A doctor will determine if you need Tamiflu and prescribe it as necessary.

Asthma

The 5.4 million people in the UK need to take extra care and precautions during the winter months as cold air and flu viruses are major triggers for asthma symptoms, which include: a shortness of breath, wheezing (accompanied by a whistling sound), chest tightness/pain/pressure, coughing (especially at night or early in the morning).

Before stepping outside on cold, dry days, always make sure to take your usual dose of reliever inhaler (normally a blue inhaler) and keep this inhaler on you at all times. Wrap up well and ideally you should wear a scarf that covers your nose and mouth. Doing this will help to warm up the air before you breathe it in. Exercise is another trigger for asthma attacks and you need to be cautious of exercising during the winter. Warm up for 10–15 minutes prior to exercise and take one or two puffs of your blue reliever inhaler before you begin.

Christmas asthma triggers should also be taken into account and precautions need to be taken to avoid them where best possible. Pets, Christmas trees and Christmas decorations can cause havoc if you have asthma or other allergies.

Norovirus

The virus may also be more commonly known as the winter vomiting bug. As the name suggests, it is particularly rife during the winter months, but can be caught at any time during the year. In recent years norovirus has made headlines after spreading rapidly amongst the passengers on cruise ships and it is quite often spread within schools and hotels. The first symptom is suddenly feeling nauseous, followed by forceful vomiting and diarrhoea. Sufferers may also experience stomach cramps, aching limbs, frequent headaches, and a high temperature (over 38C/100.4F).

The virus is difficult to try and deal with, but should pass after a few days. If you are vomiting and have diarrhoea, you must drink plenty of fluid to prevent dehydration, with this being more dangerous with the very young and elderly.

Each year approximately 600,000 to 1 million people in the UK become ill with the norovirus, but there are things you can do to prevent getting the virus or try to prevent it spreading. For example, avoid sharing towels and flannels, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after using the toilet as well as prior to preparing meals, use a bleach-based household cleaner to disinfect any surfaces or areas that may be contaminated and wash all clothing and bedding at risk separately from other items.