Clinical trials with Viagra given to treat erectile dysfunction (ED) have shown fantastic results among men with mild to severe cases of the condition.

In on of the first major clinical trials involving 300 men, the results that were "almost too good to be true." Not only did a whopping 88% percent of men taking Viagra reporte improved erections, regardless of the severity of their ED, but the number of erections per week and the number of erections resulting in successful intercourse increased dramatically. They had orgasms more easily. The orgasms were better, and they consistently reported an overall improvement in their sex lives. Even sexual desire improved, reaching the same levels as those of men who had participated as controls.

There was some discussion regarding the changing of dosages throughout some of the studies. This is known as 'dose optimization,' and is notably regarded as helping to achieve maximum results. It is completely safe to cut the Viagra tablets into sections to change the dose in order to find out what works best.

Another study with 225 patients followed. Clinical end points were the proportion of patients who said that their erections were improved and the proportion of patients wanting to continue treatment. Results: 87% voiced improvements in erection, and 90% wished to continue study treatment. The continuation statistic, even a number as high as 90%, fails to convey the way these men felt about Viagra. Consider, for instance, the small matter of the pills left over after clinical trials ended. Regulations require all pills distributed in trials to be accounted for, leftovers included. As patients were asked to turn in their unused pills, the doctors were hearing things like "Oh, I flushed them down the toilet." This was one medicine that would not be coming back.

But that's not the end of the line. After the initial studies on Viagra were finished, the trial participants were informed that Viagra would not be available until after regulatory approval was obtained, many of them became despondent. They begged for more pills. Pfizer, the first maker of Viagra, received poignant letters from many of these men expressing how they felt. Patients said, "how revitalizing it had been to their self-esteem," to have Viagra. Letters were sent from widowers who had met someone new but who felt they couldn't contemplate marriage without their medication. Others had had impotence break up a first marriage, and they didn't want it to happen again. Pfizer issued a statement saying, "We've never had the level of patient response that we've had in this program," and eventually, decided to keep giving these men the Viagra they wanted, on grounds of compassion.

After receiving FDA approval, in its first quarter on the U.S. market there were 2.9 million Viagra prescriptions, far beyond anyone's predictions. In part, the availability of Viagra has driven its demand. Men with an impotence problem have read about it and realized that they are not alone in their suffering. It is not all in their heads, as was the prevailing belief 20 years ago, and there is an easy-to-take medicine that can help them. The formal release of the drug that changed the lives of millions of men around the world made them very happy indeed.

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