The little blue pill known as Viagra has been one of the most talked about medications of the past fifteen years. Being the first of the erectile dysfunction medications to hit the market in 1998, the drug skyrocketed in use, with millions of men listed as loyal customers. The reason for all this acclaim is simply that the drug works exactly as advertised. Men with ED are able to use Viagra to improve their erectile capabilities to a point where they are able to once again enjoy sexual contact with their partner.

Essentially, Viagra is just a trade name and the base component is called Sildenafil Citrate. The drug is active in the body as an inhibitor of the PDE5 enzyme, which means that cGMP is not degraded in the body as fast and the natural process of forming an erection in response to sexual arousal or stimuli is returned to the man. The funny thing about Viagra is that it was very close to never existing at all. When clinical researchers were experimenting with the Sildenafil Citrate compound, they were interested in how it improved heart function. It was only the appearance of enhanced erectile function as a side effect that led the researchers to consider that Viagra may be of use against the ED condition.

The benefits of using Viagra have turned out to be more than the researchers expected. The drug has not only become the most effective ED treatment, but other uses of Sildenafil Citrate are being discovered at a quick pace. Viagra works against altitude sickness, reduces tumor size in prostate cancer patients, and may even help with female fertility. Even though its existence on the market is less than two decades, Viagra has a well earned reputation of being one of the most important medications discovered in this century.