Heart attacks spark warning over danger of Viagra abuse

A cardiologist has warned of the dangers of buying Viagra on the black market after three Hong Kong men suffered heart attacks induced by the anti-impotence drug.

Two men, aged 48 and 50, who were not suffering from erectile dysfunction, said they bought some on the market after friends recommended it. The men suffered heart attacks in September last year and January 1999 respectively.

A third man, 56, who is diabetic, was prescribed the drug by a doctor in June 1999, said Dr Duncan Ho Hung-kwong, a cardiologist at Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

All three survived but had to undergo surgery for clogged arteries after taking the drug while suffering from undiagnosed heart conditions.

Dr Ho said the two heart attack incidents involving black-market Viagra were only 'the tip of the iceberg' in terms of the number of men buying the drug through illicit channels. He said men taking the drug without a doctor's prescription were putting their lives at risk.

'The most important message from these cases is that the patient has to obtain Viagra from a proper channel. Secondly, if he obtains it from a doctor, the doctor should give him a pre-prescription check-up,' Dr Ho said.