The dangers of taking the incorrect dose of Viagra have been highlighted recently with the death of a man in Rome. The man who was 49 years old was taken to hospital after his girlfriend became concerned about him and he passed out. Despite strenuous efforts of both his girlfriend who is a nurse and also the ambulance crew they were not able to revive the man.

Viagra is not dangerous if it taken correctly and carefully however it can react badly with other drugs like nitrate and thus cause fatal low blood pressure. The reason why Viagra remains a prescription only drug is likely to be for this reason. Men who have a very low blood pressure naturally are also advised to stay away from Viagra as it can lower blood pressure further.

This news will certainly have the EMEA (The European medicines regulator) taking note of the fact that Pfizer are considering an over the counter version of their erectile dysfunction medicine and this story will likely add weight to the argument that it should stay as a prescription only drug.

Apparently the man in question had taken an excessive dose of Viagra that probably meant that he was unaware of the side effects of the drug. Pfizer have been informed about the case and are working with the hospitals and the relevant authorities to get all the facts of the case.

Incidentally Rome where the incident took place can lay claim to being the Italian city that consumes the most amount of Viagra in Italy. Whether it is because there are more men with erection problems in Rome or whether it is because there are more men willing to try the drug is not known but it is likely to be the later. In smaller communities like little Italian villages the sales of Viagra are lower as people are embarrassed to buy it from a local pharmacy. In all, the men of Rome buy on average over 1600 packets of Viagra every single day.