You may be one of millions that have consumed Viagra (sildenafil) either through prescription by a doctor or from legitimate sources for recreational purposes.

Whilst sales of Viagra has declined significantly over last seven years, there has been a steady growth of people seeking for alternative natural herbal remedies which are believed to be potentially more effective and safe.

Between herbal remedies and lab-produced drugs, is the “blue-pill” Viagra a safer choice?

This answer may not be simple but our list of side effects, information on health risks and reported cases, death cases and lawsuits presented in this article will serve as a guide for you to make a better assessment on Viagra.

Here is a quick overview:

Common Side Effects

The sildenafil compound in Viagra was originally developed by Pfizer for the treatment of hypertension (high blood pressure) and angina pectoris (chest pain due to heart disease).

When used to treat Erectile Dysfunction (ED), you may experience notable and unavoidable side-effects.

The side effects below are taken from Viagra’s official website and other credible sources.

1. An erection that will not go away (priapism)
2. Sudden vision loss in one or both eyes
3. Sudden hearing decrease or hearing loss
4. Mild or severe headache
5. Mild or severe diarrhea
6. Nasal Congestion
7. Nosebleeds
8. Indigestion
9. Muscle pain
10. Flushing

The side-effects from Viagra varies from mild to severe – thus can potentially be detrimental to health depending on your past and present health condition.

Viagra and Cancer

Here are quick facts on melanoma taken from the Skin Cancer Foundation.

• The survival rate of melanoma patient is 63%
• 192,310 cases of melanoma will be diagnosed in the U.S. in 2019 / 2020.
• 95,830 cases will be noninvasive and confined to the top layer of skin (in situ)
• 69,480 cases will be invasive, penetrating into the skin’s second layer.

One of the side-effects of Viagra that gained worldwide attention is the risk of developing cancer known as melanoma based on evidence found in recent studies.

Study on 25,848 men using Viagra (sildenafil) showed higher risk of developing melanoma. Melanoma is a major public health problem, with 76,000 estimated new cases each year in the United States.

A 2014 report published in the Journal of American Medical Association linked Viagra use with elevated melanoma risk, news which prompted the FDA to put Viagra and similar drugs on a “watch list” of drugs that had possible safety risks.

Viagra and Death Cases

Here are reports and news headline related to deaths which were allegedly linked to ED drugs (including but not limited to Viagra).

• Viagra is linked to 522 deaths
• Erection Dysfunction Drugs linked to 2,200 death cases

The death cases may be linked to other unknown health conditions, so please do not panic.

Nonetheless, the effect of Viagra on your health from near to medium term vis-à-vis the current reported side effect cases and links to cancer warrant your attention.

Lawsuits on Viagra

There were 800 to 1000 lawsuits filed on Viagra-related cases through the federal court in the United States. As of April 2019, there more than 900 melanoma lawsuits remained pending in the federal court in the Northern District of California.

The high number of lawsuit cases begs the question of safety on Viagra users around the world.

• Hearing Loss – In 2007, the Food and Drug Administration requested modification of Viagra’s label to include a warning about sudden hearing loss. This came after 29 reported cases of men suffering unexpected hearing loss and lawsuits against Pfizer.
• Vision Loss – Despite Pfizer’s claim that Viagra does not cause blindness, men who experienced sudden vision loss after taking the drug also filed lawsuits against the manufacturer. At one point, the FDA reported 38 cases of Viagra users suffering from a condition called Non-Arteritic Ischemic Optic Neuropathy (NAION) that caused vision loss.
• Heart Issues – Some of the first lawsuits against the makers of Viagra involved heart issues. As a result of the sudden drop in blood pressure, Viagra had been linked to possible heart complications like cardiac arrest.
• Melanoma – The Viagra Melanoma Lawsuit is Case No. 3:18-cv-02139-RS in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of California, San Fransisco Division.

FDA Safety Warnings on Viagra

Here are announcements from the USFDA on Viagra since 2005 to tighten regulations on safety.  

• October 2005:A petition required a black box warning for erectile dysfunction drugs Sildenafil (Viagra), Tadalafil (Cialis) and Vardenafil (Levitra). Though less severe warnings had already been added, a black box was not added.
• 2005:The FDA ordered to add a warning to the drug’s label about vision loss.
• October 2007: Changes were requested in the label to include warnings about sudden hearing loss associated with the drug when 29 reports of patients who experienced sudden hearing loss within hours to two days of taking Viagra were received.
• 2012:The FDA advised that Revatio (Sildenafil) should not be prescribed to children ages 1 through 17 for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), or high blood pressure in the blood vessels leading to the lungs. 
• 2014:The FDA issued an update and clarification of its earlier recommendation suggesting that it was up to the health care professionals to consider whether the benefits of treatment are likely to outweigh the potential risks to their patients.
• 2019-2020: The FDA is yet to recall Viagra from the medical market.