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Viagra's real name is sidenafil. It was discovered to stimulate erections in cases of male erectile dysfunction back in 1996, which led to its US Food and Drug Authority authorisation for that reason, in 1998. At that point, its sales took off, and Pfizer, its manufacturer, found it was a lucrative item, securing them one billion dollar sales worldwide over the next three years.
Unfortunately though, it didn't stay restricted to older men with erectile dysfunction. On the dance party circuit, straight and gay clubbers used it as one component in a polydrug 'party mix.' Initially, this involved intentional mixture of Viagra and MDMA (Ecstacy), to produce 'sextasy,' which combined the euphoric effects of E with the phallic thrust of V. As with any drug interaction though, there are counter-indications. And as E and P are illegal drugs, the exact nature of these interactions are not clear, and may vary from person to person.
For starters, ask yourself why you're using. If it's because you want to forget your crap life, escape it for the night, get out of it so you don't have to deal with whatever problems exist within it, or get blitzed so you forget, then you're more likely to overdo it. Have a talk with a community alcohol and drugs counselor, who'll tell you what to do next. If you still decide to use, keep drinking water so you won't get dehydrated, and pass out.
Do not use V if you're also using poppers. Do not use it if you've got a history of cardiovascular problems, kidney complaints or hypotension/low blood pressure, as this is intended to stimulate cardiac pace, and may result in heart problems if misused. If you're HIV+, your protease inhibitors will increase the magnitude of these effects, so don't mix them either. As well as the above, the increased bloodflow may also impact on your optic nerves, leading to impaired vision or possibly blindness. If you're experiencing headaches, impaired vision, aversion to light or heart palpitations already, then these are warning signs. Do not consume any more V that evening. Get someone to call A&D for you, so they can tell you what to do next.
In addition to the other risks, "trail mix" carries its own set of problems. Due to polydrug interaction, individual metabolisms and overindulgence, intoxication and disorientation may result in impaired sexual judgement, leading to unsafe sex and exposure to STIs or HIV. More recently, newer forms of 'trail mix' have mixed together Viagra and pure/crystal methamphetamine, which leads to the aforementioned risks from V cited above, although it may overcome "crystal dick"- erectile dysfunction related to use of the latter. Again, there are increased associated risks, as well as the threat of unsafe sex while intoxicated. Bear in mind that there's a real prospect that if you purchase the drugs from a dealer, they're probably also adulterated with other stuff.
What can you do to spread the news about these new risk factors for unsafe sex? It helps to monitor clubland policies on the above overseas, and institutevenue policies if you're a manager.
Good sources of additional information are available below.
PARTY HARD, BUT PARTY SAFE!