Over-the-Counter Erections
Once upon a time, and for thousands and thousands of years, men had erections. And did things with them. There was erectile dysfunction, no doubt, but humanity survived. Generations and generations of copulation, for procreation or for pleasure — or for rather less admirable purposes.
Enter Pfizer. Enter Viagra. Enter Cialis and all the rest for all the others. The little blue pills were meant for a medical condition, or so it seemed, and that was a good thing. Why should men condemned to flaccidity, not to mention their partners, not enjoy the benefits of the erect penis? Modern medicine triumphed. Progress ruled.
But as with all other medication, it was not long before it was abused. After all, why should men not want to enjoy the benefits of the 72-hour erect penis? Or whatever. Think of the pleasure to be had. Think of the partners to be pleasured. Flaccidity — be damned! The little blue pills could be taken by any and all, medical condition or not.
But where does it end?
For we have now arrived at this:
British pharmacy chain Boots will begin a trial program on Valentine’s Day to offer men the anti-impotence drug Viagra without a prescription.
The initial pilot program is expected to last six months, and Boots will then consider whether to expand it to other pharmacies. The chain has about 1,500 stores across Britain.The pilot will be offered in three of the chain’s stores in the English city of Manchester, 300 kilometres northwest of London.
Would-be customers between the ages of 30-65 will be required to see a pharmacist, provide a medical history and have their blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels tested.
The cost? £50 for four little blue pills. Over here that means about $97 American, $115 Canadian. Pricey, no? Better make sure your partner’s Viagra-worthy.
Think of the room for abuse here. Will the little blue pills end up with the dysfunctionally non-erectile? Or with the functionally erectile who just can’t get enough? The pills were meant for a medical condition, but now, OTC, they may pose a health risk to a new generation of men who desire a pharmaceutical aid to fuel what normally comes naturally to them.
Behold the raging pharmaceutical-fueled erection, a symbol of our pleasure-seeking time, surely a sign of impending civilizational apocalypse.
(SOTA #41 at The Reaction.)
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19 Responses to “Over-the-Counter Erections”
Sry, Michael, but this story looks like being on the same level with the spam I get every day. Is this really an interesting topic for TMV? I’m sceptical…
:-/
Oh, the horror… people taking pills to make it possible to have sex, or make sex more fun. What is the world coming to. Next thing you know, people will be taking pills to make it more pleasurable to have sex by reducing the anxiety that comes with risking pregnancy!
Heaven forbid, somebody may even take an aspirin to reduce the effects of a hangover rather than to prevent an actual medical headache. Dear me, dear me… Oh, the abuse.
The first two sentences just cracked me up. Thanks!
It’s not spam, Gray. It was picked up by the AP and Reuters and reported at major British news sites.
PatHMV: The point is, most men don’t need it — I’m not arguing that it should be banned. But if it’s out there many men who don’t need it will take it. Is there not something with a pill-popping society?
You’re welcome, ShortWoman.
I agree, and there’s also the issue of medicare funding for these drugs. Is this really where our health care priorities should be?
C, by making it non-prescription, it would almost immediately stop being eligible for coverage by insurance plans and government programs. They are allowable expenses, however, for flexible spending accounts, so you can use pre-tax dollars to pay for them.
Michael, I was of course being a bit tongue-in-cheek with my replies, but the point remains. Your definition of “need” and others’ definition of “need” may be very different. On one level, none of us “need” sex, in the sense that we will physically die without it. It’s certainly an activity in high demand, however. How frequent and how satisfying the meeting of the sexual urge should be is a very personal matter; everybody has their own “needs” in that regard. Who is to say that the non-Viagra-enhanced male does not “need” to have sex 4 times a night, when 2 times should be enough for everybody? At what point does one’s performance level fall low enough that you concede he “needs” Viagra?
My point about the Pill is that few people “need” it, either. And one can actually have sex as much as one wants without it, and even without the risk of having babies. The Pill is mostly only “needed” by women who want to have sex without a condom (or diaphragm or sponge or whatever) without significant risk of conception (though I am well aware that some portion of women who take it do so to ease significant levels of discomfort during parts of their cycle… I don’t think that’s most of them, though).
Sure, I’m not particularly in favor of a “pill-popping society,” but I’m also very glad that I have access to Claritin over-the-counter. I don’t “need” to visit my friends who have cats, but it sure is nice to be able to do so without beginning to sneeze violently about 20 minutes after I walk in the door.
Bill Maher was on Tavis Smiely last night and had a comment about pharma drugs and MaryJane.
MaryJane 0 OD’s 0 dead, I wonder what can be said about those Blue pills.
Oh, sheesh, Rudi, let’s not get THAT debate started again… lol
PatHMV – But what is the body count for people that wanted a 3 hour cruise to Orgasmoland? Some are now blind, will their seeing eye dog help with the one hand clap?
That would be illegal in most states, Rudi, even with the usual exceptions to laws carved out for “service animals”…
Only if the “service animal” is compensated (seperatelly)for those services.
Rudi, the blind guys can just move to Denmark, and the government will see that their needs are met once a month.
Semi-legit medical opinion to the rescue!
Pill popping society aside, let’s just establish that there are risks involved. 1. Tolerance. Expensive little blue pill needed for sex, sex associated with little blue pill, try to have sex without little blue pill, no response (either physiological/psychological), and so ergo, if you like sex, you need a little blue pill every time. So if you want to pay to have sex, go ahead (wait a second…).
2. Abuse. So, people are stupid, and some will overdose on anything if you let them. I suspect the ER will get a lot more cases of priaprism if this occurs because some person will take 10 of them after he has a few beers at a party or something. This is actually a surgical emergency, because if you’re erect for more than 4 hours, it’s possible for your manhood to become gangrenous and fall off.
Caveat Emptor.
Lit3Bolt… the potential for damage from abuse is indeed the most relevant issue, but my question is whether it’s any more dangerous than any of the numerous other medications sold over the counter.
Also, the price is going to keep it, for now, out of the hands of idiot, binge-drinking college students. They tend to spend all their funds on dinner and drinks for their date just to get to the point where the drug might come in handy…
“…if you’re erect for more than 4 hours, it’s possible for your manhood to become gangrenous and fall off.”
Dang, I want to see *that* wording in those disclaimers in the ads. :-O
Happy Valentine’s day, Michael!
Don’t forget to report to us how Viagra improved it.
“…if you’re erect for more than 4 hours, it’s possible for your manhood to become gangrenous and fall off.�
Damn, I should have known that in the past. Some very hot ladies really should have this disclaimer tatooed at a prominent place on their body!
However, :shrug:, no risk, no fun…
Cialis or Tadalafil. I'm 64 years old with high blood pressure and erectile dysfunction. Have tried everything on the market for the past 2-3 years, unsuccessfully. Doctor gave me 20mg samples of Cialis. Within 30 minutes was like a teenager with my wife. Unbelievable sex. Unbelievable pill.
ohh…nice post but really?/?