In an ideal world, any man who has a problem with his sexual function would consult a qualified health professional and have himself assessed, a diagnosis made, and then, if indicated, appropriate treatment prescribed.
Unfortunately, although this is the procedure that most men with medical complaints follow, the world of the 21st century offers several other options for dealing with medical complaints of a sexual nature, some of which are unable to produce the desired result and others which are not only inefficacious but can even be quite dangerous.
Medicine for Sexual Problems
Men, particularly those who think they are suffering from erectile dysfunction (ED, also referred to as impotence) and premature ejaculation, are likely targets for unscrupulous persons out to make a quick buck through internet marketing. These companies focus on this area of medicine – male sexual problems – and take the opportunity of advertising their goods and services on the internet, many of them with sophisticated websites. Similarly, there are "clinics" that exist outside the mainstream health systems that use eye-catching billboards and late night television advertisements to flaunt their wares to the unsuspecting male population.
Men with this type of sexual complaint can be particularly vulnerable because they may view the nature of their condition as embarrassing and so are attracted to the anonymity of cyberspace. They might prefer to purchase via the internet medicine purported to cure their problem or seek advice from a voice on an anonymous "Helpline" without undertaking a face to face consultation with a doctor.
A recent survey of men based in Italy, Germany and the UK (Schnetzler G, Banks I, Kirby M, Zou KH, and Symonds T. Characteristics, behaviors, and attitudes of men bypassing the healthcare system when obtaining phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors. J Sex Med 2010;7:1237–1246)found that of the 11,889 men surveyed, 10.5% had used PDE5 inhibitors (the main class of medicines used to treat erectile dysfunction) in the previous 12 months, and about a third of these had bypassed the healthcare system. Significantly, of these men, about half had used the internet to obtain their medications. The main reasons these men gave for obtaining their medicines in this manner were related to avoiding the embarrassment of speaking to a health professional, and the perception that the drugs would be cheaper.
Treatment on the Internet
The advantage of getting treatment on the internet is that medicines can be obtained at prices far cheaper than they would cost if purchased from a local pharmacist. You can order these medicines on the internet and have them delivered to your home address in nondescript brown paper packages without anybody who recognises you knowing that you are using a drug like Viagra.
The danger of getting treatment on the internet, however, is that you leave yourself open to the risk of being sold inappropriate, inactive or even harmful medicines.
Medical Significance of Erectile Dysfunction
One danger of trying to get drugs to fix one's erectile dysfunction without consulting a doctor is that erectile dysfunction in many cases is the first symptom that something is wrong with a man's cardiovascular system. In fact, difficulty in achieving or maintaining a hard erection could well be a signal indicating the presence of early but asymptomatic heart disease, and a predictor that a heart attack could be around the corner.
Counterfeit Medicines
The effects of taking counterfeit medicines can range from them having no effect (the tablets sold do not contain the drug they are supposed to) to death (when the tablets have some harmful substance like a herbal remedy or a blood sugar lowering drug).
Men who think they may have a reproductive or sexual problem should discuss their concerns with their family doctor. They can then expect the doctor to listen carefully to their story of the problem, to examine them and perhaps order some blood test or similar investigation.
If medicine is needed, it can be obtained on a prescription from a legitimate pharmacy. If the problem is one that needs to be dealt with utilising the assistance of a psychologist, counsellor, therapist or medical specialist, the family doctor can refer the man on to the appropriate health professional.
Trying to treat oneself with the help of medicines bought on the internet is a practice that is fraught with danger.
Sanjiva Wijesinha - Dr. Sanjiva Wijesinha, Associate Professor at Monash University medical school, writes on health, travel and medical topics.
