As stated by Chicago scientists K.T. McVary, S. Carrier et al. (2001), smoking may elevate the likelihood of moderate or complete erectile dysfunction (ED) two-fold. However, some people continue to smoke even when they face impotence and are treated with anti-ED drug. Let’s try to reveal possible consequences of such a combination.
The Well-Known Axiom: Nicotine is Harmful for the Body
Today, smoking, a rather pernicious habit, is one of the main addictions. Some people try to get rid of it being aware of their addiction to tobacco.
Although cigarettes contain a lot of harmful substances, such as tar, the biggest negative effect on the human body is nicotine – a toxic substance that can be stronger than strychnine and arsenic (in high dosages).
A Soviet poster printed in the 1950s declared the following postulate:
Nicotine extracted from 4 cigarettes kills a rabbit, and it takes only a 100 cigarettes’ worth of nicotine to kill a horse.
According to the contemporary estimates, a horce’s death may be exaggeration, but a large drop of this substance may definitely have a lethal effect on an equine.
There is a lot of data indicating that about 0.5 g of oral nicotine is required to kill an adult. This is a big quantity, considering that a cigarette contains on average 12 milligrams of nicotine, nonetheless this fact should alarm.
However, this does not make a special impression on smokers: reassuring themselves that they cannot smoke so many cigarettes at the same time, they continue to kill themselves slowly, taking a puff after a puff.
Moreover, smoking is also dangerous for others who do not smoke. According to Wikipedia, it increases the likelihood of lung and breast cancer in others, also increasing the risk of asthma, heart disease, miscarriages (in pregnant women), and other health problems.
Smoking is definitely harmful to male erectile function. The main mechanism through which the harmful effect is achieved is that tobacco provokes a spasm of blood vessels, resulting in disturbed blood circulation in the penis, decreased blood flow to the cavernous bodies of the penis, which leads to deterioration of erection. Often smokers simply do not notice that daily inhalation of smoke from cigarettes leads to saturation of the human body with toxic compounds, while oxygen and nutrients are in short supply. As a result, a smoker is haunted by a constant feeling of apathy, increased tension, and rapid fatigue. This adversely affects the quality of sex life.
There is one encouraging fact that can stimulate a man to quit this bad habit. According to studies, the risk of developing ED in people who quit smoking is approximately the same as that of non-smokers. Therefore, you can stop smoking before it’s too late and prevent some of the negative effects of this habit.
The Effect of PDE5 Inhibitors on the Body
PDE5 inhibitors (Viagra, Cialis, Levitra, Stendra) are first-line medicines for treating male ED. They have a quick effect, starting to act within half an hour after a man takes the pill / capsule.
Unfortunately, drugs from this group cannot fight the underlying cause of male impotence. That is, for example, if the patient has impaired functionality of the nervous system or impaired blood flow in the vessels, PDE5 inhibitors will not help to get rid of this problem permanently. They only give a relatively short symptomatic effect. For example, Viagra (sildenafil) is active up to 6 hours, while Cialis works up to 36 hours (1.5 days), being a champions in the family of these medicines. Who knows, maybe in the future, humanity will see more innovative developments, but even existing drugs are enough to effectively eliminate ED at the moment when a patient needs it.
Ruthless statistics indicate that the effectiveness of Viagra or Cialis is reduced in smokers. That is, in men without bad habits, drugs will work in 80-85% of cases, while tobacco reduces efficiency to about 65%.
Thus, it makes sense to give up this bad habit for two reasons: firstly, smoking causes (and aggravates) impotence; secondly, it reduces the effectiveness of anti-ED drugs. Moreover, the combination of Viagra and nicotine can lead to a higher risk of side effects, such as headache, facial flushing, blood pressure disorders, etc. In general, problems with potency are the first signal that you should quit smoking if you are a frequent consumer of this pernicious product.
Keep in mind that hookah is not free of nicotine.
An average hookah bowl contains as much nicotine (C10H14N2) as a 20-cigarette pack.
Conclusion: It is highly undesirable to combine Viagra and Cialis with smoking. Be healthy!
