Viagra is mostly taken for conditions like Erectile dysfunction or several sexual conditions. It has many adverse effects on the body, too, but people are curious if Viagra can cause a blood clot?
Viagra is well known for its use in erectile dysfunction treatment, but it was also considered as a medication for the cardiovascular system.
It was used to treat pulmonary hypertension in some cases.
There is a famous story behind the creation of Viagra. How the company that manufactures it, Pfizer, originally was testing a new medication for hypertension.
As they found later, the drug called sildenafil (active ingredient of Viagra) was not very promising in treating hypertension. However, it worked miraculously to bring back men’s long-lost erections.
It may surprise you to know that until this day, even the company hasn’t fully understood how sildenafil does this.
Formerly, Viagra has appeared to obstruct PDE5, however, deeper exploration studies were required to analyze how this was happening exactly.
The enzyme present in Viagra, called PDE5 is considered to moderate the platelet activity.
Usually, platelets present in the blood and have a fundamental role in blood clotting.
On top of that, the use of Viagra is also linked to the increase of cGMP. Increased cGMP is often linked to blood clots.
That said, the use of Viagra does increase the risks of blood clotting in certain people. But the studies are not yet conclusive.
However, when an individual has certain biomedical devices implanted, like stents, which are fixed in the arteries to sustain the blood flow through them, the foreign materials of the devices, are identified by the body and platelets often clot to them.
If there are too many clots occur, this can lead to the blocking of the blood flow and increasing the risk of heart attack or stroke.
A study showing the correlation between Viagra and PDE5 obstruction in cells found that in each cell, many pools of the PDE5 enzyme may be present.
But only one of these pools might control the platelet stimulation.
It could be possible to refurbish the use of Viagra as a regulator in clotting in the blood if targeting each of these pools becomes possible.
It will further aid in preventing heart attacks and strokes.
For this, it is important to understand how the cell functions, and these findings may permit us to analyze the effect of the enzymes.
Besides, a preliminary study presented in American Heart Association’s Basic Cardiovascular Sciences in 2017, stating that if a stent is coated with Viagra and then it is placed in the body, it may prevent the blood clots as Viagra has shown such potential.
Therefore, it can be said that Viagra in fact prevents the blood clots and does not cause them.
This can be further understood if we look into the mechanism of Viagra’s main active drug, sildenafil.
There is also plenty of medical evidence that says the use of Viagra can reduce blood clots up to 30%.
In this instance, some people may even think that Viagra works rather similarly to a blood thinner.
At its core, sildenafil is a drug that works to inhibit the enzyme PDE5, this is why sildenafil is also famously known as a PDE5 inhibitor.
Viagra immediately inhibits the production of PDE5 enzyme in the body which has been often linked to restrictions of blood vessels.
You see, the more PDE5 enzyme a man has in his body, the more his blood vessels become constricted.
This is one reason such a man may experience difficulties with getting enough blood supply to his penis, which then results in impotence.
After all, the erection of the penis is entirely reliant on blood supply.
Now coming back to the notion of a man using a stent, blood clots that happen because of the stent combined with constricted blood vessels and arteries could cause further issues, again, like stroke, but can also involve erectile dysfunction.
Now we can see why a drug like sildenafil that works to open up blood vessels and arteries can positively affect how blood gets prevented from clotting in the body.
Be that as it may, we are currently at a crossroads of ideas as to whether or not Viagra actually causes blood clots.
Since the scientists are still puzzled by this themselves, it is hard to conclude anything at this point.
Some studies do show that Viagra can increase risks of blood clotting, but some studies have shown the complete opposite of this.
The confusion may be due to many other factors in different individuals that are yet to be known.
Although we have discussed how Viagra can prevent blood clots, there are opposing studies that have observed deaths caused by blood clots that were induced by the use of Viagra. Such deaths are usually sudden.
Researchers are still conducting studies to find out exactly how this little blue pill works differently in different people with varying conditions that such opposing results have been produced.
At any rate, the part of studies that have seen Viagra cause blood clots states that the use of Viagra is highly linked with the increase of cGMP in the body.
High levels of cGMP cause blood to clot and this can manifest in various unpleasant side effects.
Some signs that you are experiencing the side effects of blood clotting include, but are not limited to:
- coughing up blood
- chest pain
- difficulty breathing or breathing that feel painful on the chest
- throbbing and cramping in various parts of the body like arms and legs
- warmth in various parts of the body like arms and legs
If you experience any of these symptoms and are suspicious of blood clots, and you are also taking Viagra, immediately visit a doctor to get yourself checked.
Men who are at a higher risk of experiencing blood clotting from the use of Viagra are those who are already suffering from cardiovascular diseases.
Blood clots caused by the use of Viagra could cause sudden death, but this is still a rare occurrence and has only happened in a small number of men who used Viagra.
Before you take this little blue drug of wonder, make sure you check with your doctor as to whether or not you are at any risk.
Conclusion
Thanks for reading “Can Viagra Cause A Blood Clot?”
As mentioned above, Viagra enzymes stir the platelets in the blood. It also inhibits the secretion of PDE5.
Inhibition of the PDE5 effects causes blood vessels to dilate allowing a smoother blood flow.
Blood clot relates to the thickening of the blood and sluggish movement. But Viagra negates this scenario since it enables wider pathways.
Viagra helps people with intravenous medical devices to enjoy normal blood flow. Numerous studies confirm that Viagra prevents blood clotting.
Thus, Viagra doesn’t cause a blood clots.
