Viagra may increase the risk of death if taken with chest pain medications taken by millions of people, research warns

Using Viagra in combination with common chest pain medications could be fatal, a study warns.

Nitrate medications cause blood vessels to dilate, allowing more oxygen and nutrients to reach the heart, and are prescribed for people who suffer from chest pain – usually in men aged 42 and over.

Doctors have discouraged the use of nitrates like Nitrostat and erectile dysfunction medications — which also work by widening blood vessels — for decades for fear that they could cause a sudden drop in blood pressure, which could trigger a fatal heart attack.

And now Swedish researchers have found evidence to support this claim, after analyzing data from 61,000 men who were hospitalized after a heart attack.

Doctors advise patients to wait at least 24 hours after taking Viagra before taking nitrate medications such as Nitrostat (right), and vice versa

Doctors said those prescribed both drugs were generally at greater risk of complications, including death.

Complications could be recorded up to 28 days after Viagra was prescribed to patients already receiving nitrates.

Doctors have previously advised patients taking nitrates to wait at least 24 hours before taking Viagra, and vice versa.

In an editorial accompanying the study, researchers said it was “reasonably safe” to take Viagra 24 hours after patients use nitrates. who had ischemic heart disease – a heart problem caused by narrowed arteries – mild angina and the ability to exercise reasonably well.

But for those who had to take nitrates regularly, they said using Viagra was “unwise” and “not recommended.”

Viagra and nitrate medications work by causing blood vessels to dilate or dilate, causing an increase in blood flow to the penis (causing an erection) or heart, thus boosting the flow of oxygen to the organ to relieve pain light up.

But – if the drugs are taken close together – doctors say they can cause blood vessels to dilate too much, causing a sudden drop in blood pressure.

This also reduces the supply of oxygen and essential nutrients to the heart, increasing the risk of a heart attack.

About 4 million men in the United States use Viagra annually, data shows, while about 5.5 million men use nitrates to treat chest pain.

Doctors say men should take Viagra about an hour before intercourse, and only take the drug about once a day.

Swedish researchers used a database for the study the Swedish Patient Register – which contains medical information on almost everyone in the country.

They looked for men who had had a heart attack – a myocardial infarction or percutaneous coronary intervention – and received at least two nitrate prescriptions within six months.

Patients were also checked to see if they had received a prescription for phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5i) – or Viagra, Levitra and others.

The results showed that 55,777 of the men in the group had received a prescription for nitrates, while 5,710 had received a prescription for both.

Scientists said their analysis showed that men who received both drugs had a higher risk of all health outcomes – including death – compared with those who took nitrates alone.

They also found that this risk was not immediate, with health events not occurring until 28 days after receiving the medication.

Professor Daniel Peter Andersson, a medical expert at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, said: ‘Doctors are seeing an increase in requests for erectile dysfunction (ED) medications from men with cardiovascular disease (CVD).

“Although there is a positive association between ED medications for men with cardiovascular disease, patients taking nitrates may experience an increased risk of negative health outcomes.”

He added: ‘Our aim is to highlight the need for careful patient-centred consideration before prescribing PDE5i medications to men receiving nitrate treatment.

“Furthermore, it justifies our efforts for continued research into the ambiguous effects of ED drugs on men with cardiovascular disease.”

Limitations of the study included that they were unsure when men prescribed both medications had taken the medications.

About 18 million Americans have heart disease, which puts them at greater risk for chest pain and erectile dysfunction.

Causes of the condition include diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and excessive use of alcohol or caffeine.

The research was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.