Viagra – once referred to jokingly as the 'Pfizer riser' – is by far the most popular cure for erectile dysfunction across the world, yet within its scientific origins are the insane truth behind its accidental discovery which many won't expect.
You might not have used it but it's almost guaranteed that you've heard of Viagra, as the little blue pill medically known as sildenafil is popular for its use in treating erectile dysfunction, or simply giving your downstairs a little help to get going and stay that way.
Not everyone can maintain their penis health the way that controversial biohacker Bryan Johnson can and therefore having a little bit of assistance can go a long way when engaging in some of private bedroom bound activities.
While its ubiquity might lead you to believe that a group of scientists worked tirelessly to find the secret of keeping the penis erect, its actual discovery couldn't be further from the truth, as it was initially just an unintended and rather bizarre side effect of a completely different type of medication.
How was Viagra discovered?
As reported by the BBC, Viagra's origins actually came as a medication for the heart — specifically to treat angina hypertension, which is linked to high blood pressure and damages the coronary arteries which then reduces the flow of blood to the heart.
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It was purely a cardiovascular project, and the results were disappointing to say the least, as very little progress was actually shown in studies evaluating its effectiveness.
As a last ditch attempt to see if they could get anything to work, the Pfizer scientists behind the drug decided to do a final 10-day study at the maximum tolerated dosage on human volunteers — which at that time were all male.
They still weren't able to see a lot as a result of this test, with muscle aches, headaches, and gastral intestinal disturbance being the primary side effects that were noticed, although one nurse did notice the rather absurd detail of erections.
Five out of eight of the volunteers expressed experiencing 'very hard' erections despite having no sexual arousal at that time, and with all of the men involved in the test being healthy and young it was an unexpected turn of events.
For the scientists the question quickly turned from whether the erections were merely a side effect to whether this could be used as the primary function of a drug with significant clinical utility, and that's how Viagra as we know it was born.
It then began to spread around the world, with plenty of rumors that it not only treated erectile dysfuntion but also enhanced sexual performance without any impairment, and a study published by the BMJ even noted that it had become a recreational drug in the British club scene, particularly in a 'coke and poke' combination.