Sexual enhancement drugs Almost Killed A Kenyan Student

Sexual enhancement drugs Almost Killed A Kenyan Student

Early this year, the Kenya Pharmaceuticals Distribution Association (KPDA) admitted to sexual enhancement drugs outselling popular painkillers like Panadol.
The medical practitioners said sales of sex enhancement drugs in Nairobi and other major cities in Kenya has become extremely popular among the youth as young as 23, making it a fast selling substance in most pharmacies.

These fears are confirmed by Simon Wahome, a reproductive health expert with Family Health Options of Kenya. “From the feedback we get through health care providers, the youth are actively using sex-enhancing drugs,” he says.

One of the commonly abused drugs is Viagra developed in the US in 1998 as treatment for erectile dysfunction. Unfortunately, the drug is now on the regular menu of sexually active young men who use it to overcome the limiting effects of alcohol and other drugs.
They are popping it with careless abandon, ignorant of the long-term effects the drug may have on their sexual and overall health. “I used to have at least two pills in my wallet at any given time,” admits Anthony*, a student at a local University saying that he had to stop after the pill almost killed him.

“I used to buy it for Sh50, starting with 25g to eventually popping two Vega 200s,” says the fourth year student of law. One day after a heavy drinking spree, Anthony went back to the hostels with his girlfriend, having swallowed a number of the magic pills along the way.
“In the room, I started sweating profusely and I could feel my heart beat in the chest like it wanted out. I blacked out and the next time I woke up was three days later with tubes and oxygen masks.”

Michael Mwenda, a pharmacist in downtown Nairobi says that it is true the ‘blue pill’ or its imitations are some of the major sales they make, especially towards the weekend. “These young folks go for the cheaper generic going for Sh50. The older generation will purchase the original that goes for Sh1,500 a pill coming four in a pack,” he says.

Mwenda says the majority of users are aged from 45 and above and 25 and below. “I sell more sex enhancement drugs than antibiotics in December,” says another chemist owner in Mombasa. “Most of them say it is pressure from the older women they are dating. Others say pornography influences their choices.

It makes them think a session should last hours, that is why they take the drugs not knowing they are endangering their lives,” she says. She says the general misinformation about low libido and erection dysfunction is one of the main reasons young men are abusing sex enhancement drugs.
“Young men are putting too much pressure on themselves” she says.

Expert’s view

Kimani Kamau, a Gynaecologist in Nairobi, explains that since viagra was originally designed to help in dilatation of vessels and help in heart complications, it can have fatal consequences even in young people if used inappropriately.

“Many of us have clots in our veins that will remain there for our lifetime. However, since Viagra is not a blood thinner but rather, expands the passageways, it can free these clots which end up in the wrong places, leading to fatal results, mostly heart attacks,” he says.
Kamau says that myths surrounding the pill are many, including the ability to make them last longer sexually or enlarge their sexual organs. But Kamau says erectile dysfunction occurs when the body is unable to open the valves that regulate blood flow into the penis for an erection to occur.

“Trouble with young people is that their love for alcohol enhances their desire to have sex while diminishing their ability to actually do it,” he explains. “They therefore have alcohol and then overcome that functionality handicap by popping the pill.”

This is not just dangerous if one has a heart condition, but it will mean diminished performance without the aid of the drug. “This dependency has led to withdrawal symptoms that include severe depression and even suicide among young people.”

Kamau warns that sex enhancement drugs should only be sold on prescription so that a medical practitioner can screen your history to rule out any possible complications. Other sex enhancement drugs on sale include Cialis and Levitra.
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Sexual enhancement drugs Almost Killed A Kenyan Student