Love drug Viagra called a homewrecker

WARNING. This drug could be harmful to your emotional health. That is the alert experts believe should accompany anti-impotence drug Viagra, after reports it is playing a role in marriage breakdowns. Lawyers in the US are handling dozens of Viagra-led divorce cases, according to a new book, and relationship experts predict the problem will land here soon. Leading the charge are men in their 50s who use their new lease of sexual life to cheat on their wives, especially with younger women, according to the book The Viagra Myth. Relationships Australia senior counsellor Rosalie Pattenden said finding a medical solution to impotence did not always solve the problems in a relationship. "If you`re looking at one aspect of the relationship without dealing with the others, what you`re likely to see is relationship breakdown," she said. "You can`t necessarily have a close relationship again just because you can start having sex." She said drugs such as Viagra should be packaged with a warning about emotional side-effects and point new users towards relationship counsellors. Dr Abraham Morgantaler, author of The Viagra Myth, described one 55-year-old man, married for more than 20 years, who thought he and his wife would be happy if he could satisfy her sexually again. But while taking Viagra revived their sex life, it made them realise their problems went deeper than sex, and they split. "As I listened to my patients, I came to see that our culture has taken Viagra and created a legend out of it that went far beyond its actual pharmacological properties," Dr Morgantaler said. "People had come to expect that taking a little blue pill could solve their personal and relationship problems." Melbourne psychologist Evelyn Field said women would feel let down by Viagra-fuelled husbands who came looking for sex after years of loveless marriage, possibly leading to marriage breakdown. She said the decision to use Viagra should be made after consulting a doctor and, if there were problems with the relationship, a counsellor. Craig Regan, media affairs manager for Viagra manufacturer Pfizer Australia, said the company had never claimed Viagra to be a panacea for relationship problems. He said the company had led the way in directing Viagra users to seek counselling, and offered advice on its website for new users.