By Ken Sakamoto, Star-Bulletin
Eddie Sherman, with urologist Dr. Stephen Chinn,
talks about the new impotence drug Viagra.
Impotence pill
has men talking
—and listening
Eddie Sherman breaks silence,
By Helen Altonn
opens up his life so others might
learn there is hope for the problem
Star-BulletinMedia personality Eddie Sherman freely discusses his use of the first male impotence pill because he knows some men shy away from the subject.
"At social functions I will talk about it," he said. Later, when no one else is around, men will approach him and ask if Pfizer Inc.'s new drug, Viagra, really works, he said.
The MidWeek columnist, who says he's in his early 70s, tried virtually all other options except surgical implants to enhance his sexual capabilities when affected by medical problems.
He said he's able to function sexually without help -- "we have no problem in our sex life." But it isn't 100 percent, he said. "I wanted a booster... I want to go to the moon occasionally. We also want to experiment, to see if we can improve our situation. With the availability of Viagra, we know what can be done."
Sherman's urologist, Dr. Stephen K.B. Chinn of Straub Clinic & Hospital, said his practice has been disrupted by a deluge of calls from men -- some from as far as Japan -- wanting prescriptions for the new drug.
An estimated 25 million men in the United States have various types of impotence problems, Chinn said.
In nine out of 10 cases, he said, the cause is physical -- most commonly, high blood pressure and medications, or related conditions such as hardening of the arteries.
Other causes include diabetes and hyper- or hypothyroidism, nerve injuries, cycling with the wrong equipment and many medications, Chinn said.
Viagra is the first of a number of drugs coming out for impotency, he said, noting most were discovered as "side effects" in studies for other purposes.
The pill works for 40 percent to 80 percent of men who have erection difficulties, but it tends to work less well for men with severe diabetes or surgery for prostate cancer, Chinn said.
He said most of his patients can get a partial erection, or "they get one and start to engage, and it goes down. Viagra is helping many of these men with a partial erection have a full erection." It also helps those unable to achieve any erection, he said.
But Viagra isn't an aphrodisiac, and men who don't have a problem shouldn't use it, the urologist emphasized.
"They think they'll make what is already good even better. It won't do that. It will just give them a headache.
"It is not an automatic penile enhancer pill. It just makes it work like it's supposed to work normally. A lot of experimental abuse is going on. It's a real problem."
Another misconception, Chinn said, is "men think all they have to do is pop a pill in their mouth, lie down and have an erection where they never had one before. That's not the case."
The drug requires physical or psychological stimulation, he said. "If you take the pill and just sit there, nothing is going to happen."
Added Sherman: "You have to take it one to two hours before you even think you may want to engage in sex. But you've heard the old cliche, 'The biggest organ is between your ears.' The main thing is to have a wonderful relationship with the right person."
Sherman said he learned he had diabetes seven or eight years ago when he was at Straub for a prostate operation. He tests his blood sugar every morning and is on insulin. He also takes prostate medication.
"When you have diabetes, you have circulatory problems and vascular problems," he said. "Aging causes problems, not being in good condition. All these things have an effect on blood flow."
"I've tried everything. I would go to him (Chinn) and say, 'What's the latest?'"
He said he tried using a suppository in the penis to increase blood flow. He also tried injections in the penis, which he said "caused a headache in my groin. The pain was fierce."
Chinn said those treatments also may result in a condition called priapism, where "the penis is erect too long and won't go down." There wasn't one case of that in 21 studies of Viagra involving 3,000 men, he said.
Sherman said the best thing for him before the pill was a vacuum pump. It wasn't painful and it worked beautifully, he said.
By Dean Sensui, Star-Bulletin
An external vacuum pump, like that held by Dr. Stephen Chinn,
can be used to help men with impotence problems.
The device, used three or four minutes before sexual intercourse, draws blood into the penis, and a ring slipped onto the penis holds the blood in. "It would help someone with a vascular problem," Chinn said.He said Viagra is available in 25, 50 and 100 milligrams. He generally prescribes three 50 milligram pills to start.
One pill has a half-life of about four hours, he said, and side effects may last several hours. They include headache, dizziness or lightheadedness, flushing, an upset stomach and a blue halo effect, he said. "It's like looking through blue cellophane."
Chinn won't prescribe Viagra without a full examination unless he's already evaluated the patient.
He noted that one out of 10 men suffers a condition known as viropause as they get older, losing the ability to produce testosterone. This is the male equivalent of menopause in women, he said.
Testosterone can be replaced, and it can help prevent osteoporosis in older men with viropause, he said. "Would I rather give a pill that helps sex or give them a pill that helps with sex and prevents osteoporosis?
"If people just jump in and try the pill (Viagra), they may not be getting the best treatment for their condition.
"The medical community should be aware of the potential risks and problems and its (Viagra's) limited benefits," Chinn added. "It's not going to help everyone." And it isn't recommended for men taking nitroglycerin, he said.
Chinn stressed the potential for abuse in distribution and use of Viagra, noting a report that it is available via Internet.
Patients on a fixed income who complain about an $8 co-payment for medical treatment under their insurance are eager to try Viagra at $10.25 per pill, Chinn said.
And it isn't covered by insurance, he said.
He said the Viagra frenzy is "turning into a zoo."
When the studies ended, men who participated didn't want to lose the drug and broke into clinics to get it, he said, warning doctors and pharmacies to "keep supplies under lock and key."
But the introduction of Viagra and other impotency drugs hopefully will draw a lot of men out for evaluation and treatment of medical problems, Chinn said.
"If it's the unknown diabetic ... or he has bad heart disease, I don't just look at him because he has a limp penis. I check everything from the neck down to his toes. I have found a lot of medical problems."
Healthwise, Sherman said, "Right now I've never felt better."
He and his wife, Patty, chief executive officer for Jeans Warehouse, are up at 5:30 every morning and walk 45 minutes, usually around Ala Moana Park. He plays tennis and works out on weights at the Honolulu Club.
He has a weekly radio show on KHVH Saturday mornings.
"If life is like a big piece of pie and you cut the pieces, all the pieces are fitting," he said. "Marriage, career, activity, sports, whatever. I'm so blessed. Patty came into my life and changed everything."
They celebrated their first anniversary Saturday with plans for dinner at Pier 7 and a private party for Doc Severinsen, with dancing.
"Then I'll go home and pop a pill," Sherman said, laughing.
How Viagra, the first pill to treat impotence, works: Viagra facts
It doesn't directly cause an erection. It enhances the smooth muscle relaxant effects of nitric oxide, a chemical normally released in response to sexual stimulation.
Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
