Excess drug consumption is harmful to the body. An American patient experienced it after an overdose of sildenafil citrate. This medicine, better known as Viagra, is indicated to treat erectile dysfunction and male impotence. The 31-year-old man had bought Viagra in liquid form over the Internet. Little looking at the dosage, the man did not use the pipette provided with the drug to dose it and swallowed it directly from the neck, reports Le Figaro.
Problem, a persistent red filter appeared in his field of vision. Two days after the onset of this symptom, the man decides to go to a New York hospital specializing in vision disorders, which diagnoses him with a rare form of retinal toxicity linked to the overdose of Viagra. Doctors observed numerous microscopic wounds on his retina on the cones, these photoreceptor cells that play a role in the perception of colors.
Beware of excess medication
This rare case of an adverse reaction is reported in the review Retinal cases. Normal doses of the drug can cause vision problems, but these symptoms usually go away within 24 hours, the researchers at USA today reminded us. This rare case of permanent blurred vision confirms that taking too much erectile dysfunction medication could lead to long-term vision problems. The researchers invite doctors to better inform patients of the risks associated with drug overuse. “This study shows just how dangerous a large dose of a frequently used drug can be,” observes Richard Rosen, director of retina services at the Eye and Ear Infirmary at Mount Sinai in New York, and head of the investigation. , cited by USA today.
In 2014, a study by the Sidney Eye Health Center and the universities of Melbourne (Australia) and Auckland (New Zealand) suggested that Viagra taken in high doses could cause retinitis pigmentosa.
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