Will Viagra Make My Rosacea Worse?

Posting Date: 01/31/2001

David: I'm calling about using Viagra when you have the condition of rosacea.

Dr. Dean: That's a very interesting question. Acne rosacea is what Bill Clinton has and many other famous people, the end result can be what happened to W.C. Fields. You remember his lumpy red-flushed nose? We think it's caused by an overreaction of the body to a particular organism, a fungus yeast that lives on the face.It's a flushing reaction, an abnormal flushing.

Viagra on the other hand is a vasodilator. The main effect of Viagra is it flushes your face and you get all red. Doctors tell rosacea patients not to let any flushing happen, which is why they tell them not to drink alcohol, another vasodilator.

You may have brought up something that I don't think is known to medicine. If you have rosacea and Viagra seems to make it worse, I would report that to your doctor and tell him/her to report that to the FDA. I don't think they even know that there is a possible effect of Viagra on rosacea.

Email this page  Printer Friendly Bookmark this page