Record numbers of men are being given Viagra on the NHS to give them a boost in the bedroom, official data shows
Official data shows the number of NHS prescriptions for erectile dysfunction drugs in England has risen to a record high.
In 2023, a total of 4.57 million prescriptions were written by health care providers for sildenafil, better known by the brand name Viagra, and other types of impotence drugs sold under the brand names Cialis and Levitra.
This is an increase of 130,000 prescriptions compared to the previous year (4.44 million), and an increase of 20,000 compared to the 2019 figures.
According to experts, the increase is likely due to falling drug prices as a result of the increase in generic sildenafil brands, and patients are less embarrassed to seek help for problems in the bedroom.
NHS directors spent a total of £16.4m on drugs to treat erectile dysfunction in 2023, which equates to around £3.60 per prescription, although pack sizes can vary.
In total, 4.57 million prescriptions were written by the health care system in 2023 for sildenafil, better known by the brand name Viagra, and other types of impotence drugs sold under the brand names Cialis and Levitra.
NHS directors will have spent a total of £16.4 million in 2023 on providing drugs to treat erectile dysfunction, around £3.60 per prescription
Despite the record number of prescriptions written, the cost to the taxpayer was actually lower than in 2014, when the NHS spent £50.9m on 2.86 million prescriptions, which worked out at around £18 per prescription.
Many online and physical pharmacies also sell generic versions of sildenafil for just a few cents per tablet.
TV pharmacist Thorrun Govind told The sun newspaper that the increase in prescriptions in general was likely due to men being more open about problems with their sex lives.
“When Viagra first came on the market it was quite sensational, but now there are cheaper alternatives, it’s more accessible and there’s less stigma attached to it,” she said.
The data, from the NHS Business Service Authority, only relates to prescriptions and not the number of patients actually taking the drugs.
This means that individual men seeking help for impotence could effectively be counted multiple times in the data if they receive more than one prescription per year.
This also does not include the many men who purchased medicines such as sildenafil from a source other than the NHS, such as a pharmacy or online outlet.
While the new figure is national, separate data released earlier this year suggests sildenafil use varies by country.
The data showed that men in Yorkshire were the most likely in England to need a little help in the bedroom, with sildenafil prescribed to 3.5 per cent of men in the East Riding last year.
Men in Northumberland and Dorset ranked second and third in terms of prescribing the erectile dysfunction drug, at around 3.2 percent each.
This map shows the areas where people were most and least likely to be prescribed sildenafil, the main ingredient in the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra, through the NHS
The Yorkshire region seems to be particularly hard hit by impotence, with the towns of Rotherham, Barnsley, Harrogate, Scarborough and Whitby among the top 10 areas where Viagra is prescribed.
At the other end of the spectrum, men in Leicester City were found to be the least likely to need help from the little blue pill to maintain an erection, with a prescription rate of just 1.6 per cent.
Erectile dysfunction, also known as impotence, is said to occur in approximately half of men over the age of 40.
Although erectile dysfunction is usually an isolated condition and not a cause for concern, repeated or persistent impotence should be evaluated by a doctor.
It can be an indication of serious health problems, such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol, diabetes, hormone problems, and mental health problems such as depression and anxiety.
However, not all men are advised to use drugs like sildenafil. For example, people with heart problems are advised against using it.
In addition, about one in every 100 people who take sildenafil will experience common side effects of the drug. Sildenafil works by increasing blood flow throughout the body, including the penis, making it easier to get and keep an erection.
According to the NHS, these include headaches, nausea, hot flushes, indigestion, nasal congestion and dizziness.
It is estimated that more serious side effects requiring urgent medical attention affect fewer than one in a thousand people.
Examples of these include seizures, a prolonged and possibly painful erection, especially if it lasts for more than two hours, chest pain and in very rare cases a life-threatening allergic reaction to the drug called anaphylaxis.
Earlier this year, MailOnline revealed that popular erection pills such as Viagra have been linked to more than 200 deaths in the UK.
There is no evidence that any of the deaths, all of which have occurred since 1998, were directly caused by the drugs.
