NHS prescriptions for erection-enhancing drugs have risen to a record level in England, official data suggests.
In total, the health service issued 4.57 million prescriptions for sildenafil, better known by the brand name Viagra, and other types of impotence drugs sold under the brands Cialis and Levitra in 2023.
This represents an increase of 130,000 prescriptions compared to the previous year (4.44 million) and 20,000 more compared to 2019 figures.
Experts said the increase was likely due to falling drug prices thanks to the proliferation of generic brands of sildenafil, as well as patients feeling less embarrassed about seeking help for bedroom problems.
NHS bosses will spend a total of £16.4m on providing drugs to treat erectile dysfunction in 2023 – around £3.60 per prescription, although pack sizes can vary.
In 2023, the health service issued a total of 4.57 million prescriptions for sildenafil, better known by the brand name Viagra, and other types of impotence drugs sold under the brand names Cialis and Levitra.
NHS bosses spent a total of £16.4m on providing drugs to treat erectile dysfunction in 2023 – about £3.60 per prescription.
Despite the record number of prescriptions issued, the cost to the taxpayer was actually lower than in 2014, when the NHS spent £50.9m on 2.86m prescriptions – about £18 each.
Many brick-and-mortar and online pharmacies also sell generic versions of sildenafil for just a few cents per tablet.
Television pharmacist Thorrun Govind said Sun The paper said the increase in overall prescriptions was likely a result of men being more open about problems with their sex lives.
“When Viagra came out it was a bit sensational, but now there are cheaper alternatives, it’s more accessible and there’s less stigma,” he said.
The data, from the NHS Enterprise Services Authority, only covers prescriptions, 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 fill more than one prescription per year.
Nor does it cover the many men who obtained medicines such as sildenafil from a non-NHS source, such as without a prescription from a traditional pharmacy or online outlet.
While the new figure is national, other data released earlier this year suggested that sildenafil use varies specifically across the country.
This data suggested that Yorkshire men were the most likely in England to need a little help in the bedroom: 3.5 per cent of men in the East Riding received a prescription for sildenafil last year.
These were followed by men in Northumberland and Dorset, who came second and third for rates of prescription of the erectile dysfunction drug, around 3.2 per cent each.
This map shows the areas where people were most and least likely to receive a prescription for sildenafil, the key ingredient in the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra, on the NHS.
The Yorkshire region appears to be particularly affected by impotence, with its towns and cities Rotherham, Barnsley, Harrogate, Scarborough and Whitby all featuring in the top 10 areas for Viagra prescriptions.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, men in the city of Leicester appeared to be the least likely to need the help of the little blue pill to maintain an erection, with a prescription rate of just 1.6 per cent.
Erectile dysfunction, also called impotence, is thought to affect about half of men over the age of 40.
While most cases of erectile dysfunction are isolated and nothing to worry about, repeated or sustained impotence should be evaluated by a GP.
It can be an indicator of serious health problems, such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol, diabetes, hormonal problems, and mental problems such as depression and anxiety.
However, not all men are advised to take medications like sildenafil; for example, those with heart problems are warned not to take it.
Additionally, about one in 100 people taking sildenafil will experience common side effects from taking the medication which works by increasing blood flow throughout the body, including the penis, making it easier to achieve and maintain erections.
These include headaches, nausea, hot flushes, indigestion, nasal congestion and dizziness, according to the NHS.
The most serious side effects requiring urgent medical attention are estimated to affect less than one in 1,000 people.
These include seizures, having a prolonged and potentially painful erection, especially lasting 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 had been linked to more than 200 deaths in Britain.
None of the deaths (all of which occurred since 1998) have been shown to have been directly caused by drugs.