THERE are certain medicines people just know, and while they may be famed for one use, they're not always prescribed for that purpose.
Pfizer's notorious brand of sildenafil, is a prime example of one such medication.
One US pharmacy worker took to Reddit to outline one awkward moment, where the wife of a nursing home residing patient called up to discuss his range of medications.
During the course of a phone call the woman went through a list of new medicines which had been prescribed for her husband in recent months, noting he had dropped a few of the really tiny blue ones, before asking what it was.
" Sildenafil," the pharmacist said.
"What is it?" the patient's wife asked again.
"Viagra," came the response, before the call dropped out.
An hour later a colleague spoke to the pharmacist asking if he had spoken to the woman about her husband.
It transpired the woman knew of Viagra's reputation as a treatment for erectile dysfunction, and had jumped to the assumption that her husband with mild Alzheimer's was using the drug to fuel a passionate affair in the nursing home.
The reality was the medication had been prescribed to manage his pulmonary hypertension.
However, the pharmacist was unable to confirm the patient wasn't philandering.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 10 Feb 20
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