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To: Anthony Wong who wrote (624)	8/11/1998 12:33:00 AM
From: Anthony Wong	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1722

Viagra risky in combination with other drugs Monday August 10 6:18 PM EDT NEW YORK, Aug 10 (Reuters) -- Viagra is not only dangerous in heart disease patients who are taking nitrates, it may also cause problems in those with other cardiovascular conditions, liver or kidney problems, or those who are taking other drugs, according to a joint statement from the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and American Heart Association (AHA), issued on Monday. The impotence drug could also be fatal when used in combination with inhaled amyl nitrate, or ''poppers,'' an illicit drug used to enhance sexual performance. Doctors should never prescribe Viagra to a person taking nitrates, according to the AHA and ACC. And they should use precaution when prescribing Viagra in others, including those with the chest pain of angina and those with congestive heart failure combined with low blood pressure. Other high-risk groups include patients on complicated, multidrug regimens for high blood pressure and those taking drugs such as erythromycin or cimetidine or who have liver or kidney disease, which can interfere with the body's ability to remove Viagra from circulation. A consensus statement from the AHA and the ACC, called ''The Use of Sildenafil (Viagra) in Patients at Clinical Risk From Cardiovascular Effects,'' is scheduled to be released in December 1998. Patients who have a heart attack that is triggered by Viagra should not be treated with nitrate drugs. And those patients inadvertently treated with a combination of Viagra and nitrates who experience a severe drop in blood pressure as a result, should be immediately withdrawn from nitrate and nitroprusside therapy and alternate therapy started. dailynews.yahoo.com