It's a Drug; FAA Says to Give it 12 Hours

Note: this is written from our readings of official and professional documents, and not from any empirical, personal trials. [Tim doesn't need it, and Jim's too old to get any benefit from it --ed.]

Viagra, subject of public jokes and private adulation, is still a drug, and it can interfere with flying -- and you are subject to the same limitations as with any prescription drug, in its use.

Sildenafil, the generic name for the little blue pill, is not a potency-enhancer, any more than Rogaine is a hair-grower. Rogaine works by blocking DHT, which is a contributor to male-pattern baldness.

Viagra attacks cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP). Viagra blocks "PDE5," which is directly responsible for producing smooth muscle relaxation in the corpus cavernosum and allowing the inflow of blood. Thus, by inhibiting PDE5, sildenafil has the potential to improve male erectile function.

So, what does that have to do with flying? Well, one of its effects is to affect color acuity, making some colors appear more blue. Since color differentiation is a required ability of pilots, and sildenafil can temporarily impair that ability, you shouldn't fly an aircraft within 12 hours of taking the PDE5 blocker.

Sildenafil, we're told, alters nitric oxide metabolism. That can also affect cone cell functions in the retina, making objects appear bluish.

Some have asked if Viagra can lower blood pressure. Well, that's an interesting question. It's quite possible that... no, let's stay scientific here. Sildenafil itself does not lower blood pressure, but it can act, we're told, with blood-pressure-lowering ("anti-hypertensive") drugs, to perhaps lower BP farther than planned.

Twelve hours from "throttle down" to "throttle up?" ... from "gear down" to "gear up?" ...from "flying high" to "flying?" Just remember to give it time... we don't care how you remember; just remember.

FMI: www.hf.faa.gov/docs/508/docs/cami/00_20.pdf