HEALTH: Viagra Poppers Have Higher STD Risk

Viagra and Cialis users are far more likely to contract sexually transmitted diseases than men who don't take ED meds, BusinessWeek reports. Using analysis of insurance records for 1.4 million men over 40, researchers found patients on ED drugs were 2.8 times more likely to be treated for STDs than those who weren't. "These users have a different sexual risk profile than non-users," said the lead researcher.

Older men appear to be more likely to have unprotected sex, likely because the risk of pregnancy is lower, says the study leader. "The actual safeness of the sex is probably lower among older folks in the sense that they don’t use condoms," he said. HIV was the most commonly diagnosed STD, according to Reuters. But that statistic may be misleading, because men see their doctors for HIV symptoms but visit free clinics to be treated for other diseases.