Viagra (sildenafil), a drug used to treat erectile dysfunction (ED) in men, has been allegedly linked to a number of side effects, with the most serious being melanoma skin cancer.

Other drugs to treat impotence/ED such as Levitra (vardenafil) Cialis (tadalafil) and may also be associated with an elevated skin cancer risk.

While the drugs have not yet been tested, researchers suspect that Levitra and Cialis may have effects even greater than the Viagra skin cancer risk because those medication are longer-acting in the body.

Viagra Side Effects

As with all drugs, Viagra has a number of side effects. Patients and their doctors must consider the risk-benefit analysis of these drugs before deciding if they will be more helpful than harmful based on individual circumstances. The most common Viagra side effects include:

• Abdominal discomfort
• Bloody nose
• Diarrhea
• Difficulty breathing
• Flushing
• Headache
• Insomnia
• Muscular aches and pains
• Redness of skin
• Sneezing
• Stuffy or runny nose
• Tenderness or pain around eyes/cheekbones
• Unusually warm skin

Viagra Melanoma Link

A study published in the JAMA Internal Medicine in 2014 presented results from surveys of over 25,000 men who had taken Viagra. While a direct a cause-and-effect relationship cannot be inferred from observational data, the results showed that men who had taken Viagra were 84% more likely to develop melanoma skin cancer.

These results had taken into account adjustment of other factors, and it was reported that there was not a link between erectile dysfunction and melanoma alone, thus pointing to Viagra as being the important link.

Melanoma is one of three most common types of skin cancer, and is the most serious. Basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma are the other two most common types of skin cancer, but these were not linked to Viagra usage in the study.

Melanomas often have an appearance similar to moles, and the skin cells multiply rapidly to form tumors. While most melanomas have a similar coloring to moles in shades of brown and black, some can be other colors as well, including pink, blue and white.

Viagra skin cancer side effects are a major cause for concern because melanoma is the most deadly form of cancer. Other forms of cancer are more easily treated with better outcomes, but the likelihood of death from melanoma is increased.

Among skin cancer deaths, 75% are attributed to melanoma. Cancer cells starting as skin melanomas can affect the lymph nodes and spread systemically through the body, with the most severely affected individuals given only a 16% survival rate over a 5 year period for distant stage melanomas.

Viagra melanoma concerns should be discussed during doctor visits, and a simple visual screening test during office visits should be performed routinely to provide early detection of this serious disease.

2015 Skin Cancer Statistics (According to the American Cancer Society)

• Skin cancer is the most common of all cancers.
• Melanoma is rare, affecting less than 2% of individuals diagnosed with cancer, but it causes the most skin cancer deaths.
• In 2015, approximately 73, 870 new melanomas will be diagnosed (approximately 42,670 in men, and 31,200 in women).
• In 2015, approximately 9,940 individuals are expected to die from melanoma (approximately 6,640 men, and 3,300 women).

If you or a loved one has suffered from melanoma skin cancer, and had taken Viagra, you may be eligible to file a Viagra melanoma lawsuit or join a Viagra class action lawsuit.