News story
Tragic Death of Boy Linked to ED Meds
Posted: Tuesday, 4 August, 2009 | Categories: Erectile Dysfunction
Mystery surrounds the tragic death of a Californian teenager who died at a party after it was discovered that he had high levels of the erectile dysfunction medication papaverine in his system. The inquest into Joseph Loudon’s death on the 23rd of May revealed that though he died from choking on his own vomit, the boy’s fit of nausea was caused by the combination of alcohol and the erectile dysfunction medication. The San Francisco chronicle reported that though Joseph had a low level of alcohol in his blood, the prescription medication was in his system.
Bill Loudon, Joseph’s father, said he had no idea why his son had such high amounts of papaverine in his blood stream. He said that neither he nor the boy’s mother kept the drug in their houses.
Papaverine treats a number of conditions but is particularly known as the ‘ED injection.’ Unlike the most popular erectile dysfunction medications Viagra, Cialis and Levitra, which are taken as tablets, the drug is injected directly into the penis to help the use achieve an erection. It is part of a group of medicines called vasodilators, which cause the blood vessels to expand. When injected into the penis the drug increases blood flow allowing an erection to be achieved.
While reports of people using Viagra recreationally are fairly common – the phenomenon even was featured on the TV show Sex and the City, where Kim Cattrall’s character was shown popping the blue pill - recreational use of papaverine is almost unheard of.
The boy’s mother, Marianne Payne, has said that she is not satisfied with the coroner’s inquest and has demanded there be further investigation. She believes that her son may have been drugged but a letter written to the police in charge of the investigation has apparently not yet been responded to.