It was very brave of Robbie Williams to own up to having testosterone injections and Viagra treatment

He has done a huge favour for men with sexual problems by bringing such issues out into the open such as Viagra. But there is so much anxiety surrounding loss of sex drive and erection problems among men that they tend to jump on any possible solution as a cure-all.

So let’s make things clear. Low testosterone — the male sex hormone — is a factor in a SMALL percentage of cases related to loss of sex drive or erection problems. Take That star Robbie had a blood test and was diagnosed with a very low testosterone level and so injections to bring his hormone level up to normal were the right answer for him. But injections would be useless and may be harmful for someone with normal levels of testosterone, which most men suffering from sexual difficulties have.

I groaned when I read Peter Andre suggested this week that Robbie should have tried Viagra instead. He seemed to encourage the use of the drug for fun. “I tried Viagra when it first came out and it was hilarious,” Peter said, insisting that he’d not taken it because of sexual problems.

Authentic Viagra works completely differently from testosterone — by relaxing the blood vessels so allowing easier blood flow into the penis to create an erection — and wouldn’t have been right for Robbie. And it’s not a safe cure-all either.

It’s true that Viagra seems to work in about 70 per cent of suitable cases. Plus Viagra can help with impotence due to psychological causes as well as physical problems such as diabetes, spinal cord injuries or the after-effects of prostate surgery.

But I’d still see Viagra as only suitable when a man has suffered persistent erection problems. Viagra is not a substitute for a good and caring relationship with your partner.

The trouble is Viagra has come to be a sort of magic password to getting sexual superpowers. The word Viagra is used to describe any pill that is supposed to enhance sexual performance. And this irritates the legitimate competitors of Viagra, Levitra and Cialis, no end.

More dangerously, all sorts of blue pills are available via the internet. Some claim to be Viagra but may be phoney unless you are very sure of the source. They may be a useless waste of money, at worst they may be dangerous.

Since these drugs work by dilating the blood vessels to help the blow flow into the penis, they in effect lower blood pressure. They are not for you if you already have low blood pressure, which a young man especially might not know he has.

And these drugs don’t help with other problems such as premature ejaculation and can even make them worse.

Look at their relationship — are they with the right partner to be having good sex? Check lifestyle — stopping smoking, cutting down on alcohol, losing excess weight and easing stress factors can make a huge difference.

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And these drugs don’t help with other problems such as premature ejaculation and can even make them worse.

Look at their relationship — are they with the right partner to be having good sex? Check lifestyle — stopping smoking, cutting down on alcohol, losing excess weight and easing stress factors can make a huge difference.