Viagra has old boys seeking side chicks

Some Jamaicans say Viagra may restore stamina, but is also wrecking trust, pushing older men into the arms of younger women.

Leroy, 62, admitted that he has turned to Viagra over the past two years and the drug has given him back his swagger.

"Mi no care if mi [climax], mi just wah make sure mi shell her dung," he told THE WEEKEND STAR, explaining that for him, Viagra is less about intimacy and more about performance.

"Mi nuh shame fi say mi use it. It help mi feel like mi young again. Sometime mi woman nuh inna the mood, but mi body ready, so mi just take mi pill. Mi nuh go round say mi cheat, but mi understand why man might look elsewhere, 'cause the energy deh deh," he said. A recent international study suggested that middle-age divorce rates were increasing due to infidelity by men, which, at least in part, was attributed to their use of drugs like Viagra.

Leroy said he first tried Viagra when "mi notice mi cyaan keep up wid di pace like before".

"At first mi did shame, mi hide it. But mi realise seh every man my age know bout it. Mi woman nuh really talk, but mi sure she realise mi have more energy certain night."

Another user, 58-year-old Winston, was just as candid. He admitted that he sometimes cannot manage without the drug.

"But mi tell yuh straight, once mi pop it, mi feel powerful. If mi woman nuh up fi it, mi cya waste the strength. Nuff man inna mi age group a use it, and mi sure seh some a dem take it go gi dem side chick," he said with a laugh.

He said that he has heard men boasting about even being able to satisfy two women in one night.

"Mi nuh reach deh so, but mi a be honest, mi think bout it. Once yuh taste dat power again, it hard fi stop."

Women, however, are less amused. Carla, 44, said Viagra is usually a sign that her man's eyes are wandering.

"Mi see it mash up relationship before. Di man start tek it and all of a sudden him get brave, like him feel him too good fi one woman," she said. Younger women also say they are wary of men who use the pill. A downtown shopper told THE WEEKEND STAR that she has experienced older men who overdo it.

"Mi can tell when a big man pop one. Dem gwaan like dem a 25 and mi cyaan manage it. It too much sometimes, and mi feel like dem a try prove a point more than enjoy it. Mi nuh into dat."

Beyond the bedroom, the pill has become part of Jamaica's street hustle. The drug, which costs about $700 to $1,000 a tablet in pharmacies, is also being sold in sex stores and by vendors alongside DVDs and boxer shorts. On street corners in Half-Way Tree, Cross Roads, and sections of downtown Kingston, hustlers openly advertise "stamina pill", "battery charger", or "horse power". A Kingston-based pharmacist, who asked not to be named, said the demand is constant.

"Mi see it sell regular. Some man even come inna hurry like dem buying sweetie. Plenty ask fi two or three at a time, and mi know it not just fi one partner," the pharmacist said. Doctors have been warning that Viagra can be misused when combined with alcohol or recreational drugs, a common practice at parties. According to recent reports, it can strain the heart, trigger blood pressure problems, and in some cases become addictive. Despite those warnings, Winston admitted that the temptation of the pill is difficult to resist.

"At the end of the day, mi know it risky," he said. "But mi cya lie, once yuh feel dat power again, it hard fi stop."