Viagra May Also Help With Jet Lag
May 22nd, 2007 | 08:19 AM
#1
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Joined: Oct 2004
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Viagra May Also Help With Jet Lag
Viagra May Also Help With Jet Lag
By Will Dunham
Reuters
WASHINGTON (May 21) - The male impotence drug Viagra may be useful for treating jet lag as well, according to Argentine researchers who gave it to hamsters made to feel like rodent globe-trotters.
The researchers manipulated the schedule of turning lights on and off to induce jet lag in the laboratory animals, they reported on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Adult male hamsters given Viagra, also called sildenafil, recovered from jet lag up to 50 percent faster than hamsters that were not given it, the researchers said.
The scientists stopped giving the hamsters the highest dose they had been using in the experiment due to a certain side effect.
"However, we used the intermediate dose for the rest of the experiments because at that dose animals did not manifest the effects of sildenafil-induced penile erections," they wrote.
Flying across multiple time zones can confuse one's sleep-wake cycle, resulting in the condition called jet lag, marked by insomnia, sleepiness and difficulty concentrating.
Researchers Patricia Agostino, Santiago Plano and Diego Golombek of the Universidad Nacional de Quilmes in Buenos Aires gave doses of Viagra to the hamsters at night, then switched on bright lights six hours early to simulate eastbound flight.
They judged how well the hamsters adjusted to the changes by observing when they began running on exercise wheels.
The drug helped the rodents cope with jet lag only when given before the equivalent of an eastbound flight, not the reverse when they delayed turning on lights to simulate westbound travel, the study found.
The researchers said the findings suggested that Viagra could be useful to help people cope with jet lag or shift work. They said the dose needed for such uses could be lower than the one used for treatment of erectile dysfunction.
Viagra interferes with an enzyme that lowers levels of a naturally occurring compound that plays a role in the regulation of the circadian cycle, the body's internal clock, the researchers said.
Viagra is marketed by Pfizer, the world's largest drug maker. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved it to treat erectile dysfunction in 1998.
Interesting!
.
By Will Dunham
Reuters
WASHINGTON (May 21) - The male impotence drug Viagra may be useful for treating jet lag as well, according to Argentine researchers who gave it to hamsters made to feel like rodent globe-trotters.
The researchers manipulated the schedule of turning lights on and off to induce jet lag in the laboratory animals, they reported on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Adult male hamsters given Viagra, also called sildenafil, recovered from jet lag up to 50 percent faster than hamsters that were not given it, the researchers said.
The scientists stopped giving the hamsters the highest dose they had been using in the experiment due to a certain side effect.
"However, we used the intermediate dose for the rest of the experiments because at that dose animals did not manifest the effects of sildenafil-induced penile erections," they wrote.
Flying across multiple time zones can confuse one's sleep-wake cycle, resulting in the condition called jet lag, marked by insomnia, sleepiness and difficulty concentrating.
Researchers Patricia Agostino, Santiago Plano and Diego Golombek of the Universidad Nacional de Quilmes in Buenos Aires gave doses of Viagra to the hamsters at night, then switched on bright lights six hours early to simulate eastbound flight.
They judged how well the hamsters adjusted to the changes by observing when they began running on exercise wheels.
The drug helped the rodents cope with jet lag only when given before the equivalent of an eastbound flight, not the reverse when they delayed turning on lights to simulate westbound travel, the study found.
The researchers said the findings suggested that Viagra could be useful to help people cope with jet lag or shift work. They said the dose needed for such uses could be lower than the one used for treatment of erectile dysfunction.
Viagra interferes with an enzyme that lowers levels of a naturally occurring compound that plays a role in the regulation of the circadian cycle, the body's internal clock, the researchers said.
Viagra is marketed by Pfizer, the world's largest drug maker. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved it to treat erectile dysfunction in 1998.
Interesting!
.
May 22nd, 2007 | 08:41 AM
#4
Joined: Jun 2006
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I wonder if it was the Viagra that did it or the behavior it facilitated. It has been called everything from a "quickie" to an "Afternoon Delight" to a "Nooner" and more and I suppose a "Wake Me Up" (r should it be a "KEEP Me Up"
wouldn't be possibilities.
The next thing we'll be told is that "seasoned travelers" never get jetlag...maybe because they have been secretly getting something else.
wouldn't be possibilities.The next thing we'll be told is that "seasoned travelers" never get jetlag...maybe because they have been secretly getting something else.
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May 22nd, 2007 | 10:23 AM
#12
Joined: Jan 2007
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NYT Science Section - Jane Brody has a long story on Jet Lag today. www.nytimes.com - mentions melatonin prominently
May 22nd, 2007 | 11:06 AM
#16
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 5,233
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I guess we have to start a thread with:
"This gives whole new meaning to [fill in the blank].
hard landing
soft landing
the upright position
nonstop flight
red-eye special
frequent flier
open jaw
rear exit
front exit
and so on
and so on
and so on ...
"This gives whole new meaning to [fill in the blank].
hard landing
soft landing
the upright position
nonstop flight
red-eye special
frequent flier
open jaw
rear exit
front exit
and so on
and so on
and so on ...
