I am wondering what the community thinks of my belief that long-term use (years of prescribed, normal dose use) of sildenafil (Viagra) could cause or worsen the development of a fistula (arterial leak) in an AVM. Has anyone experienced (or know of someone) who used sildenafil and experienced an AV fistula?
Sildenafil works by affecting blood flow.
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It is good for patients with pulmonal hypertension, they are treated with a sildenafil-clone. For people with coronary disease in a stabile condition (and without any medication like nitrates) it is also possible to take. And here not the mechanism of the substance itself is the limit, it is what they might do after taking it.
So taking sildenafil only for psychological reasons / stress (very often a reason) with the risk to make an avm worse wouldn’t be a good idea.
But for me it still isn’t clear if it could be taken or not with an avm - it is a question for a doc who knows about pathophysiology - no one here ???
In addition: The risk would be more low than high blood pressure, especially when taken together with a nitrate (which is strictly forbidden).