A 102-year-old man has become the oldest man in Britain to have been prescribed Viagra on the NHS.
Figures show that the randy man was one of 250,000 over-80s to be handed the blue pill on the taxpayer’s dime.
However, according to an analysis by the Mirror, there could be a greater number of elderly men quietly forking out to buy the bedroom-boosting pill privately.
According to data from 106 clinical commissioning groups across England, last year, the health service issued 4.71million prescriptions to help men in the bedroom – costing a jaw-dropping £16.9million.
Men in their 60s were the most common age group to get the ‘blue pill’.
It comes as new data suggests dating sites and apps have increasingly catered to older people looking for some action.
Viagra’s most famous user was Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, who continued to take the pill well into his 80s before dying aged 91.
Figures show that the randy man was one of 250,000 over-80s to be handed the blue pill on the taxpayer’s dime. Pictured: Stock image
It was said it caused his hearing loss, one of several known side effects along with dizziness and changes to vision.
The drug’s active ingredient, sildenafil, was originally developed to treat high blood pressure in the lungs but was later found to boost blood flow elsewhere in the body, helping men maintain erections for up to two hours.
It now also features in Hezkue, the world’s first oral spray for erectile dysfunction, launched recently in the UK and costing £60 a bottle.
The NHS advises that most men over 18 can safely take sildenafil, though it warns that those who have suffered a recent heart attack or stroke could face serious side effects.
Frank Furedi, professor of sociology at the University of Kent, previously said of older Viagra users: ‘Contemporary culture sends out the signal that sex is for life.
‘A lot of elderly men feel they must have a full-on sex life by any means necessary. They are fast becoming “generation Viagra”.’
