What happens if a child or teenager takes Viagra? Phone the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 straight away, even if they seem well. The Australian Viagra leaflet says to call, contact a doctor or go to the nearest hospital emergency department "even if there are no signs of discomfort or poisoning" (Viagra CMI). Viagra is not for anyone under 18: in Australia it is "indicated for the treatment of erectile dysfunction in adult males", is "not indicated for use by women" and "is not indicated for use in children" (Viagra PI).
What should you do if a child swallows Viagra?
Call 13 11 26 — the line answers 24 hours a day from anywhere in Australia. healthdirect's poisoning advice is not to make the child vomit, to wash anything off the mouth or face, and to take a photo of the packet, because you will be asked what was swallowed and how much. If the child stops breathing, collapses, has a seizure or a severe allergic reaction, call triple zero (000) (healthdirect — Poisoning). The product information notes: "Overdose information is limited" (Viagra PI).
What does Viagra do to a young child?
Little is published, and what there is points to mild effects. A review of US poison-centre reports found that unintentional exposures in children "are unlikely to be associated with adverse effects" (Krenzelok, J Toxicol Clin Toxicol 2000). A published case report describes a 19-month-old boy who swallowed up to six adult tablets: he had mild facial flushing, a fast heart rate and a painless erection that lasted about 24 hours, and needed only observation and fluids in hospital (Wills et al., Clin Toxicol 2007). One case cannot predict the next, so the call comes first. What an overdose does in adults is covered in what happens if you take too much Viagra?
What if a teenager takes it on purpose?
He can expect the adult side effects, and one real danger. The common ones are headache, flushing, a blocked nose and indigestion; dizziness, fainting and an erection that will not go down are rarer (healthdirect). An erection lasting more than 4 hours needs the nearest hospital emergency department, and sildenafil with nitrates or amyl nitrite ("poppers") can cause "a sudden drop in your blood pressure that is hard to treat" (healthdirect — Sildenafil). Tablets bought online without a prescription may not contain what the pack says (healthdirect), and the Viagra leaflet adds: "Do not give VIAGRA to anyone else".
It also does less than he may think: Viagra "will not increase your sex drive and will work only if you are sexually excited" (Viagra CMI). During puberty, erections become more frequent and "can happen for no reason at all" (healthdirect — Puberty for boys). Erection worries at that age have their own page: what causes erectile dysfunction in teenagers, and what helps? The rule on age is set out in what is the appropriate age to take Viagra? Cialis is no different: it "is not intended for use by children under the age of 18 years" (Cialis CMI).
Is sildenafil ever given to children?
Yes, as a different product and only for one disease. Revatio contains sildenafil and treats pulmonary arterial hypertension — high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs — in children aged 1 to 17, at a dose set by the child's weight, started and monitored by a doctor experienced in the disease (EMA — Revatio product information).
The dose limit is strict for a reason. In the long-term extension of the children's trial, STARTS-2, more children died on higher doses: before the doses were lowered, 5 of the 55 children on the low dose had died (9.1%), 10 of 74 on the medium dose (13.5%) and 22 of 100 on the high dose (22%). The deaths were related to the lung disease, and the label says "Higher than recommended doses should not be used in paediatric patients with PAH" (EMA). The trial's authors called the higher mortality "unexplained" and noted that multiple analyses "raised uncertainty about the survival/dose relationship" (Barst et al., Circulation 2014). How Revatio works: can sildenafil be used to treat pulmonary hypertension?; the two products side by side: Revatio and Viagra compared.
How do you keep Viagra away from children?
Lock it up, high. The Viagra leaflet says to keep it where young children cannot reach it — "A locked cupboard at least one-and-a-half metres above the ground is a good place to store medicines" — and to take unwanted or out-of-date tablets to any pharmacy (Viagra CMI). healthdirect adds that most accidental poisonings happen in children under 5, and that handbags holding medicines belong out of their reach (healthdirect — Poisoning).
The short answer
If a child or teenager takes Viagra, call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 at once, or triple zero (000) if they collapse or stop breathing. In the published case a toddler had flushing, a fast heart rate and a long, painless erection, and recovered with observation. Viagra is for adult men only; the one use of sildenafil in children is Revatio, at strictly limited doses. Other conditions are covered in our guide to Viagra and Cialis for sport, the lungs and other conditions.
