Viagra in South Africa
Some wonder if there are other solutions for the curses of time, and for that, we have a little blue pill. You may have heard of it in hushed tones. Your dad might be taking it right now under your nose. Viagra (Sildenafil) is a popular erectile dysfunction medication that works by changing the way blood vessels constrict and dilate, more or less. It provides the proper blood flow, the erection is fixed, and viola. As we age our circulation gets worse and it’s definitely the case for our groins as well, which is why so many older folks worldwide take the medication or some analogue of it.
Most people use it occasionally, for special occasions for example. Some use it to rekindle a stale marriage, some use it just for fun. There are a myriad of reasons for it’s constant demand and never-ending supply chains that extend from the USA clear to the middle east, deep into China and Russia, to the most remote parts of our planet. The desire to have and perform in sexual intercourse is universal, so the elderly have particularly found a solid use-case for the drug.
For others it can be a drug of abuse, believe it or not. Some people become obsessed with the blood flow, using foreign objects to restrict it further along with ED medication.
Viagra is very dangerous if combined with nitrates for chest pains. If you’re on a course of nitrates you’ll have to get switched before your doctor will approve an ED prescription.
In South Africa, like most places, the demand for Viagra is eternal. Since not everyone can afford insurance that covers the drug or it’s analogues, this leads to black markets rising to fill the demand. You can often buy Viagra on the street right along with your choice of other prescription medication, in fact they’re usually the most popular products for those with access who are dealing them. They retail expensive, but go for a bit cheaper on the black market all things considered. It depends on who you know, you might have to pay $30 for a pill or even more, but you might also find some for sale at $10 a pop.
The black markets are both street and internet based, being the digital age, the blue tablet of power is naught but a click away. These markets can be invite only, open to the public with almost no barrier to entry, available in powder form in bulk even. It is truly astounding what the restrictions on a high-demand product result in the illicit diversion, distribution and other unscrupulous dealings surrounding these medications because they are very much a quality of life product.
Quality of life products like Viagra are as a prized as pain medication (another quality of life medication type) on the streets for precisely this. It’s easy to prey on the desperate if you have the only bottle in 50km and are charging an arm and a leg per pill, and they sell themselves. You cannot keep them long, because the demand is so high. Both licit and illicit demand.
The demand is not nearly as interesting as the supply chains and diversion of legit product. Pharmacists, technicians, even full on heists go on to divert Viagra and other quality of life medications from the pharmacy to the black market where they are worth much more, broken down and sold per pill to maximize profits.
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