UK pharmacies will be selling Viagra over the counter as of spring 2018, but the men of Ringaskiddy in Ireland's Cork County don't need to pay for the erectile dysfunction drug. In fact, they don't even have to pop the little blue pill: the fumes from a nearby Viagra manufacturing plant reportedly have an arousing effect on the male population. The villagers claim that even their dogs roam about in a state of arousal. Basically, it's a case of "love is in the air," but it may not be all fun and games.
Viagra is a cash cow for US-based pharma giant Pfizer, which has had this particular factory going for about two decades. According to a company statement, the stories are just an "amusing" myth. "Our manufacturing processes have always been highly sophisticated as well as highly regulated," Pfizer said. Still, the stories have been circulating for years, and there are too many accounts to just brush aside the issue.
Interest in Ringaskiddy and its amorous air was rekindled after the announcement that Viagra will soon be available without a prescription. Rumors that the factory fumes are making men and dogs frisky have been around for years. With the spotlight turning to Pfizer's facility, it was only natural that reporters would resurrect the story of the special air quality in Ringaskiddy. Here's what some of the villagers had to say.
"We've been getting the love fumes for years now for free. It's amazing the number of people who come to this village, perhaps out of curiosity, and then never leave. They settle down here. As they say, there's something in the air - not that we need it, of course. But for some fellas with problems in that department it can be a blessing," according to local Sadie O'Grady, whose daughter Debbie O'Grady jokingly added, "One whiff and you're stiff."
"Even the dogs here have been known to walk around in a state of sexual excitement," noted another local, Fiona Toomey.
It may sound great for the villagers' love lives, but the people of Ringaskiddy have their concerns and fear that something serious may be going on. Toomey, a psychiatric nurse back home after a five-year stay in the US, said: "I think that Viagra must have got into the water supply. I'm convinced that's what happened at the very beginning before they were so closely regulated."
The thing is that Viagra is a prescription drug for a reason. The UK will be the first country to sell it over the counter, but some men will still require a doctor's signature to buy the pills. These include men with serious heart, liver, or kidney problems. Viagra can become dangerous when combined with certain medications and may have serious side effects when taken along with alcohol or recreational drugs.
So, you still think those Ringaskiddy men and the local dogs are lucky? Could it be that the stories are just another one of those amusing yarns the Irish are famed for?
