By Adam Cailler Matthew Davies Saskia Rowlands
A sprightly 102 year old bloke has become the oldest in Britain to get his hands on Viagra courtesy of the NHS. This lively old chap cropped up in stats revealing a record-breaking 250,000 prescriptions for the little blue helper dished out to those over 80. But this could just be the tip of the iceberg, as other randy retirees might have snapped up the performance-enhancing pill on the quiet. A deep dive into data from 106 clinical commissioning groups across England revealed that the NHS doled out a whopping 4.71 million prescriptions last year to give gents a leg-up in the boudoir – setting them back a cool £16.9million. Those in their sixties were the top recipients of the famed “blue pill,” which combats erectile dysfunction. This comes as dating websites and hook-up apps are increasingly targeting older folks on the prowl. The most notorious senior citizen to pop Viagra was none other than Hugh Hefner, the mastermind behind the Playboy empire, renowned for his raucous shindigs with his Playboy Playmates at his plush pads. He died in 2017 at the ripe old age of 91. His hearing loss was pinned on the pills – while other potential side effects can include colour blindness and dizziness, reports the Mirror . The active ingredient in Viagra, sildenafil, was initially concocted in the 1990s to treat high blood pressure in the lung arteries. However, it was also discovered to prevent the body from breaking down a molecule that enhances blood flow in other areas of the body – resulting in arousal lasting up to two hours. Sildenafil is also a key ingredient in Hezkue, a pioneering oral spray for erectile issues that has recently hit the UK market with a price tag of £60. The NHS website suggests that most blokes aged 18 and over can safely pop sildenafil – but cautions that recent heart attacks or strokes could ramp up the risk of side effects. Frank Furedi, sociology professor at the University of Kent, previously commented on older Viagra users: “Contemporary -culture sends out the signal that sex is for life. A lot of elderly man feel they must have a full-on sex life by any means necessary. They are fast becoming ‘generation Viagra’.” For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters .