Men in the north of England have been shown to spend more money on purchases of erectile dysfunction treatments, such as Viagra, than anywhere else in the country.

In a recent article entitled 'DROOP NORTH', the News of the World revealed startling new NHS figures unearthing a huge north-south divide in the use of erectile dysfunction treatments.

According to the study the top spenders are from Knowsley in Merseyside, where GPs hand out £148,000 worth of the 'magic blue pill' every year. The area spends an average of £1.86 per head on impotence treatments.

Still in the north-west, Halton and St Helens, Salford, Blackpool, Manchester and Stockport all feature in the top 10 biggest spenders.

In comparison, far fewer southern areas feature in the top ten list. The list of lowest spenders was found to feature mainly southern areas. The southern regions of Barking and Dagenham, Kingston and Richmond, Havering, and Twickenham all feature in a bottom 10, spending as little as 80p per head on the treatment.

In fact, with the exception of the enclave of Islington, which spends £1.46 per head of population on impotence drugs-the 4th highest in the country, London boasts some of the lowest spending areas in the entire country. The London borough of Havering spent the least at 80p per head.

Approximately one in ten males suffers from ongoing erectile dysfunction, which means that there is up-to half a million suffers in the UK. Most of these people can be treated successfully with drugs such as Viagra, Levitra and Cialis.

However, due to guidelines designed to protect the governments' budget, the reality is that it can sometimes be very difficult to get treatments for ED on the NHS. Nationwide, the NHS is faced with a £1million bill every week for ED treatments, with a standard-issue eight tablet packet of Viagra setting the NHS back as much as £46.99. Due to budget constraints the NHS has restricted medical treatment for ED to those suffering from certain specific medical conditions such as:

" Prostate Cancer

" Kidney Failure

" Diabetes

" Polio

" Spina Bifida

" Severe Pelvic Injury

" Parkinsons Disease.

In cases of severe distress, prescriptions can also be obtained from a specialist psychotherapy centers. First a referral from a doctor is needed, followed by psychological assessments and then a NHS prescription will be issued. In all cases where an NHS prescription is approved, even if a prescription is written, the doctor is restricted to only being able to offer the patient 4 tablets per month maximum. Patients are required to return for a repeat prescription.

This information has been brought to you by Firstmed.co.uk, the UK's leading online pharmacy specialising in the treatment of impotence. If you wish to discuss any of the above issues in more detail, do not hesitate to contact info@firstmed.co.uk or call +44 (0)870 199 5287