Prior to the appearance of Viagra, the market for erectile dysfunction treatment was nonexistent. After Viagra, after Viagra's incredible success more specifically, the erectile dysfunction treatment market was worth billions, and two additional treatments beyond Viagra had come on the scene: Cialis and Levitra. Viagra's influence didn't stop at erectile dysfunction, however. Viagra also, certainly without any genuine effort, inspired another new niche market: intimacy enhancers.

Interestingly enough, intimacy enhancers certainly owe their existence to a misuse of Viagra. There were scores of men, millions of them, who were using Viagra as an aphrodisiac. The thinking went, apparently, that if Viagra treated erectile problems it must work as a male intimacy enhancer additionally. So some men -- lots of men actually -- gave Viagra a try as an enhancer. This sort of underground usage of Viagra became a phenomenon: it was also evidence that a market for enhancers -- certainly male enhancers -- was in place, and prudent business people took note.

The early enhancers were across the board produced and marketed in the same way: they were specifically made for enhanced intimacy and not for the treatment of enhancement dysfunction; and they were nonprescription. Enhancers were sold exclusively through mail order, and became a considerable presence on the Internet as the Internet developed and grew. A number of the nonprescription enhancers would probably claim themselves as the "first" enhancer on the scene. Perhaps the distinction belongs to MagnaRX; perhaps not. MagnaRX is certainly one of the older of the enhancers being sold today.

Early versions of intimacy enhancers were just about universally taken in some sort of oral form: capsules often. As time passed, however, topical enhancers were introduced, and today the topical enhancers seem to be the most popular enhancers used. The enhancement market has also expanded: beginning enhancers were for males only. There are enhancers now that are exclusive to women, though the majority of product continues to be made for men.

The marketing for enhancers is growing, to the point where a popular enhancer, Orexis, is now advertised on cable and late night television. But most marketing for enhancers takes place online, with the occasional bit of marketing happening in the print media. The almost overwhelming television marketing presence of the prescription erectile dysfunction treatments raises some question about why nonprescription intimacy enhancers don't have more of a television presence. Perhaps it's because of the cost of television advertising, or perhaps it's because commercial enhancers aren't oversight regulated, or perhaps it's due to something else altogether.

As with most everything, the price of enhancers has settled in over time: no prescription intimacy enhancers sell in the range of $49 to $59 for a month's supply.