Men in Yorkshire are the most likely in England to need a bit of assistance in the bedroom, NHS data suggests.

Official data shows just over nearly 3.6 per cent of men in the East Riding were prescribed an erectile dysfunction medication like Viagra, in 2024.

This was followed by men in Northumberland and Dorset who came second and third for taking such drugs, at 3.4 and 3.3 per cent respectively.  

The north and north-east of England appears to be particularly hard-hit by impotency with many of its cities and towns featuring in the top 10 areas for such prescriptions. 

On the opposite end of the spectrum, men in Leicester City appeared to be the least likely to need help from the little blue pill to maintain an erection, with only 1.5 per cent taking them.

Other areas In England with low similarly low prescription rates were North West London (1.7 per cent) as well as Cambridgeshire and Peterborough (1.9 per cent). 

For comparison, 2.4 per cent of men across all of England were prescribed an erectile dysfunction medication last year. 

These figures were calculated by examining NHS prescription data collected from England’s 106 Clinical Commissioning Groups.

In total, last year almost 770,000 men in England got nearly £5million prescriptions for the drugs, costing the NHS just under £17million.

However, the data might not give a true indication of where men are most reliant on the little blue pill. 

Men can buy a course of drugs like sildenafil—the generic version of Viagra—over the counter for as little as £15 with similar tablets also available online for as little as £1.30 per pill. 

Such private purchases of the drug wouldn’t be included in the NHS data. 

Additionally, while most famous for their libido boosting affects, many of the drugs aren’t just prescribed for erectile dysfunction.

Such medications also teat pulmonary hypertension, a type of high blood pressure in the arteries that supply the lungs. 

The same mechanism by which the drugs increase blood flow to the penis also relaxes blood vessels in the chest helping to alleviate this condition.

Medics have also previously suggested that the data may not solely reflect where the drugs are needed the most by men, but also where they feel the most comfortable taking to their GP about sexual health. 

Impotency is no laughing matter and men suffering from the problem frequently are urged to seek advice from their GP.

Not only can the problem impact their sexual and mental health, erection problems can also be potential sign of serious health problems like cardiovascular disease. 

However, not all men are advised to take drugs like sildenafil, for example those with heart problems are warned against taking it. 

About one in 100 people taking sildenafil will experience common side effects from taking sildenafil.

These include headaches, nausea, hot flushes, indigestion, a stuffy nose and dizziness, according to the NHS.

Those taking the pills for longer periods, such as for pulmonary hypertension, are more likely to experience these effects than those taking the pills on an ‘as needed’ basis for erectile dysfunction, the health service says. 

More serious side effects requiring urgent medical care are estimated to affect less than one in 1,000 people. 

These include seizures, suffering a prolonged and potentially painful erection especially for over two hours, chest pain, and in very rare cases a life-threatening allergic reaction to the medication called anaphylaxis.

Last year MailOnline revealed that popular erection pills such as Viagra have been linked to more than 200 deaths in Britain.

None of the fatalities—all of which have occurred since 1998—are proven to have been caused directly by the drugs. 

Erectile dysfunction, sometimes shortened to ‘ED’ is thought to effect about half of men over 40.  

While most cases are isolated and nothing to worry about, repeated or sustained impotency should be checked out by a GP.