Men in Bermuda are risking death by ordering prescription-only sex wonder pill Viagra over the Internet without ever seeing a doctor.

And experts warned yesterday that in a small group of men, the drug can cause the inability to ever get an erection again -- with black men who are more likely to have sickle cell anaemia particularly at risk.

By bypassing physicians, customers also risked getting ripped off with fake pills or dangerous unregulated alternative drugs.

And there is nothing to prevent those who are not impotent but simply keen to pep up their sex life or experiment -- including teenagers or those with heart problems -- from ordering the love pill.

Viagra is the most successful drug ever launched with doctors in the United States writing out 40,000 prescriptions every day netting manufacturer Pfizer more than $300 million in the ten months it has been available.

The legal loophole which allows the online sale of many drugs has alarmed pharmacists and doctors in Bermuda.

Urologist Dr. Charles Dyer said online drug sales were a "risky business fraught with danger and lax ethics''.

In some men Viagra could cause heart problems, a sharp blood pressure drop or a painful, prolonged erection that had to be surgically "let down''.

But doctors familiar with a patient could gauge whether they were suitable, or were likely to suffer permanent damage, he said.

When Viagra is typed into an Internet browser many worldwide mail-order suppliers are listed along with expensive "alternatives'' -- with names like Viagro and Vaegra -- some of which have been banned in other countries.

Inquiries by The Royal Gazette revealed several cyber-suppliers who said getting Viagra to Bermuda was "no problem'' and reported that orders had already been placed and delivered.

Most of the sites ask the operator to click on a box to waive the supplier's responsibility, and to fill in personal and credit card details.

Already in the US, a legal case has been launched against Pfizer after a man with a heart condition died while using the drug.

Local pharmacist Robert Totty said: "He should never have been using Viagra and that is one of the very real dangers if men have access to this drug without a full medical consultation.'' He said doctors usually prescribed only six pills at once so they could track use, but online up to 50 could be ordered at a time.

"On the Internet you're buying from an unknown entity and these days there are a lot of counterfeit drugs -- but if you buy from a reputable pharmacy with a doctor's prescription you know you're getting the real thing.''