Viagra (Sildenafil)

• Type of drug: Phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor (PDE5)
• Prescribed for: Erectile dysfunction (ED) in men
• Best Offer from online pharmacies: $0.83 per pill, 50 mg

Viagra General Information

Viagra (sildenafil) is a drug restoring the ability to achieve and maintain erection of sufficient hardness in men suffering from ED of varied nature and severity. The drug is administered orally. There is no posological pattern that applies to Viagra therapy, since the drug is designed to be taken as needed.

The active ingredient sildenafil improves male potency and helps against erectile dysfunction. In 1998 the substance was launched on the market – the product was called Viagra. Nowadays there are numerous generic drugs, so-called generics, as well as products with similar active ingredients and comparable effect.

Viagra Cautions And Warnings

Viagra is a prescription drug with a potent vasodilatory action. It needs to be taken by populations with ED condition confirmed by a medical specialist. Viagra pills are not intended for the use in women, children under the age of 18 or men intending to accrue recreational effects from it. There is a number of health conditions and drugs that contradict the use of Viagra, a subject to further specification by prescriber.

Viagra pills should not be taken in amounts exceeding those specified in the package insert, which is one prescribed dose of sildenafil during the period of 24 hours. Do not take the drug alongside or on the same day with other medications from the same PDE5 inhibitors family. Take into account that certain other drugs may contain sildenafil, too, for instance, Revatio, a drug used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

Possible Side Effects

The most common potential adverse effects include headache, blurred vision, dizziness, changes in color vision, flushing, a stuffy nose, and indigestion.

The following are the most common side effects, according to the manufacturer:

• Headache
• Erythema
• Dyspepsia (upper abdominal pain, vomiting, heartburn, feeling of fullness)
• Blockage of the nose
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Hot flashes
• Blurred vision

Very rarely severe side effects such as stroke, arrhythmia, heart attack, sudden cardiac death and seizures are possible.

Viagra Drug Interactions

Sildenafil is mainly metabolised by CYP3A4 and to a lesser extent by CYP2C9. Appropriate drug interactions are possible. It enhances the hypotensive properties of nitrates and NO donors, which can lead to a strong and dangerous drop in blood pressure. The combination is therefore contraindicated. Other antihypertensive agents may also reduce blood pressure. Interactions with anticoagulants (phenprocoumon, acenocoumarol) cannot be ruled out.

Viagra Food Interactions

The effects of Viagra get somewhat inhibited by simultaneous consumption of fatty foods with a sildenafil pill. Food may also be seen as a tool to scale back the risk of developing adverse effects associated with the use of Viagra. It is best that Viagra is taken as a follow-up to a light meal.

Alcohol should be used in moderation when taking Viagra tablets, for its effects will decrease sildenafil bioavailability and compromise the results accrued from Viagra therapy.

Grapefruit and grapefruit juice should not be taken with Viagra tablets because of the fact that both substances are metabolized by CYP3A4 enzyme, and concomitant intake will slow down the excretion of sildenafil and increase the risk of side effects.

Viagra Usual Dose

Manufacturer recommends taking a 50 mg tablet approximately one hour before sexual intercourse. Users should not increase the dose to more than 100 mg and take Viagra at most once a day. Patients with severe renal insufficiency or hepatic impairment should initially only take 25 mg Viagra and if necessary increase the dose gradually to a maximum of 100 mg. A higher dose does not lead to better efficacy, the manufacturer emphasizes. Instead, taking too many pills can increase unwanted side effects.

Viagra Overdosage

It is particularly important that attention is paid to the manufacturer’s recommendation. The intake should not exceed one tablet a day. You can easily take a tablet every day, it is important that you take no more than one, otherwise the blood pressure drops and it can lead to dizziness and fainting. Also, the erection ability can be delayed, which could lead to a prolonged and sometimes painful erection. A permanent erection occurs most often when corporal cavities are overdosed.

Viagra Special Information

After a sexual arousal, the body’s own enzyme phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) ensures that the penis relaxes again. It breaks down the guanosine monophosphate molecules that make the male member stiff and reduces the blood supply. Viagra’s active ingredient Sildenafil is a PDE5 inhibitor. It strengthens the body’s response to sexual stimuli and prevents the slackening of the penis. When taking Viagra, sexual stimulation is necessary first of all. Without it, sildenafil has no effect.

Viagra Use In Special Populations

Viagra is not suitable for everyone. There are men who should do without it. Cardiac patients who have been prescribed the medication molsidomine or nitroglycerin should not take the tablets. This could be life-threatening in the worst case, as the blood pressure drops too much. Even for patients whose heart does not achieve the five-percent slope in a bicycle exercise test, power resources are not suitable.

But then it is not the remedy that is dangerous, but the over-zealous of the man, if he suddenly returns and is very active sexually, it may be that his heart is not up to these requirements, it threatens heart failure. Viagra in itself is not associated with heart risks.

Viagra is contraindicated in case of hypersensitivity and in patients who are advised against sexual activity. It must not be co-administered with nitrates, NO donors or amyl nitrite. Complete information on precautionary measures and interactions can be found in the package insert to the drug.