Erectile dysfunction drugs

Erectile dysfunction is a problem many men are faced with, especially those approaching 60 years or more. This problem should be taken care of by a medical professional, rather than just by using little blue pills without consulting a doctor. There might be several reasons behind erectile dysfunction and your doctor will be able to diagnose these and suggest the most suitable erectile dysfunction treatment option.

In some cases, underlying health problems may even worsen the already existing erectile dysfunction, especially diabetes, overweight, unhealthy lifestyle, low testosterone levels or heart diseases. Psychological factors, such as anxiety and depression, are considered one of the biggest contributors to all sexual problems, including erectile dysfunction.

Medications for Erectile Dysfunction

Drugs commonly prescribed (or just used without prescription) for erectile dysfunction (ED) are Viagra, Levitra and Cialis. These medications are of similar chemical structure and their chemical names are sildenafil (Viagra), vardenafil (Levitra) and tadalafil (Cialis). Similar structure is responsible for the same course of action, so these drugs work by increasing the amount of nitric oxide in the penis. This way, blood vessels in the penis get opened and relaxed, thus causing erection in sexually stimulated patients. However, neither Viagra nor other medications cannot affect the sex drive and cannot cause erection in patients experiencing such problems.

In order to get proper medication for your case, consult your doctor. He or she will know which drug will be the best for you, since these three erectile dysfunction medications are all slightly different. Viagra, Cialis and Levitra need different amount of time to show full effects and their duration is also somewhat different.

ED drugs (regardless which one you are prescribed to use) are commonly used without any food, once per day maximally. Viagra is usually taken one hour before sexual intercourse, while Levitra and Cialis could be taken some half an hour before sex. Viagra and Levitra will be effective for some 4 hours after taking the drug. Cialis is much different and some people use it for a whole weekend, because its effects last up to 36 hours.

Possible Problems

Patients may not have any adverse effects after using ED medications, but in some these effects could be bothering or even serious in rare cases.

Commonly reported side effects are indigestion, runny nose, headaches and some flushing. Levitra may also cause muscle pain and back pain while patients using Viagra may complain about vision changes (temporary “blue vision”).

Serious problems are rare, but still, several people have experienced erections that would not go away (priapism) and vision or hearing losses. All of these problems should be reported to your doctor as soon as possible.

ED drugs are not safe for patients suffering from blood pressure problems, heart and eye problems, sickle cell anemia, leukemia or stroke history (within 6 months). All ED medications could interact with a number of drugs, such as antibiotics, blood thinners, alpha blockers, anti-arrhythmic and anti-epileptic drugs, as well as any nitrate medications used to treat angina (heart pain).