The quest to research and develop a pharmaceutical drug may not always end up with the intended results. Take Viagra® as a good example. After many years of working on Viagra® as a means of targeting angina, researchers may have felt disappointed knowing that it had failed as a treatment for angina.
However, there was a silver lining that appeared out of this apparent failure. Researchers were perplexed when they noticed that some of the patients were reluctant to stop taking sildenafil citrate, which is the active ingredient contained in Viagra®, or better known as UK92480 back then. When asked, these clinical patients said they were able to obtain a hard enough penis for penetrative sex despite suffering from Erectile Dysfunction (ED). This puzzling discovery was later confirmed by Pfizer’s senior scientist Chris Wayman after undertaking experiments in a lab using penile tissue samples from patients with ED.
For those still unaware, ED is caused by the inability to produce an erection or a rigid penis hard enough for sex to occur despite being sexually aroused. Previous treatments for ED did exist, but none had much of an impact as Viagra® did as they were seen as being uncomfortable and painful to administer. Viagra®, on the other hand, was much easier to administer as it appears in the form of an easily swallowable tablet with the words ‘Pfizer’ on one side and ‘VGR 25/VGR50/VGR100’ on the other. Its blue diamond-shaped appearance made it easy to distinguish from other medications.
So how did the general public respond to it? It became an instant success, easily securing its place as one of the top 100 bestselling drugs of all time. All this sounds great and all, but how does it actually work in real life? More importantly, how often can I take this drug especially if I am or would like to be sexually active?
The active ingredient sildenafil citrate works by reducing the breakdown of cGMP by inhibiting the phosphodiesterase 5 enzyme which breaks it down. By allowing cGMP to accumulate, this will cause a widening of blood vessels in the penis allowing increased blood flow to the spongy tissue in the penis which will lead to the penis growing in size and eventually becoming rigid enough for sex. Of course, sildenafil citrate or Viagra® is no aphrodisiac and depends wholly on signals from the brain which are triggered during sexual arousal in order for it to work effectively.
So how do I take it? How often can you take Viagra? Are there any special instructions for taking it?
As a prescribed medication, the dose of Viagra® is decided solely by your GP as sildenafil can cause some harmful adverse effects if it is misused. Viagra tablets are available in strengths of 25mg, 50mg and 100mg tablets. Before prescribing Viagra, your GP will have to decide if it is safe for you to take sildenafil by considering your medical history and past medications you are taking. Some medications such as nitrates and hypertensive medications cannot be consumed together with Viagra®. Your GP may also need to check if you are responding well to your medication therapy for any possible heart-related condition before deciding to prescribe Viagra®.
The most typical initial dose for Viagra® is 50mg once a day when required. The dose can be adjusted by your GP according to your health condition. Different people may respond differently to the same dose. If necessary, your GP may reduce or increase your dose depending on how you respond to your starting dose of Viagra®. It is very rare for GPs and consultant specialists to go beyond the maximum daily dose of 100mg.
If you have kidney and or liver problems, your dose of Viagra® may need to be adjusted to account for your impaired kidney or liver functions. Your liver and kidney are important in metabolising or breaking down the drug before it can be removed from the body. Taking the common 50mg daily dose may not be suitable because the drug may accumulate to toxic levels since it may be more difficult to remove the drug from the body. The readjusted dose will depend a lot on the degree of liver and kidney impairment which will determine how well both organs can metabolise and remove the drug as waste products from the body. Usually, most patients with kidney and liver impairment take a dose of around 25mg once a day unless advised otherwise by their physician. Ultimately, you should discuss with your GP or physician on the best treatment option for your ED.
Viagra® tablets can be taken with or without food. However, you should bear in mind that taking the drug with a heavy meal before sex will not only make intercourse uncomfortable but also increases the time it takes for it to be absorbed into your bloodstream. In other words, it may take longer than usual for the drug to work.
Under normal circumstances, men taking Viagra will notice the effects within 30 minutes after taking the drug but that varies from one person to another. The effects will wear off after 4 to 5 hours when the drug is cleared from the body. Taking a higher dose than normal can lead to some adverse effects such as priapism. Priapism is a prolonged erection that can last even longer than 4 or 5 hours. This should be treated as a medical emergency as prolonged erections can cause serious physical damage to the penis as well as being really painful.
Other common side effects will include dizziness, headache and even nasal congestion. These side effects may wear off after a while and should not interfere too much with sex. More serious effects are uncommon but may present itself in the form of sudden loss of vision and hearing. This may be related to the ability of sildenafil to bind to other phosphodiesterase enzymes such as PDE6 which is involved in the visual perception of images. If you do experience chest pains while having sex, please do not use nitrates such as isosorbide dinitrate or glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) as sildenafil interacts with these medications. Instead, call emergency services immediately for assistance. Regardless, always seek medical assistance as soon as possible if you do encounter an adverse reaction which you are not familiar with while taking this medication.
Sale!
Viagra & Generic Sildenafil
£16.00 – £539.99
Select Preferred Strength, Quantity, and Branded or Generic
Choose between Viagra or Sildenafil. From £2 per tablet
Viagra and Generic Sildenafil contain the same medically active ingredients
Description
How does Viagra and Sildenafil work?
Viagra (Sildenafil) helps men to get and maintain an erection when sexually stimulated and/or excited. The medicine relaxes the blood vessels in the penis which results in more blood flowing to the penis when you are sexually excited.
How do I take it?
You should take Viagra (Sildenafil) approximately 1 hour before planning to have intercourse. Within a window of between 30 minutes and 4 hours after you take the medicine, it will be easier to keep and maintain an erection when you are sexually excited. If you take this medicine after a meal with a high fat content it may take a little longer to start working. This medicine will only work when you are sexually excited. You won’t get an erection just by taking Viagra (Sildenafil).
Dosage
The standard recommended dose for Viagra (Sildenafil) is 50mg and this will be suitable for most people. If this dose is not effective, you can try 100mg and if 50mg gives you side effects you can also reduce the dose to 25mg tablets.
You must not take more than 100mg daily of Sildenafil/ Viagra. Clinical trials have been conducted in patients taking up to 200mg sildenafil and it was found that ‘doses of 200mg did not result in increased efficacy but did increase the incidence of adverse reactions (headache, flushing, dizziness, dyspepsia, nasal congestion, and altered vision).’
In addition, in patients taking more than 100mg daily, there have been reports of rhabdomyolysis (a breakdown in skeletal muscle tissue the byproducts of which can lead to kidney failure), visual perception changes, vertebral artery dissection (a tear in the artery supplying blood to the brain), heart attacks and aggressive behaviour.
If the 100mg strength doesn’t work for you, there may be alternatives you can try and we recommend that you call us for a free consultation with our pharmacist or doctor to discuss any underlying conditions you may have. We recommend that all men taking medicine for erectile dysfunction have regular tests for blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes and hormone imbalances. For instance, it may be that by fixing a hormone imbalance such as testosterone, your Viagra medication will be even more effective.
In addition, drug manufacturers do not advise patients to split tablets in half to get the correct dosage as they cannot guarantee that the active ingredient will be distributed evenly throughout the tablet. For instance, if you cut a 100mg tablet in two, you may find that you get 80mg in one half of the tablet and 20mg in the other half leading to either an overdose (increased risk of side effects) or a suboptimal dose (the medication may not work).
It is important that you choose the correct dose for you. If you wish to talk to our pharmacist or doctor about this, please contact us in the pharmacy on 01625 460621 or email [email protected].
Side Effects
Viagra (Sildenafil) is normally well tolerated, however, side effects can include:
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Nausea
Side effects normally subside after a few hours, however, if you experience a prolonged or painful erection (longer than 4 hours), then you must contact your doctor immediately.
Drug interactions
There are a number of medicines which interact with Sildenafil/ Viagra. For an exhaustive list please see the patient information leaflet (see section below) or call us in the pharmacy to discuss your specific situation. The main drug interactions are listed here:
Recreational drugs such as ‘poppers’ or amyl nitrate
Alpha blockers used for urinary retention or blood pressure problems (eg Flomax or Cardura)
Anti- arrhythmic drugs such as disopyramide
Antibiotics such as erythromycin
Antifungals such as itraconazole
Antivirals such as drugs used to treat HIV
Bosentan
Cobicistat
Calcium channel blockers to treat blood pressure and angina such as amlodipine
Dapoxetine (Priligy – used to treat premature ejaculation)
Grapefruit juice**
Nicorandil
Nitrates
Riociguat
Cimetidine (to treat stomach ulcers)
Please do not take Sildenafil/Viagra if you have taken any of the above drugs within the last 60 days without first consulting with either us in the Pharmacy ([email protected] / 01625 460621) or via email with our doctor [email protected].
**We advise not to take Sildenafil/Viagra with grapefruit juice as the blood concentration of Sildenafil will possibly be increased resulting in side effects.
Patient Information Leaflets
Please click here for the patient information leaflet for Viagra.
For Actavis Sildenafil please see the following leaflets: 100mg, 50mg, 25mg.
Storing Medicines Safely
Please keep your medicine out of the reach of children and store at room temperature. Unwanted medicine can be disposed of by returning it to any local pharmacy or indeed to us here for us to dispose of it for you.
Some people may feel the need to consume Viagra® discreetly to prevent others from finding out that they are being treated for ED. Viagra® is available in small pack sizes of 4 tablets per box which are easily stored in pockets or bags. It is also possible nowadays to legally buy Viagra® online. For those who are still unconvinced, it may be comforting to know that all healthcare professionals are professionally and legally obligated to keep all patient information in a confidential and secure manner as detailed in the Data Protection Act 1998. Even online pharmacies such as Assured Pharmacy are required to comply with such regulations.
This means that you can be confident that we will do our level best to provide you with a professional, reliable, private and confidential service when you seek treatment for ED from us. All the information you provide to us will only be handled by our GP and pharmacy staff involved in preparing your medication. Consultations are done online where you will fill up our health questionnaire which will be vetted by our GP before issuing a prescription.
So this means that there will not be any face to face contact with our pharmacy team or GP. We will also be more than happy to assist you if you have any questions or would simply require advice about treating ED. Please check our website for more info or email us for further information. You may even call us during our operational hours if you prefer to do so.
References
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8466118.stm
- http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/849457
- http://labeling.pfizer.com/ShowLabeling.aspx?id=652#section-10
Assured Pharmacy is not liable for the currency or accuracy of the information contained in this blog post. For specific information about your personal medical condition, please contact our doctors or pharmacists for advice on [email protected].
robert –
Great service & a great price the best online pharmacy I have used
Robbie Toan –
Thanks Robert for your kind comments, Robbie Toan
David –
Super fast delivery great product great price will be ordering again . Thanks
Philip –
Generic tablets work well, highly professional service.
MELVIN –
This is my first order with Assuredpharmacy and I am very pleased with all processes involved with my purchase. I found the web site clear and easy to use, the prices very competitive, the prescription service very convenient and and efficient, and delivery was “super” quick. I will be using Assuredpharmacy again in the future.
Doug –
Only used one as yet did the same as viagra, At last value for money
Sherwan –
I will order from here in the future, discreet, friendly service and the cheapest on the internet. Also gave me a discount which I can use in the future when ever I want which I will and I’m happy about.
David –
Professional service. Discreet packaging and speedy delivery.
John –
fast service, generic worked a treat
Christopher –
impressed with the fast reliable service of AP – the generic worked perfectly – thanks
frank –
fast, efficient service and very cheap,,,,would recommend generic compared to branded as it worked completely the same and a lot cheaper.