Before we get into discussing Cialis and other erectile dysfunction medications. Lets discuss what erectile dysfunction (ED) is. When a man can’t get an erection to have sex or can’t keep an erection long enough to finish having sex, it’s called erectile dysfunction. Complete erectile dysfunction is known as impotence. Erectile dysfunction can occur at any age, but is more common in men age 65 and order.
There are many way to treat erectile dysfunction. These treatments include Oral medications (ie. Viagra (Sildenafil),Cialis (Tadalafil), and Levitra (Vardenafil). As well as injection therapy, muse intra-urethral therapy, hormone replacement therapy, surgical implants, vacuum pump, vascular surgery, and psychological counseling.
One of the most popular treatments available is oral medication. The big three available for treating erectile dysfunction are Viagra (Sildenafil), Cialis (Tadalafil) and Levitra (Vardenafil). The first to be approved by the FDA was Viagra, in 1998. Levitra and Cialis soon followed and were approved in 2003. Since their inception, millions of prescriptions have been written for these (ED) medications.
Viagra, Levitra, and Cialis are chemically known as phosphodiesterase Type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors. These three medications perform in a similar fashion. They do not cause an immediate erection, but they due allow an erection to occur when there is sexual stimulation. This erection occurs when the chemical inhibitors block the chemical in the penis that normally causes an erection to subside. This increases the amount of blood to the penis, which causes the penis to become erect and stay erect.
Viagra has shown to be an effective treatment for ED, with approximately 70% of Viagra patients reporting a positive response. Although Levitra and Cialis have only been on the market since 2003, they are also showing success rates like those of Viagra. While these medications have many of the same characteristics, they also have differences.
The variables are dosage, duration of effectiveness and possible side effects. For example, Viagra and Levitra both start working after about 30 minutes. With Viagra, the effects last for about 4 hours. On the other hand, the effects of Levitra last for around 5 hours. Cialis is supposed to be the fastest acting of the three, with effects taking place within 15 minutes and lasting for up to 36 hours.
Individuals who test all three medications often come to different conclusions about which drug works better for them. At the present there has been no study comparing these three medications. And since Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra work in the same way, it’s very probable that if you have failed with one, you will most likely fail with the other.
Although Viagra, Levitra and Cialis have been beneficial for many men, some men should not use these drugs, due to interactions with other drug prescriptions and other health conditions. Men who have suffered a heart attack, stroke, or life-threatening heart rhythm in the last six months should not use these medications. As these drugs can cause dangerous reactions with other drugs, they should not be taken with nitrate medications, alpha-blocking medications, or with the drug Amyl nitrate.
There are also possible side effects when using Viagra, Levitra, or Cialis, including rash, headaches, facial flushing, nasal congestion, painful erection, chest pain, indigestion and visual disturbances. Before taking any medication, always consult your physician about possible side effects and any possible health and drug interactions.
Levitra comes as a boon to those suffering with sexual function problems including erectile dysfunction and impotence. Levitra boosts your sex drive by helping in increasing blood flow into the penis allowing you to maintain an erection. Levitra is not meant for women or children. There are certain precautions that you need to take in case you are thinking of purchasing Levitra. You should not be taking Levitra if you are using any recreation drug usually refereed to as ‘poppers’, containing amyl or butyl nitrate or any other form of nitroglycerin and nitrates.
Just in case you are not sure whether a particular medicine contains nitrate or not, you can always check with your pharmacist or doctor. It is also important that you don’t take Levitra if you are taking any alpha-blocker medicine such as terazosin or prazosin. You should also consult your doctor if you are already taking any other medicine for impotence, medicine for abnormal heartbeats and certain antifungal medicines. You should also not start or stop any other medicine without your doctor’s approval. You also need to inform your doctor for any other medical condition including a history of painful erections, blood system cancers, anemia , certain eye diseases, stomach ulcers or heart problems, to mention only a few. You should also be not taking this medicine if you have been told by your doctor not to have sexual intercourse because of certain health conditions, especially heart related problems.
It is therefore always recommended that you always consult your doctor or pharmacist if you have any sort of queries on Levitra. One should always read the patient information leaflet carefully before using Levitra. This medicine is to be taken orally one hour before any sexual activity or as directed by your physician. You should take this medicine only in the prescribed dosage. Do not exceed the dosage without consulting with your doctor. You can take this medicine either on an empty stomach or with food. In case of any adverse side effects it is important that you immediately contact your doctor. Remember that you can always shop around for Levitra either online or through retailers, only after consultation with your doctor.
Viagra – the magic blue pill – captured the imagination of the world when the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) approved it as the first prescribed drug for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED)or male impotence. The results were instant. An estimated 23 million patients have already used this drug and almost all of them have provided positive feedback. The male patients suffering from sexual dysfunction and their partners have expressed enhanced pleasure due to Viagra.
The Controversy
Amidst all the hoopla that Viagra generated particularly among the impotent men and their partners, there came some disturbing reports of permanent vision loss to some men after taking Viagra. It all started in 2000 when a University of Minnesota ophthalmologist reported the first case of Viagra vision loss. Seven patients, aged between 50 and 69 years, showed typical features of NAION within 36 hours after taking Viagra.
Non-Arteritic Ischemic Optic Neuropathy (NAION) – also known as “stroke of the eye,” – occurs when blood flow is cut off to the optic nerve, which injures the nerve and results in permanent vision loss. These cases were published in the March 2005 issue of the Journal of Neuro-ophthalmology.
The experts opined that Viagra regulates a chemical in the body to constrict the arteries. This constriction may cut off the blood flow to the optic nerve – especially in people with a low cup to disk ratio where the blood vessels and nerves are tightly bundled – thus provoking NAION.
FDA’s Take
The FDA is currently investigating 50 cases of Viagra vision loss in men who have taken Viagra. In its statement dated July 8, 2005, the FDA advised patients “to stop taking these medicines (Viagra, Levitra and ,Cialis), and call a doctor or healthcare provider right away if they experience sudden or decreased vision loss in one or both eyes. Further, patients taking or considering taking these products should inform their health care professionals if they have ever had severe loss of vision, which might reflect a prior episode of NAION. Such patients are at an increased risk of developing NAION again.” The statement further states, “at this time, it is not possible to determine whether these oral medicines for erectile dysfunction were the cause of the loss of eyesight or whether the problem is related to other factors such as high blood pressure or diabetes, or to a combination of these problems.”
Pfizer’s Take
Pfizer Inc. – the makers of Viagra – has shot back and claimed that none of the 103 clinical trials of Viagra showed any signs of NAION. The experts from Pfizer further observed that all the men were in the age group of 50-69 years. Almost all had health problems including high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, and a history of smoking. These men experienced partial loss of central and/or peripheral vision. The loss wasn’t total, meaning the men didn’t go blind, but it was permanent in all cases. One man described it as “a shade coming down”. One man had problems in both eyes. In the rest of the men, only one eye was affected.
Conclusion
We haven’t heard the last word on this controversy yet. But the bottom line is that the doctors are still prescribing, cheap Viagra and the patients still buy Viagra despite the warning signals.
Viagra is the most popular and reliable oral medication for erectile dysfunction. Well, you all probably knew that already and after all, the purpose here is not to give some technical data about Viagra. Instead in this article you will find some useful information on how to use Viagra and so hopefully you can get the most out of your experience with it.
1. Easy on the fast food. Now don’t get me wrong – Viagra actually does work both with or without food, but if you wish to get the best results with Viagra, you should avoid high fat meals for couple of hours before taking it. Now if you go and eat a fatty meal like a cheeseburger with fries or perhaps pepperoni pizza just before taking Viagra, there is a good chance that it will slow your body’s ability to absorb the drug. In result of this, Viagra will not work as quickly as it should. It’s only about 2 hours that you have to go without meals before taking Viagra and then you should be ok and that’s really not much to ask, is it?
2. Take Viagra when you are in the mood. Viagra only works when you are sexually aroused, that is a fact. Now if you come home after a hard days work and you really couldn’t give a second thought to sex, and the first words out of your partners mouth as you enter your home are, let’s do it! What do you do here? Well, you just say no, sorry honey but it doesn’t work that way. There is no point in taking Viagra if you don’t feel like having sex. So don’t take Viagra just because your partner wants to have sex, you have to want it too.
3. Take your time with Viagra. Viagra works for at least 4 hours in most men, so there is no real need to hurry up things. You should just take your time with your partner, instead of feeling pressure to have intercourse right away. Get intimate with your partner and do what you do to get yourselves excited, what ever that happens to mean for you. So take your time, there is plenty of it for you.
4. Easy with the drinks! Viagra does work both with or without alcohol, but do you? Now I know very well that if you have not had sex for a while, you might feel a little bit awkward trying it again. In that case a few beers might be the thing to ease it up, but leave it to that. Getting drunk before taking Viagra is definitely not recommended. First of all, how many of us can really perform after a bottle of vodka, and even if one could, how much pleasure would he got out of it? The second reason is that taking alcohol in excess with Viagra can increase your chances of getting some annoying side effects. So few drinks are ok, but no heavy drinking!
5. If there is no success the first try. In clinical studies Viagra has worked the first or second time for most men. If Viagra doesn’t work for you the first or even the second time you try it, don’t worry! some of us need to sort of ease back into having sex again, just keep on trying. Now if you just don’t seem to get results after several attempts, there is a chance that you might be one of the few that Viagra doesn’t work for. Then you should look into something else. For example another ED drug called Levitra has known to work in some cases where Viagra hasn’t been able to do nothing.
It is time to thank you for reading this article, I hope you found it to be useful! I wish you all the best and hopefully you can all improve your sex lives, after all it is an important part of us.
“Many patients come to me to learn more about vision problems associated with Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra, and tell the truth; yes, these drugs can cause serious vision problems,” says Dr. Stuart Lewis, an ophthalmologist in Denver, Colorado. If you use Levitra, Cialis, or Viagra, you may have heard about the possible effects they can have on your vision. Many people are unsure whether the vision problems these drugs cause is rumor or truth.
Viagra must be one of the best known drugs in the modern world and there are now many ‘copycat’ drugs on the market. Viagra was originally developed to treat a totally different ailment and its effect on the sexual performance of certain men was an accident, a fortunate one for both the men and, given the drug’s popularity, the pharmaceutical company that makes it. The effect is short term, lasting only a few hours, and the long term effects are not known. Neither Viagra or the other drugs in the same market have any effect on women women suffering loss of libido. Furthermore, anyone with a heart, liver, kidney and some other conditions, would be at severe risk if they took any of these drugs.
“The bottom line is, and what I tell all my patients, is that these medication should never be taken unless they are needed because there are serious health and visual risks associated with them,” says Dr. Lewis.