ED Clinic

 

 

 

These tablets all belong to a class of drugs called PDE5 inhibitors. They increase the concentration of a chemical in the erectile tissue of the penis that is important in the opening up of the penile blood vessels thereby increasing blood flow so that a better erection can be achieved. 

 

 

They are usually taken on an 'as required' basis, about 45minutes to an hour before anticipated intercourse, and require sexual stimulation before becoming effective. Although similar the three drugs are not identical. They all can work within 30 minutes of being taken although often take upto one hour to reach full effectiveness. 

 

 

Levitra and Viagra are broken down in the body within about 8 hours whilst cialis may last upto 36hours. The side effects may also vary in an individual from one tablet to another.

 

 

It is important to realise that these treatments do not necessarily work the first time they are tried. Usually patients start off at the lower dose (50mg for Viagra, and 10mg for both cialis and levitra) and then build up to the higher dose (100mg Viagra, 20mg cialis and levitra) if the lower dose fails. If they are not working even at the higher dose then they probably need to be taken relatively frequently at the top strength once to twice a week for a 4-6 weeks and then in some cases an improvement is noticed. 

 

Cialis can also be taken on a daily basis (5mg). This has the potential advantage of creating a steady level of the chemical in the blood stream removing te need for any pre-planning of sexual activity. The potentail downside is that the side effects may be prolonged and that one has to take tablets every day, as opposed to when required