How Long Does Viagra Last
Its important to remember that an erection is not required for Viagra to be working. Viagra relaxes muscles in the penis and improves blood flow in order to enable people with penises to have erections. It is neither required nor healthy to have an erection the entire time Viagra is in your system. Viagra can stay in your system for four to five hours, which is why its suggested to take the ED medication up to four hours before sexual activity. Some of the medicine may be in your body longer, but in concentrations too low to cause any effect.
But it does take some time for the medication to kick in. Due to the long window in which Viagra stays in your system, it can be taken anywhere between 30 minutes and four hours ahead of sexual activity. Though Viagra can start to take effect and help achieve an erection in just 12 minutes, the medication reaches peak levels in your body after 30120 minutes . The medication doesnt just cause spontaneous erections on its own, thoughit just makes them easier to form. Youll still also need to be sexually aroused to get an erection.
Sildenafil Citrate Prescribed For High Blood Pressure
Many of you may have heard of the conditions called Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension and Reynauds Syndrome. Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a life threatening condition that means you have high blood pressure in the blood vessels that lead from the heart to your lungs . Reynauds syndrome is a condition where smaller arteries that supply blood to the skin constrict excessively in response to the cold.
Doctors are prescribing a drug called Revatio to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension and Raynauds syndrome. Revatio is sildenafil citrate, Viagra, but marketed under a different name. Using a sex drug may raise some eyebrows and for that reason the drug is marketed by another name.
How does Revatio work? It extends the lives of some pulmonary arterial hypertension sufferers by increasing blood flow to the lungs, reducing the workload on the heart. The same with Raynauds syndrome, the blood vessels are relaxed which increases blood flow.
Can I Take Viagra Every Day
First: Never take more than one dose of Viagra per 24-hour period.
It may be safe to take Viagra every day if your healthcare provider believes daily use is right for you. Depending on your health, your healthcare provider may not recommend that you take Viagra every day.
Viagra usually starts to work in about one hour and is effective in the body for six to eight hours.
This narrow effectiveness window requires you to do some planning to sync your medication to your sex lifewhich isnt always possible or convenient. And if you miss that window, you cant take more Viagra for another 24 hours.
If you want more flexibility, consider using Cialis , which is longer-lasting than Viagra. Its available in four doses2.5 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg, and 20 mgand is effective for 24 to 36 hours after you take it. Additionally, the two lower doses are actually approved for daily use. That can help increase sexual spontaneity.
If your healthcare provider determines its appropriate for you, Cialis can be a win-win. But the choice between Cialis and Viagra depends on how you and your partner plan to use ED medication.
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Is There A Female Viagra
While Viagra isnt approved for use in women, a drug called Addyi is approved for use in certain women. Some people refer to Addyi as female Viagra. However, Addyi doesnt work like Viagra does. Below, we describe the condition Addyi is approved to treat and how the drug works.
If you have questions about using Addyi, talk with your doctor.
What is Addyi?
Addyi is a brand-name prescription drug thats approved to treat hypoactive sexual desire disorder . Its prescribed for women who havent yet gone through menopause. Addyi contains the active drug flibanserin. Its not known for sure how Addyi works to treat HDSS.
What is HDSS and how does Addyi work to treat it?
With HDSS, you have very low sexual desire thats troublesome for you. The condition can have various physical or psychological causes.
Unlike Viagra, which improves blood flow to male genitals, Addyi doesnt work by improving blood flow to female genitals. Instead, Addyi affects the activity of certain neurotransmitters that are involved in sexual desire and arousal.
The neurotransmitters affected by Addyi include dopamine, noradrenaline, and serotonin. But its not known for sure how the drugs action affects sexual function.
How well does Addyi work?
For some women with HDSS, Addyi can improve sexual desire and increase the number of sexually satisfying events. But the drug hasnt been found to be very effective.
And keep in mind that it can take up to 8 weeks for Addyi to start working to treat HDSS.
What Medications Can You Not Take With Viagra
Patients who are taking nitrates, alpha-blockers, and other classes of drugs are not eligible to take certain erectile dysfunction medications, including Viagra, Cialis, and others. Mixing these medications can actually lead to a life-threatening or even fatally low blood pressure level. Keep in mind that nitrates and alpha-blockers are not the only medications that should not be combined with Viagra and other ED drugs. Before beginning any new prescription for ED, Dr. Kasraeian will thoroughly evaluate your health history, current list of medications, and other factors to determine the safest and most appropriate course of treatment for you.
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Exact Length Of Time Will Vary Person
Many different factors affect how long Viagra works for someone, including the dose of the medication, other medications or supplements youre taking, and your age, diet, overall health, and psychological state. Viagra comes in three doses: 25 mg, 50 mg, and 100 mg. Its most common for people to start with the 50 mg dosage. If youre on a higher dose, the effects of Viagra may last for a longer amount of time. It may take longer for Viagra to be eliminated from the bodies of older people, meaning the medicine may last longer. This may also be the case for people with medical conditions such as liver or kidney disease.
You should also always take Viagra without food and on an empty stomach. Fat from a meal can slow absorption time as well as how much of the medicine your body is able to absorb.
What Are The Side Effects Of Viagra
The side effects of Viagra are mild to moderate and of a short duration.
A very common side effect is a headache.
Other common side effects are:
- nausea,
- hot ush ,
- colour tinge to vision,
- dilation of the pupil of the eye,
- discolouration of the white of the eye
- penile bleeding, the presence of blood in semen
- unstable angina and sudden death: most of the men who experienced these side effects have heart problems before taking Viagra therefore, it is not possible to determine whether these events were directly related to this medicine.
Stop taking Viagra immediately and call your healthcare professional if you experience any of the following serious adverse effects:
- Chest pains: this occurs uncommonly. If this occurs before, during or after intercourse get in a semi-sitting position and try to relax. Do NOT use nitrates to treat your chest pain.
- A persistent and sometimes painful erection lasting longer than 4 hours
- A sudden decrease or loss of vision
- An allergic reaction : symptoms include sudden wheeziness, difficulty breathing or dizziness, swelling of the eyelids, face, lips or throat.
- Serious skin reactions such as Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Syndrome : symptoms may include severe peeling and swelling of the skin, blistering of the mouth, genitals and around the eyes, fever.
- Seizures or ts .
Viagra & Generic Sildenafil
- Any other treatment for erectile dysfunction.
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What Are The Possible Side Effects Of Viagra
VIAGRA can cause serious side effects. Rarely reported side effects include:
- an erection that will not go away . If you have an erection that lasts more than 4 hours, get medical help right away. If it is not treated right away, priapism can permanently damage your penis
- sudden vision loss in one or both eyes. Sudden vision loss in one or both eyes can be a sign of a serious eye problem called non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy . Stop taking VIAGRA and call your healthcare provider right away if you have sudden vision loss in one or both eyes
- sudden hearing decrease or hearing loss. Some people may also have ringing in their ears or dizziness. If you have these symptoms, stop taking VIAGRA and contact a doctor right away
- The most common side effects of VIAGRA are headache flushing upset stomach abnormal vision, such as changes in color vision and blurred vision stuffy or runny nose back pain muscle pain nausea dizziness rash.
In addition, heart attack, stroke, irregular heartbeat, and death have happened rarely in men taking VIAGRA. Most, but not all, of these men had heart problems before taking VIAGRA. It is not known if VIAGRA caused these problems.
Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or does not go away.
These are not all the possible side effects of VIAGRA. For more information, ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist.
What Should I Do If I Forget A Dose
If you are taking sildenafil for erectile dysfunction, you are unlikely to miss a dose since this medication is taken as needed, not on a regular dosing schedule.
If you are taking sildenafil for PAH, take the missed dose as soon as you remember it. However, if it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and continue your regular dosing schedule. Do not take a double dose to make up for a missed one.
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What If I Cant Take Viagra
If you are not a candidate for phosphodiesterase inhibitors because of another prescription or an underlying condition with risk factors, you still have options. During your initial consultation for erectile dysfunction in Jacksonville, FL, Dr. Kasraeian will discuss all of your available ED treatment options, which may include:
How does shockwave therapy for ED work?
Kasraeian Urology is proud to offer shockwave therapy for erectile dysfunction without the use of drugs. A handheld probe is used to send low-intensity shockwaves directly into the penis. The energy from shockwave therapy stimulates new blood vessel growth to help improve erectile dysfunction. Each shockwave therapy session takes around 20 minutes and many patients notice improvement after a few treatments.
Other Ways Viagra Benefits The Heart And Blood Flow
In addition to pulmonary arterial hypertension and Reynauds syndrome, researchers are continuing to discover ways that Viagra improves blood flow and benefits the heart.
Heat Attacks
Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University found Viagra helped to restore blood flow and tissue healing after a heart attack . They also found Viagra stopped Apoptosis, a condition where heart muscle cells kill themselves in the wake of a heart attack.
Preeclampsia
Preeclampsia is a condition that pregnant women develop and is marked by high blood pressure. It can lead to serious, sometimes fatal complications for the mother or baby. In 2005, a University of Vermont College of Medicine Team found Viagra prevented deaths among fetuses in pregnant rats. It did this by relaxing muscles in the artery walls allowing adequate blood flow.
Another study in 2016 using rats, concluded that sildenafil citrate improved blood flow to the fetoplacental unit despite lowering maternal blood pressure. Their findings provided preclinical evidence to support the hypothesis that sildenafil is a therapeutic target for the treatment of preeclampsia.
Infertility
Viagra showed that it could increase a womans chances of becoming pregnant. This happened when the cause of infertility is the lining of the uterus being too thin to sustain a pregnancy. Tests showed that sildenafil citrate increased blood flow to the uterus and stimulated the growth of cells .
Mountain Sickness
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Consider Penis Pumps For Erectile Dysfunction Treatment
For men who want an erectile dysfunction treatment that will not interfere with treatment for high blood pressure, a penis pump is an excellent option. It is an external treatment for ED that produces erections with a mechanical device. It does not interfere with any oral pills an individual is taking. Therefore, it can be used with anti-hypertensive medications without any additional risk.
Vacuum erection devices are highly effective non-drug treatments for erectile dysfunction. These easy-to-use devices provide strong erections for up to 30 minutes. They have an excellent safety record and are not associated with any of the side effects of Viagra and other oral ED drugs.
A penis pump does not have to be used in advance like ED medications and it can be incorporated into foreplay just prior to intercourse, allowing for more spontaneity. It is also a cost-effective ED therapy in the long run with few recurring costs. Penis pumps are useful for penile rehabilitation in men who have undergone prostate surgery. With regular use, these devices allow men to achieve more natural erections. If you are worried about interactions between Viagra and high blood pressure medications, consider a penis pump for erectile dysfunction treatment.
What Is The Most Important Information I Should Know About Viagra
VIAGRA can cause your blood pressure to drop suddenly to an unsafe level if it is taken with certain other medicines.
Do not take VIAGRA if you take any other medicines called “nitrates.” Nitrates are used to treat chest pain . A sudden drop in blood pressure can cause you to feel dizzy, faint, or have a heart attack or stroke. Do not take VIAGRA if you take medicines called guanylate cyclase stimulators which include:
- Riociguat a medicine that treats pulmonary arterial hypertension and chronic-thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.
Tell all your healthcare providers that you take VIAGRA. If you need emergency medical care for a heart problem, it will be important for your healthcare provider to know when you last took VIAGRA.Stop sexual activity and get medical help right away if you get symptoms such as chest pain, dizziness, or nausea during sex.
Sexual activity can put an extra strain on your heart, especially if your heart is already weak from a heart attack or heart disease. Ask your doctor if your heart is healthy enough to handle the extra strain of having sex.
VIAGRA does not protect you or your partner from getting sexually transmitted diseases, including HIVthe virus that causes AIDS.
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History Has Shown That Sildenafil Citrate Lowers Blood Pressure
The story how Viagra started is pretty interesting. In 1989, sildenafil citrate was created by British scientists, Peter Dunn and Albert Wood. They believed it would be useful in treating high blood pressure and angina, chest pain caused by the constriction of vessels that supply the heart with blood .
In 1991, Dr. Nicholas Terrett is named in the British patent for sildenafil citrate or Viagra, as a heart medication.
In the early 1990s, Pfizer completes several early trials of sildenafil citrate that provides little hope for its use as a heart disease treatment for angina. But volunteers in the clinical trials report increased erections several days after receiving a dose of the drug. The volunteers didnt want to return the medication. Can you blame them?
The rest is history and Viagra is known about in every circle as the drug to treat erectile dysfunction, talked about or not. But as you read its starting to become more popular for treating the heart and blood pressure, lets hope that the trend continues.
What If Viagra Doesnt Work
If youve tried VIAGRA and youre still not getting results, ask your doctor to see if adjusting your dose might help. Remember, VIAGRA should not be taken more than one time a day. VIAGRA may not be right for every man, but it has been shown to help approximately 4 out of 5 men get and keep erections hard enough for sex at doses of 50 mg or 100 mg.*
*Seventy-two percent, 80%, and 85% of the patients on 25 mg, 50 mg, and 100 mg of VIAGRA, respectively, achieved erections hard enough for sex, compared to 50% on placebo.
Also, men taking VIAGRA showed an improvement in their ability to get and keep an erection versus those who took placebo.
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Viagra Performs Not Only In Bed But In The Heart
Older men like Playboys Hugh Hefner and actor Michael Douglas have sung the praises of Viagra, but now scientists say the erectile dysfunction pill is not only good for your sex life its good for your heart.
In the bedroom, Viagra allows greater blood flow to the penis. But in the heart, the little blue pill can prevent heart muscle thickening and early-stage heart failure, according to research published today in the open access journal BMC Medicine.
“Large clinical trials are now urgently needed to build on these encouraging findings, said lead author Dr. Andrea M. Isidori, associate professor of endocrinology at Sapienza University of Rome.
Dosages used for heart ailments are lower than those used for erectile dysfunction, and patients in the study showed few side effects. Surprisingly, in over 1600 treated subjects, no increased risk of visual disturbance, photosensitivity and blue haze, was observed, he told NBC News.
Viagra Side Effects And How To Avoid Them
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Viagra is a brand-name prescription drug approved for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. Sildenafil citrate, the active ingredient in Viagra, belongs to a class of drugs called phosphodiesterase type 5inhibitors, or PDE5 inhibitors, for short. Viagra works by widening blood vessels in the penis, increasing and prolonging blood flow into the penile erectile tissues. Viagra, however, can cause problems in some men, such as side effects or drug interactions. Viagra can also worsen pre-existing conditions. There are ways, however, to minimize some of these risks.
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