Sildenafil Citrate is sold commercially under the names Viagra or Revatio, and is part of a group of medications called phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors. It was approved for use by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and became available in 1998. It is primarily used as a treatment for erectile disfunction (ED), which is the inability to produce or maintain an erection of the penis for sexual performance despite being sexually aroused. Since its introduction, sildenafil has become very popular and has dramatically changed the method of treatment for erectile disfunction in men.
| number of pills | price per pill | |
| 360 | - | $1.05 |
| 90 | - | $1.61 |
| 30 | - | $2.36 |
Sildenafil Citrate
Viagra (Sildenafil Citrate) is the most widely used erection pill known today.
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It is also used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a disease that leads to dangerously high levels of blood pressure in the pulmonary artery, a main vessel that carries blood from the heart to the lungs. This disease mostly affects women between the ages of 20 and 40 years. Symptoms include dizziness, shortness of breath, fatigue, and fainting as a result of exertion and can cause heart failure.
As a treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), which is a rare and incurable vascular disease; sildenafil citrate is used to improve the ability to exercise. When this disease is treated early, sildenafil improves the quality of life in patients and delays the onset of further development of the disease. Later stages of PAH are characterized by the inability to perform routine tasks without experiencing extreme fatigue and chest pain.
Sildenafil acts to relax the pulmonary muscles and improve blood flow from the heart to the lungs. The most common side effects patients experience include nosebleeds, headaches, stomach upset, flushing, and sleep irregularity. It is an excellent treatment option for these patients, as it is less expensive and has fewer side effects than other available treatments.
When sildenafil is prescribed to treat PAH, the typical dose is a 20 mg oral pill that is taken three times a day. The drug should be taken six to eight hours apart each day and can be taken either with or without food.
As a treatment for ED, which is its most popular use, sildenafil works by increasing the flow of blood to the penis and results in harder, longer lasting erections. The blood is pressurized in two tube like structures called corpora cavernosa, which exist inside the penis. When the man is sexually aroused, the arteries going into the penis fill with enough blood to create an erection and the arteries that control the blood flowing out of the penis contract. The erection goes away after sex is finished. Sildenafil does not immediately cause an erection. You need to be sexually aroused for an erection to occur.
The usual dose prescribed by a physician is 50 mg, taken once daily as required, although the dose may be altered to 25 mg or 100 mg depending on side effects experienced and the effectiveness of the medication. The maximum dose allowed is 100 mg per day. Sildenafil is available in a tablet form that should be taken with a glass of water. The shelf life of sildenafil is 2 years from the date of manufacture.
Sildenafil is fast acting and should be taken about one hour prior to sexual activity. In studies, it was shown to be effective in as short a time as fourteen minutes, and its effects remain for up to four hours. If an erection lasts for more than 4 hours, or the patient experiences priapism (painful erections lasting more than 6 hours in duration), then a doctor should be consulted as a prolonged erection can cause irreversible damage to the erectile tissue in the penis.
Most men can safely take this drug once a day. Sildenafil has been effective in 80 percent of men suffering from erectile disfunction; although it may need to be taken for 3 or 4 times before it starts to work.
Sildenafil has no effect on the libido in men, and it is not used to treat the desire to perform sexual intercourse.
It can be taken with or without food, but fatty foods can slow the body’s absorption of sildenafil, slowing its effectiveness. Large quantities of alcohol consumption can also reduce the effectiveness of producing and maintaining an erection. Alcohol can also increase some of the side effects of sildenafil and should be avoided.