Viagra how it works how long before

Generally Viagra requires minutes to take effect, therefore take Viagra at least one hour before you intend to have sex. However the length of time Viagra takes to work can be affected by food, alcohol and sexual stimulation.

Eating any meal before you take Viagra will cause the medicine to take effect more slowly. Fatty meals can make it harder for Viagra to enter the bloodstream. Ideally you should take Viagra on an empty stomach. Just leave two hours after eating before taking Viagra. Find out more about the impact of food on ED here. Drinking more than one or two units of alcohol will make Viagra less effective. Excessive alcohol can compromise erections regardless of erectile dysfunction.

Viagra requires arousal and sexual stimulation to take effect. Generally, Viagra lasts around 4 hours. Viagra relaxes the muscle cells in the blood vessels supplying the penis, allowing an increased blood flow.

Erections occur when blood flows into the penis. Therefore, this increased blood flow increases the chance of achieving an erection. For a more detailed explanation of this process see our Viagra information page.

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 30— minutes Eardley, Viagra comes in three doses: 25 mg, 50 mg, and mg.

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.

Priapism, a persistent and painful erection that can last more than four hours, is the most well-known potential side effect of Viagra but is not one of the most common side effects.

Those include indigestion, headaches, facial flushing, back pain, and stuffy nose. Other serious, but less common, side effects include hearing loss which can be sudden , severe low blood pressure, and vision loss, which can be in one or both eyes.

You should not take Viagra if you have low blood pressure, heart problems such as a history of heart attack or chest pain, or uncontrolled high blood pressure. The blue pill may not be for everyone, but there are alternative ED medications. Oral medications are common erectile dysfunction treatments and common types—including avanafil brand name Stendra , sildenafil brand name Viagra , tadalafil brand names Adcirca and Cialis , and vardenafil brand names Levitra and Staxyn —address the issue by relaxing the muscles in the penis, improving blood flow.

Common alternatives include Cialis and Levitra. Taken daily, this medication provides a low dose of the drug tadalafil to be ready for sex anytime. Never take more than mg of Viagra in a hour period. Too much Viagra can cause severe headache, low blood pressure, and orthostasis drop in blood pressure when standing that can lead to fainting. Higher doses can also cause priapism , a painful erection that lasts longer than 4 hours.

Get emergency treatment right away if this happens. Talk with your doctor before you take Viagra or any related medication for ED. Some medications for heart conditions, such as nitroglycerin and other nitrates, can interact dangerously with Viagra and cause your blood pressure to drop too low.

Viagra typically starts working within 30 to 60 minutes and lasts for about 2 to 3 hours after that. An erection self-test is a procedure a man can do by himself to determine if the cause of his erectile dysfunction is physical or psychological. Plenty of standard erectile dysfunction treatments exist, but many men prefer natural treatments.

Here's a look at six options. You may assume the likelihood of erectile dysfunction increases with age, but this isn't always the case. Aging doesn't necessarily mean you're…. Viagra, Cialis, Levitra, and Stendra are oral medications for treating erectile dysfunction. Check out side-by-side comparisons of all four drugs. Experts say using too large a dose of Viagra when first starting the erectile dysfunction drug can lead to temporary vision issues.

The "little blue pill" celebrates its year anniversary. They can cause unpleasant side effects or may not be suitable for you. It's best to see your doctor before buying medicines online. They know your medical history and can discuss whether you might benefit from treatment. Sildenafil tablets for erectile dysfunction come in different strengths ranging from 25mg to mg. Take sildenafil up to 4 hours before you want to have sex.

For sildenafil to work properly, you'll need to be sexually excited. Sildenafil tablets for pulmonary hypertension come in 10mg and 20mg tablets. For erectile dysfunction, it's best to take sildenafil on an empty stomach. It may take longer to work if you take it with food. If you or your child are taking sildenafil as a liquid, 1ml is usually the same as taking a 10mg tablet, but it's important to always check the medicine label.

If you do not have a plastic syringe or spoon, ask your pharmacist for one. Do not use a kitchen teaspoon as it will not give the right amount. If you have pulmonary hypertension and you forget to take a dose of sildenafil, take it as soon as you remember and then continue as usual. You could also ask your pharmacist for advice on other ways to help you remember to take your medicine.

Talk to your doctor if you have taken too much sildenafil and you're worried about these side effects. Like all medicines, sildenafil can cause side effects in some people. Many people have no side effects or only minor ones. If you get these side effects, keep taking the medicine, but tell your doctor or pharmacist if these side effects bother you or do not go away:.

In rare cases, it's possible to have a serious allergic reaction anaphylaxis to sildenafil. You can report any suspected side effect to the UK safety scheme.

Some complementary therapies may have ingredients that could interfere with sildenafil and cause side effects. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you're taking any other medicines, including herbal remedies, vitamins or supplements. It works if you have erection problems by temporarily increasing blood flow to the penis when you get sexually excited. It works in pulmonary hypertension by relaxing blood vessels in the chest. If you're taking sildenafil Revatio for pulmonary hypertension, do not take it more than 3 times a day.

If sildenafil does not work, there are other tablets you could try that work in a similar way, such as:. You could also try a medicine called alprostadil. This is a man-made hormone that helps to stimulate blood flow to the penis. If you cannot get erections because of a hormonal problem, your GP may refer you to an endocrinologist who specialises in the treatment of hormonal problems.

You may benefit from treatment using injections of man-made hormones to restore your hormone levels to normal. Some complementary therapies, such as acupuncture, have claimed to treat erectile dysfunction.

But there's little evidence they work. There's no firm evidence to suggest that taking sildenafil will reduce fertility in either women or men. Sildenafil does not affect any type of contraception, including the contraceptive pill and emergency contraception. Do not drink grapefruit juice if you're taking sildenafil Revatio for pulmonary hypertension.

It interferes with the way the medicine works.