When do i need viagra

Choose collection at checkout and you can usually collect your treatment in as little as 1 hour from your local LloydsPharmacy. Viagra is the most famous treatment for erectile dysfunction and used by millions of men worldwide. But how long does Viagra take to work? And, equally importantly, what factors can impact on this? You'll get the best results from the treatment if you use it correctly. 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. 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. Page last reviewed: 22 January Next review due: 22 January Sildenafil including Viagra On this page About sildenafil Key facts Who can and can't take sildenafil Where to get sildenafil How and when to take it Side effects Pregnancy and breastfeeding Cautions with other medicines Common questions.

About sildenafil Sildenafil is a medicine used to treat erectile dysfunction. It usually takes 30 to 60 minutes for sildenafil to work for erectile dysfunction.

You can take it up to 4 hours before you want to have sex. Taking sildenafil alone will not cause an erection. You need to be aroused for it to work. The most common side effects are headaches, feeling sick, hot flushes and dizziness. Many men have no side effects or only mild ones. It can be dangerous to take sildenafil if you also take medicines called nitrates often given for chest pain. The combination can cause a dangerous fall in your blood pressure.

If you're not sure if you're taking a nitrate, ask your doctor or pharmacist. Your ability to become aroused is a complicated process. Your emotions, brain, hormones, nerves, blood vessels, and muscles all play an intricate part in male arousal.

When any of these pieces aren't in line, it can cause some kind of dysfunction. It's also important to remember that your mental health plays as much a part of your sexual ability as your physical health. Stress and other mental health concerns can cause or make erectile dysfunction worse. Minor health problems may slow your sexual response, but the accompanying anxiety that comes with the slow sexual response can shut things down entirely.

Occasional, or intermittent, sexual problems don't necessarily point to erectile dysfunction. But you may be dealing with erectile dysfunction when the following symptoms are persistent:. Although it might not be possible to always prevent erectile dysfunction, taking care of yourself can help you avoid persistent problems. In general, the healthier you are, the less likely you'll be to have erectile dysfunction.

Doing the following can help:. There's no one-size-fits-all treatment for erectile dysfunction. Yes, it could. In several studies , Viagra has been looked at as a possible treatment for premature ejaculation PE. With PE, you ejaculate before you want to. Some studies found that Viagra can help men with PE to delay ejaculation longer than they could without treatment. More research is needed to know for sure whether or not Viagra is effective for treating PE. However, Viagra is recommended in similar guidelines from the European Association of Urology.

Viagra is approved for use in males ages 18 years and older. This is because certain side effects of Viagra may be worsened by alcohol. This includes such side effects as headaches, flushing, and dizziness. Viagra can interact with several other medications. Different interactions can cause different effects. For instance, some interactions can interfere with how well a drug works. Other interactions can increase side effects or make them more severe.

Below are lists of medications that can interact with Viagra. Before taking Viagra, talk with your doctor and pharmacist. Tell them about all prescription, over-the-counter, and other drugs you take. Also tell them about any vitamins, herbs, and supplements you use.

Sharing this information can help you avoid potential interactions. If you have questions about drug interactions that may affect you, ask your doctor or pharmacist. This includes prescription medications, such as:. Taking Viagra with other ED medications increases your risk of certain side effects, such as low blood pressure and priapism. This includes certain prescription drugs, such as nitroglycerin , used to treat angina a type of chest pain.

It also includes certain illicit drugs called poppers , such as amyl nitrate. Taking Viagra with nitrates can cause a dangerous drop in your blood pressure that can lead to heart attack or stroke. Taking Viagra with these medications can cause your blood pressure to drop too low. Viagra can sometimes cause low blood pressure. Taking Viagra with drugs used to treat high blood pressure can cause your blood pressure to drop even lower.

It could even make you faint. If you take one of the drugs listed above, tell your doctor if you feel dizzy or lightheaded, or faint after taking Viagra. Poppers contain nitrate drugs such as amyl nitrate , alkyl nitrate, and butyl nitrate.

Taking Viagra with poppers can cause a dangerous drop in your blood pressure that can lead to heart attack or stroke. These drugs are called alpha-blockers. Taking Viagra with alpha-blockers can cause your blood pressure to drop even lower. This could make you feel dizzy or lightheaded, or even cause you to faint.

And if you take one of the drugs listed above, tell your doctor if you feel very dizzy, lightheaded, or faint after taking Viagra. Adderall , which contains amphetamine salts, is approved to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ADHD. Adderall has stimulant effects in your body, and it could cause serious heart-related side effects. Viagra, on the other hand, may cause low blood pressure.

Xanax , which is a benzodiazepine, contains the active drug alprazolam. Xanax can sometimes cause low blood pressure , dizziness, and fainting. Viagra may also lower your blood pressure. This is particularly true for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors SSRIs , such as sertraline Zoloft.

If you have questions about whether you can take Viagra with an antidepressant, talk with your doctor. Taking Viagra with certain antimicrobials drugs used to treat infection can slow the breakdown of Viagra in your body.

This can cause Viagra to build up inside your body, which may increase your risk of side effects from the drug. If you take one of the drugs listed above, your doctor will recommend you take a starting dose of 25 mg for Viagra. This is lower than the typical starting dose of Viagra. However, you should still check with your doctor or pharmacist before using any of these products while taking Viagra.

If you have any questions about eating certain foods with Viagra, talk with your doctor. Grapefruit juice can affect the levels of some medications in your body. One small study was done in This could possibly increase the risk of certain side effects such as headaches, flushing, or dizziness.

They can recommend whether this is safe for you to do. But Viagra can actually be taken anywhere from 30 minutes to 4 hours before sexual activity.

You can take Viagra either with or without food. But if you take it with a meal, the drug may take about an hour longer than usual to start working. This is especially the case if you eat a high-fat meal, such as a cheeseburger with fries.

Just be aware that it might take a bit longer for the drug to work. And Viagra tablets are meant to be swallowed whole. If you have trouble swallowing Viagra tablets, you might find it easier to swallow the tablet with different drinks, such as water, juice, or milk. Or talk with your doctor or pharmacist about how else you can take the drug. If you want to crush, split, or chew Viagra tablets, ask your doctor or pharmacist if this is safe to do.

Viagra may also be used off-label for other conditions. ED can be caused by several different factors. These include psychological or emotional problems, such as:. Viagra increases blood flow to your penis, which helps you have and maintain an erection. These success rates varied depending on the cause of their ED and the dosage of Viagra being used.

Some studies looked at the effect of different doses of Viagra. These studies, which involved 1, men, lasted up to 6 months. Improved erections were reported in:. For example, one study specifically looked at men with ED that was related to complications of diabetes. One study only involved men with ED that resulted from a spinal cord injury.

In addition, men whose ED had psychological causes were specifically looked at as part of one study. In addition to the use described above, Viagra may be used off-label.

Below is an example of an off-label use for Viagra. These narrowed blood vessels restrict blood supply to your fingers or toes.

This can cause your fingers and toes to look white and feel cold, painful, or numb. Episodes of spasm can be triggered by cold temperatures or emotional stress. PDE5 inhibitors describes a certain class of drugs. Medications in the same class of drugs work in a similar way inside your body.

And the drugs also decreased how long the episodes lasted. Viagra is only approved for use in adult males with ED. But you may have questions about whether Viagra can be used in women. Below, we provide answers to these questions. One review of studies showed that current research has conflicting results on how Viagra affects women. For example, in women with female sexual arousal disorder , the review showed the following findings:.

In men, Viagra improves blood flow to their penis by blocking the action of a chemical called PDE5. This chemical is also found in the vagina and the clitoris of women.

So in theory, if a woman takes Viagra, it could increase blood flow to her genitals. This could explain why Viagra has less of a physical effect in women than it does in men. And keep in mind that sexual problems in women often have a lot to do with reduced sexual desire and arousal.

Viagra is unlikely to address these issues.