ED medications are the safest and most effective treatment for erectile dysfunction (ED). They increase the flow of blood to the male reproductive organs and improve erectile function.
These medicines help overcome the troubles of erection function. They come in the form of tablets or pills that ease erection difficulties by increasing the blood flow through the penile blood vessels.
Composition of ED medications
These medicines are composed of different strengths. An appropriate dose can be chosen according to the severity of impotence issues. They contain active and inactive ingredients.
The active ingredient is the key component that performs its required action. The key ingredients may vary in every medicine, which include Sildenafil Citrate, Tadalafil, Vardenafil, and Avanafil.
These ingredients are categorized under phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitor compounds, that deliver their required action only in the presence of sexual arousal. They boost the flow of blood inside the penile arteries and revive the erection function.
FDA-approved ED medications
Some ED medications are approved by the FDA. FDA-approved ED medications cannot be bought without a prescription. They include:
Viagra (Sildenafil)
Viagra medicines contain Sildenafil Citrate as their key ingredient. Besides, Sildenafil citrate, these medicines also contain several inactive ingredients. The active ingredients of ED medicines are classified under phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor (PDE5) compounds.
Viagra is a brand-name version of Sildenafil medicines. It comes in three doses, including 25 mg, 50 mg, 100 mg. The lowest dose helps overcome mild forms of erection difficulties, the medium dose relieves moderate difficulties, and so on.
Cialis (Tadalafil)
Cialis are branded ED medicines that have Tadalafil as their active ingredient. These medicines come in four doses, including 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg, and 20 mg.
A high dose of Cialis provides prolonged effectiveness, that remains for up to 36 hours. Whereas low doses of these medicines can be taken daily even when you are not planning to have sex.
Those who prefer long-term effectiveness or continual effects can opt for these medicines.
Levitra (Vardenafil)
Levitra are branded versions of Vardenafil medicines. Besides, Vardenafil, Levitra also contains several inactive ingredients.
Stendra (Avanafil)
Stendra medicines contain avanafil as their key ingredient. These medicines acquired the approval from the FDA in the year 2012.
Moreover, several non-prescription versions of ED medicines also produce similar effects as prescription medicines. ED medicines like Malegra 100 produce similar effects as Viagra, because of the same active ingredient.
How do ED medicines work?
ED medicines are PDE5 inhibitors and their function is to stop the activity of PDE enzymes. The PDE5 enzymes are found in the endothelial walls of the penile blood vessels. These enzymes affect the erection function by leading to vascular dysfunction.
Any damage to the vascular function affects erection quality. The penile blood vessels become narrow and constricted because of PDE5 action. As a result, the blood flow gets hindered to the penile. Thus, the blood supply to the penile gets decreased.
However, ED medicines effectively inhibit the action of PDE5 enzymes. They dilate the penile blood vessels and boost the blood flow inside the penile. An increase in the blood supply promotes harder erections.
The right time for ED medications
You have to take the medicine around 30 minutes to an hour before a planned sexual activity. The medicine takes some time to get fully absorbed in the body. Once it is assimilated, its effects will be activated in the presence of a sexually aroused state.
Healthcare providers may advise you to not exceed a single dose of ED medicine per day. If you take the dose more than necessary, then this might potentiate your risk of severe side effects.
How to take ED medications?
The medicine must be taken with some water. Just make sure you swallow it without chewing, crushing, or breaking the pill into pieces. Changing the form of the medicine can affect its performance.
Taking the pill immediately before or after a heavy or fatty meal can delay the effectiveness of the medicine. Try to maintain a gap of around 2 hours between meal and pill consumption.
Do not take another dose the same day, try to maintain a gap of around 24 hours. However, these instructions do not apply to certain high-dose ED medicines.
Safety concerns
ED medicines may not be compatible with certain types of drugs. Their interaction with certain medicines like nitrites, HIV protease medicines, blood pressure medicines, and several others can lead to life-threatening side effects.
Also, the effects of these medicines will be impacted when combined with alcohol. Since both ED medicines and alcohol produce vasodilation effects, their combination must be avoided.