Viagra Dosage – Which One Should You Take?
Viagra is marketed in several dosages: 25mg, 50mg, 100mg, and others (for generic viagra).
Which dosage of the drug do you need? The answer depends on your general health condition, the med’s efficiency and tolerability. Let’s take a closer look at it.
The Use of Viagra for Erectile Dysfunction
Viagra is used for erectile dysfunction (psychological, organic and mixed). The main component of the drug is sildenafil, which acts by suppressing (inhibiting) the PDE5 enzyme.
What is PDE5?
It is an enzyme that interferes with the normal mechanism of erection, inhibiting the substance of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP). The latter relaxes the cells of smooth muscles: the arteries in the penis expand, and the erectile tissue becomes filled with blood. As a result, inhibition of PDE5 causes an increase in the amount of cGMP, which leads to the improvement of male erectile function.
Dozens of Viagra generics are available in the pharmaceutical market.
They are produced in different forms: capsules, effervescent tablets, jelly, etc. These forms may provide quicker effect, which is important if a man needs to get the desired effect of the drug urgently.
Generic Viagra improves the flow of blood into the penis, when a person taking the medicine is experiencing sexual arousal. It does not cause involuntary erection, therefore, sexual desire is an indispensable condition for a positive effect of the base ingredient.
Viagra should be used only in the presence of erectile dysfunction. It shouldn’t be used to increase sexual performance or for fun.
Viagra may be used for BPH, as one of the symptoms of this disease is erectile dysfunction. It can also decrease other BPH symptoms (A. Abolyosr et al., 2013), however, the drug isn’t officially approved for treatment of urinary disorders. Viagra dosage for BPH depends on the severity of erectile disorders caused by the disease, as well as on patient’s tolerability.
How long does Viagra last?
The official instruction says that Viagra lasts 4 to 6 hours on average. However, according to the research, some males experience the needed effect of sildenafil within 12 hours.
Can Viagra be used on a daily basis?
Theoretically, yes, it can. Some urologists even believe that taking the drug on an everyday basis may prevent impotence: “A Viagra a day … may keep impotence at bay” (read more in the article by Ray Moynihan, 2003). However, Pfizer company hasn’t seen convincing research data to advice such a treatment option. In practice, the question about Viagra daily use dosage doesn’t usually occur.
Side Effects of Viagra
As almost any other drug, Viagra may cause some side effects. Generally, its safety profile is high, however, no one is insured against potential side reactions of the drug.
According to Medicinenet, approximately 15% of men who take Generic Viagra experience side effects.
The most common ones include:
- face redness (occurs in 1 out of 10 men);
- headache (occur in 1 out of 6 men);
- stomach discomfort and painful sensations, nausea, diarrhea;
- dizziness;
- skin rash;
- sinusitis symptoms, nasal congestion;
- inability to differentiate between blue & green colors.
Priapism (very long and pain-causing erection), permanent erection that doesn’t disappear, one-eye blindness, loss of hearing are rare side effects of the med.
The risk of side effects occurrence increases if the dosage is too high for a patient. Therefore, it’s very important to choose the correct dosage for a particular person.
Viagra Dosage Options
Branded Viagra is available in 3 basic dosages:
- 25mg tabs;
- 50mg tabs;
- 100mg pills.
However, there are some generics that feature unusual (75mg) or higher dosages, like 120mg, 130mg, 150mg, and 200mg.
Viagra 25 mg
This dosage is used in cases of mild ED and / or in cases of some severe diseases (treatment with other meds).
Well, there are some cases when 25mg is used as starting recommended dosage:
Since in persons having severe renal insufficiency (clearance of creatinine <30 ml / min) the clearance of the main active agent of the med is reduced, a 25mg dosage should be considered. Depending on the effectiveness and tolerability of the med, if necessary, the dose can be gradually increased to higher ones.
The same applies to patients suffering from serious hepatic failure, for instance, cirrhosis of the liver. This disease also reduces the clearance of Viagra’s main active substance, so the starting dosage must be minimal. Drug clearance is the rate at which the active drug agent is removed from the human body.
If a male uses potent inhibitors of CYP3A4, the initial dosage for him should also be 25mg. These meds include, in particular, cimetidine, clotrimazole, and erythromycin*, excluding ritonavir, because it can dangerously interact with sildenafil and, therefore, Viagra shouldn’t be used in combination with it.
Viagra 50 mg
This is a typically Viagra recommended dosage for all patients suffering from erectile dysfunction, regardless of their weight.
Don’t search Viagra dosage by weight, because such a criterion isn’t applied when prescribing the medication for ED treatment. The only case when doctors may consider body weight is the use of sildenafil for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) treatment in children (L. Simonca & R. Tulloh, 2017). However, at the moment sildenafil (Revatio) is not recommended by the FDA for treating children. The same statement is placed on the official website of the drug.
After some time, depending on the tolerability and efficacy, the dose may remain the same or may be increased to 100mg, or decreased to 25mg.
According to the study by O.B. Loran (2009), 50mg is the recommended starting dosage. Therefore, it can be concluded that a very small number of male persons switch to a dosage of 25 mg unless they do not suffer from the serious diseases mentioned above.
In some pharmacies, you may find generics containing 75mg of sildenafil.
Viagra 100 mg
According to the results of the study indicated above, sildenafil 100mg reduces anxiety feelings compared with 50mg dose. Therefore, increased dosage not only improves erection but also gives more self-confidence to patients.
100mg is a max Viagra dosage recommended by the instructions to the branded Pfizer’s drug. Nevertheless, there are some generic meds containing higher amounts of sildenafil or its modified formula.
Higher Viagra Dosages: 120 mg, 130 mg, 150 mg, 200 mg
In online pharmacies, you can sometimes see meds with increased sildenafil dosages, like 120mg, 130mg, 150mg, and 200 mg. Are these dosages safe for health? C.G. McMahon (2002) revealed that sildenafil in dosages of up to 200 milligrams is an efficient “salvage therapy” of previous Viagra non-responders (males with chronic erectile failure), however, this therapy is limited by enlarged risk of side effects, which lead to treatment discontinuation in 31% cases.
It is important to know: it’s better to use traditional Viagra dosages. High-dosage options may be more effective in some cases, however, their use is associated with increased risk of side effects and overdose, which is manifested in the form of more pronounced side effects.
Cialis Dosage vs Viagra Dosage
Viagra dosages are generally higher than Cialis ones. Generic Cialis basic dosages are 2.5mg, 5mg, 10mg, and 20mg. Unlike Viagra, this drug can be prescribed to be used on a daily basis. In addition, it has been officially approved for treatment of BPH-caused urinary symptoms.
What Dosage to Choose?
When being treated with Viagra, more doesn’t always mean better. Choose the dosage, which works most effectively for you without side effects or with minimal side effects. Many men will benefit from 50mg, some are forced to take lowered dosages due to health disorders, while others achieve the needed effect only with increased doses of sildenafil.
Anyway, it is recommended to consult a doctor before choosing Viagra dosage. This is especially important if you suffer from liver / renal diseases, have cardiovascular diseases, take other prescription medicines, or have had a stroke or heart attack recently. In these cases, high dosages are contraindicated and may cause harm to the body.