What is Viagra?

Viagra is the most well-known treatment for adult men with erectile dysfunction, sometimes known as impotence. This is when a man cannot get, or keep a hard, erect penis suitable for sexual activity. Viagra pills have been used to treat erectile dysfunction for over two decades and been proven to be very effective for more than 80% of men.

When you take Viagra pills you may be able to:

• Improve your ability to get and maintain an erection
• Be more confident in your ability to get and maintain an erection
• Be satisfied with the hardness of your erections

What is Sildenafil?

Sildenafil (also known as sildenafil citrate) is the generic version of the Viagra licensed since 2013 in the UK.

What is the difference between Viagra and Sildenafil?

Sildenafil citrate is the active ingredient in Viagra and is available in a generic, unbranded tablet. Sildenafil and Viagra are medically equivalent but Sildenafil is available at a much lower cost.

Generic medicines contain the same active ingredient and are equally effective and medically equivalent as the branded products but are available at a lower price. Generic manufacturers have to demonstrate that they are medically identical to the branded product - i.e. they offer the same quality, strength, stability and effectiveness.

Generic medicines are required meet the same standards of safety, quality and efficacy as the branded medication. To receive market approval from the European Medicines Agency and MHRA, a generic medicine must be 'bioequivalent' to the originator product.

(read more about viagra vs sildenafil)

What is Viagra Connect

Viagra Connect is an over the counter medicine licensed by Pfizer which is identical to Viagra. The medicine is available without prescription from pharmacies but the patient must complete a questionnaire which the pharmacist will check before dispensing.

How Can I Buy Viagra Online?

How can order Viagra? – if you would like to order Viagra online, licensed online pharmacy services like MedExpress are the safest option. Our prescribers at MedExpress will review your respones to our medical questionnaire and ensure the medicine is appropriate for you. If the medication is appropriate, we will send the medicine to you in discreet packaging.

Find a registered online pharmacy – there are many websites from which you can buy Viagra. However, many of them are neither legimate UK licensed online pharmacies, which means taking the medicines they sell could be dangerous. Before buying any medicine online, you should always check whether the company you are using has been approved by the General Pharmaceutical Council. You should also pay attention to the fact Viagra is prescription-only medication and any website selling it without the involvement of a UK licensed prescriber is not safe.

Choosing the Correct Viagra Dosage

The recommended starting dose for Viagra (sildenafil) is one 50mg pill taken 1 hour before sexual activity. If you achieve the desired effect but are suffering from side effects, try lowering the dose to 25mg. If after trying 50mg pills four times without the desired effect, and you are not experiencing side effects, increase the dose to 100mg. If after trying 100mg 8 separate times without effect you should cease treatment and consult your doctor. You should not take Viagra (sildenafil) more than once a day as this will have not increase the effectiveness and may increase the likelihood of experiencing side effects.

How To Take Viagra

You should take Viagra (Sildenafil) about one hour before you plan to have sex. Swallow the tablet whole with a glass of water.

Viagra (Sildenafil) can be taken with or without food. However, you may find that Viagra (Sildenafil) takes longer to start working if you take it with a heavy meal.

How does Viagra work?

Viagra belongs to a class of medication known as PDE5 inhibitors. In the presence of sexual stimulation, PDE5 inhibitors such as Viagra relax smooth muscle and increase blood flow to the penis, helping to restore impaired erectile function.

How long does Viagra Last?

Viagra will stay in the body on average 4 hours after dosing. For some men it may remain as long as 5 hours, or a few as 3 hours.

Is Viagra always effective?

When used as prescribed by licensed online pharmacy services, like MedExpress, Viagra can work for most men. However, it does work better for some people than others. The Viagra tablet may not help with ED caused by psychological disorders and may not function after eating fatty foods or using drugs (recreational or prescription). 

Is there an age limit for using ED medication?

Men over 18 may use Viagra to treat erectile dysfunction, but the ED drug is unsuitable for women or children. Although there is no maximum age restriction for taking Viagra, men over 65 should begin with a lower dose.

How should I take Viagra to get the most out of it?

To get the most out of Viagra, you should take it roughly an hour before the time you want to engage in sexual activity. A typical dosage of sexual medicine should maintain its effectiveness for around four hours. It is recommended that you take Viagra on an empty stomach; taking Viagra after eating may reduce its speed of effectiveness.

While using Viagra, you should avoid consuming substantial amounts of alcohol. If you take any other drugs, you should check with your healthcare provider to be sure that these medicines do not interfere with the effects of Viagra, lessen its efficacy or pose any other potential dangers.

Viagra and its generic counterpart, sildenafil tablets, are available in various dosages, from 25 to 100 mg.

Will Viagra increase my sexual arousal?

By boosting blood flow to the penis, Viagra aids in the physical hydraulics of erections. However, Viagra does not affect libido.

Will Viagra affect my sexual performance?

The quality or the amount of feeling that you experience during sexual activity is unaffected, neither positively nor negatively, by the use of Viagra.

Although taking Viagra won't always increase the time you can go without ejaculating, it may boost your sexual confidence and help you perform more effectively in bed.

Viagra has the potential to shorten the refractory period, or the length of time needed for a man to recover after engaging in sexual activity and achieving an orgasmic state.

Side Effects of Viagra

Viagra is generally well tolerated and comes in a variety of dosages so the strength can easily be decreased for men experiencing bothersome side effects. The most common side effects include headache, flushing, indigestion, nasal congestion, dizziness, nausea, hot flush and visual disturbances. These common side effects are all transient in nature and should not last more than a few hours. Studies have not shown any effect on sperm motility or morphology.

Find out more:Side Effects of Viagra

Side Effects From Using Viagra

Viagra has been used by millions of men worldwide for over a decade and has been proven to be a safe and effective treatment for erectile dysfunction. For the majority of users no side effects are experienced. However, some men may experience mild side effects and less than 1% will experience serious side effects.

Very Common Side Effects (affects more than 10% of the population)

• Headache

Common Side Effects (affects between Than 1-10% of the population)

• Dizziness
• Blurry Vision / Visual Disturbances
• Hot flushes
• Blocked nose
• Nausea/Indigestion

Alternatives to Viagra

Counselling

For many men suffering from erectile dysfunction the primary cause may be related to psychological issues and not physical ones.

In these cases, counselling can prove to be a very effective form of treatment. Talking with a mental health professional will help to address issues of stress, anxiety or depression, which can all contribute to erectile dysfunction. For further information contact your GP.

Other ED Medications

We offer a range of ED medications. View our full range erectile dysfunction treatments.