If Viagra does not work, is there an alternative?

Key points –

– Viagra is a PDE 5 inhibiting med; it is made of a key chemical called sildenafil

– This med is used for the treatment of erectile dysfunction among males. This is also referred to as impotence in men

– Viagra works for most males; however, in some stray cases – this med may fail to bring about remedial effects
– In such cases, your sexologist / caregiver may advise a few alternatives like tadalafil, avanafil, vardenafil – to name a few

Viagra is one of the FDA-cleared meds. Its chief use stems from its capability to treat impotence in males; this condition is also known as Erectile Dysfunction (in short, ED). ED is known to show up among men of any age group. Earlier, it was erroneously thought to occur only among elderly males. But – with more research done on ED – there are cases wherein even younger men live with such penile conditions.

Viagra is a drug belonging to a genre called PDE – 5.; PDE stands for phosphodiesterase type 5. This enzyme is a reason why your blood vessels retain their radius, as it discourages arteries from widening. But penile issues crop up when blood flow is not sufficient-enough to lead to an erection.

Viagra is a med which relaxes your muscles as well as tissues – especially of the pelvic region. This relaxation causes more blood to enter into your vessels – i.e., arteries in your penile areas. Such an extra flow of blood is enabled without causing an adverse impact onto other normal activities functions of males’ system.

Does Viagra work for all?

In most men, Viagra starts to work in less than 45 minutes i.e., after taking a dose. The effects bring about a successful erection of penis. These last for more than 60 – 90 minutes’ time. This occurs as males’ arteries – of the pelvic floor – widen to let an added flow of blood.

Several research done on how long does Viagra take to start working reveal response time to hover at 25 – 35 minutes after dosing. In some cases, users of this PDE – 5 inhibiting med have reported having an erection within 15 minutes from the time of taking a 100 mg dose.

There are some stray cases where Viagra has taken more than an hour’s time. It is quite unlikely for effects to kick-in after such a delayed time window. In general, caregivers tell males – living with ED – to take a dose of Viagra at least 30 minutes before they plan to romance their partner.

The effects of Viagra – how long are they experienced?

The remedial outcomes Viagra mostly stay-on for more than 100 – 120 minutes. Men who have a stronger libido, and those who do not have autoimmune conditions like diabetes or hypertension may see the remedial effects to last for more than 2 hours.

Men who have the willpower to prolong their sexual act – with the aid of Viagra – can prolong the bed-time for long. This also depends on your partner and absence of anxieties / stress. The food thing about Viagra is it both helps males achieve penile stiffness as well as enables maintaining of a full-fledged erection.

Viagra however cannot however make you desire / increase sexual urges; for the drug to work, males must have a sexual arousal. This is an essential prerequisite for Viagra to functional in an optimal manner.

If Viagra does not work – is there an alternative?

There are instances wherein Viagra has had limited success in making males have a stiffened and erect penis. This may occur due to multiple reasons; key among them are lifestyle / daily habits such as smoking or taking excessive amount of alcohol, living through stressful times or a sense of guilt. Men may feel stressed out when they live in testing times like potential loss of a job, experiencing marital tensions or medical conditions like chronic increase in blood pressure level, high level of glucose in blood, etc.

Yes, there are alternatives to Viagra. Effective substitutes include meds like Tadalafil (the branded formulation is called Cialis), Vardenafil (branded as Levitra), Avanafil (Stendra is a leading brand of this generic med) – to name a few.

Avanafil

Of these, avanafil is one of the newly launched ED drugs. Owing to its newness, it is more fast-paced than many other offerings. In fact, it takes less than 16 minutes for the effects of avanafil to show up! Its effects are not known to last long though; you may have the remedial actions to persist for nearly 2 – 4 hours.

Vardenafil

Another effective alternative to Viagra is Vardenafil – better known a brand called Levitra. This med can give men a stiffened penis in 45 – 55 minutes’ time. The effects of vardenafil are known to stay on longer than 9 – 10 hours i.e., from the time of a dose. There are also instances of the effects known to last beyond 11 hours in some males!

Tadalafil

Lastly – but by no means the least – Tadalafil is another alternative to Viagra. This med takes a longer time (than other drugs in the PDE 5 inhibiting genre) to start working. But, the time its effects last more-than compensates for the delayed onset of its remedial effects. Tadalafil has perhaps the longest remedial time window of more than 34 hours.

This is one of the reasons for Tadalafil being labeled as a weekend wonder pill! Once you pop it in, you are ready to engage in sexual act(s) for almost one-and-a-half days.

Most alternatives to Viagra work in the same way of bringing an added supply of blood inside your penile-arteries. This action makes way for males’ penile parts to relax, and this causes a stiffened / erect penis.

You are however advised to talk to a sexologist or your treating doctor of the side effects of these alternatives, the dosage strength suiting your sexual needs, and also of the timeline of your treatment. You can check with your pharmacist to know of where to buy these alternatives to Viagra from.

Dr.Ashley

Dr. Ashley, is a clinical pharmacist and certified medical content specialist with a focus on men’s health, pharmacology, and sexual wellness. With over a decade of experience in patient education.