Uses and Application
Sildenafil as part of generic Viagra can help deal with ED of varied ontogeny save for the cases where erectile difficulty is brought on by vascular issues. The mechanism of sildenafil is based on the drug’s restorative capacity targeted at blood vessel elasticity. If such is made impossible by a pre-existing vascular condition, sildenafil-based drugs, be it brand or generic Viagra, will be counterproductive.
Generic Viagra should not be taken recreationally by individuals with healthy erectile mechanism. Sildenafil contained in either version of Viagra does not have any effect outside of the blood circulation enhancement scope described above, therefore its effects in healthy men will be non-existent.
What effects to expect
Taken some 60 minutes prior to sexual activity, generic Viagra will address issues that prevent a patient from achieving and maintaining a controllable erection. Erection will occur only in a sufficient sexual context. Viagra does not have libido-enhancing properties. However, it will considerably in
crease sexual stamina of a patient, minimizing recovery time between sexual acts. The effects of Viagra only manifest themselves in patients affected with ED, since sildenafil removes clinical symptoms of impotence.
There is a wide range of generic Viagra products with sildenafil citrate being the principal component in all of them. However, thanks to herbal additives or otherwise enhanced formulae and / or innovative drug form, generic Viagra pills of various types can provide additional action. For instance, Viagra Professional is more impactful than regular sildenafil pills and is designed to fix major erectile problems, with its restorative capacity parallel only to that of Viagra Super Active. Excellent properties of those two generic sildenafil drugs are popular among those expecting high level of efficacy and optimized activity boost from their ED medication.
Onset time and effect duration
A pill of generic Viagra starts acting within 40-60 minutes after administration. The exact onset time will differ largely, depending on the type of generic Viagra you choose, individual response, advance into sildenafil therapy, meals consumed prior to the drug intake, and multiple other factors that are individual for each taker and situation. As you advance into the therapy, you will be able to predict more or less accurately the exact onset time for each type of generic Viagra you use. The body’s sensitivity towards sildenafil increases gradually with continued posology, improving health outcomes and reducing adversary manifestation that can accompany initial doses of sildenafil.
Generic Viagra action continues during at least 4 hours and can be extended for up to 8 hours for some enhanced-formula generic sildenafil products. While generic Viagra is active in the body, a patient can attain erections with ease, enjoying minimal hiatuses required for sexual recharging. Certain generic Viagra types like Viagra Super Active, Viagra Professional, Viagra Red to name a few allow for back-to-back erections to take place.
Doses of Generic Viagra and Personalized Responses
Another advantage of generic Viagra is that it comes in a more diversified dosing range than its brand equivalent. This allows to infinitely customize your therapy, proceeding from your individual tolerance, response, and circumstances. Generic Viagra comes in classical doses of sildenafil 25 mg, sildenafil 50 mg and sildenafil 100 mg, but there are also high-impact doses of sildenafil 150 mg and sildenafil 200 mg. Remember that higher doses of sildenafil should only be taken under condition of doctor’s approval.
The initial dose administered by a first-timer should range between Viagra 25 mg and Viagra 50 mg. While the former understandably works for those with milder clinical manifestations of ED, the latter is repeatedly reported to be the most effective dose in an average patient aged between 40 and 65. Dose adjustments need to be done in geriatric population and certain cases where general health condition requires extra dosage caution.
It should be duly noted that the body’s response towards medicating with sildenafil improves exponentially as a patient advances into the therapy. With every consecutive intake of brand or generic Viagra, health results become statistically better in all age groups. In this connection, the general dosing practice is to allow for several drug intakes to take place before discarding a dose as ineffective. Professional healthcare provider opinion is needed for any dose adjusting. If this happens after all, the minimal dose should be dialed up by one minimal step of sildenafil 25 mg. Thus, patients leaving 25 mg zone should experience a dose increase up to sildenafil 50 mg. Here again several intakes should be analyzed in order to establish if the new dose yields satisfactory results.
Generic Viagra with higher sildenafil content (Viagra 100 mg, Viagra 150 mg and Viagra 200 mg) should only be implemented in patients without any pre-existing comorbidities and only under 65 years of age. Caution should be taken with monitoring of any possible side events related to an elevated dose of sildenafil. The dose should be decreased or an alternative treatment should be considered in case of severe adverse reactions indicating toxicity of the dose in the given individual. Read more about side effects that require immediate dose adjustments in Possible Generic Viagra Side Effects section below.
Taking instructions
Take one recommended dose of generic Viagra according to manufacturer’s instructions that come with the drug. Below you will find general guidelines as for taking sildenafil-based drugs, but you should adjust them based on your doctor’s recommendations and proceeding from sildenafil drug type.
In case of regular generic Viagra pills, wash a tablet down with a sufficient amount of water (a glass should work fine). No chewing or crushing the drug in the mouth is needed or recommended. Generic Viagra can be taken with or without meals. Taking the drug after a meal is a good idea if you feel especially prone sildenafil side effects, as food in your stomach will help minimize toxicity. However, it is not only toxicity that will be minimized in such event, especially if your diet of the day abounds in fats or alcohol. Medicinal effects of sildenafil will be less pronounced and delayed if the drug is taken after a heavy meal.
Possible side effects
In order for generic Viagra side effects to be better visually presented, we’ve structured adverse symptoms by incidence and bodily systems that they pertain to.
| Body organ system | Very common | Common | Less common | Rare |
| Infections and infestations | Rhinitis | |||
| Immune system | Hypersensitivity | |||
| Central and peripheral nervous systems | Headache | Dizziness | Sleepiness, fatigue | Cerebrovascular events, transitory ischemic attack, cramps, syncope |
| Eyes | Changes in color perception, eyesight disturbances, dimmed vision | Disturbances in the flow of tears, eye pain, photophobia, photopsia, ocular hyperemia,
increased perception of brightness, conjunctivitis |
Non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic / neuropathy (NAION)
Retinal, retinal hemorrhage, atherosclerotic retinopathy, disease of the retina, glaucoma, visual field disturbances, diplopia, reduced visual acuity, myopia, asthenopia, vitreous haze disease of the iris, mydriasis, halo effect, eye edema, eye swelling, eye disease, conjunctival hyperemia, eye irritation, abnormal sensation in eye, eyelid edema, discoloration of sclera |
|
| Ear and labyrinth disorders | Vertigo, tinnitus | Deafness | ||
| Cardiovascular system | Flushing, hot flush
|
Tachycardia, palpitations,
Hypertension, hypotension |
Sudden cardiac death, myocardial infarction, ventricular arrhythmia, atrial fibrillation, unstable angina pectoris | |
| Respiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders | Nasal congestion | Epistaxis,
sinus congestion |
Tightness in the throat, nasal edema,
dry nose
|
|
| Gastrointestinal disorders | Nausea, dyspepsia | Gastroesophageal reflux disease, vomiting,
pain in the upper abdomen, dry mouth |
Oral hypoesthesia
|
|
| Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders | Rash | Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) , toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) | ||
| Musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders | Myalgia, pain in extremity | |||
| Renal and urinary disorders | Hematuria | |||
| Reproductive system and breast disorders | Bleeding in the penis, priapism, hematospermia, prolonged erections | |||
| General disorders and / or disorders at the administration site | Chest pain, fatigue, hot flashes | Increased sensitivity |
An important note is that not all of Viagra takers experience the aforementioned side effects, and nor do they manifest themselves in full severity in the majority of cases. The longer you take generic Viagra, the fewer side effects you get and the milder they become in their nature – the body adjusts to sildenafil effects, becoming quicker on the uptake and more tolerant towards adversaries.
Seek medical help urgently if any serious side effects occur, or if mild side effects become persistent or cause you a lot of discomfort. A dose adjustment might be a good call under such circumstances, subject to your prescriber’s consideration.
Health conditions contradictory to Viagra use
The main reason why it is important to get a prescription for Viagra (and any other drug, for that matter) for optimal health outcomes has to do a lot with pre-existing conditions that any patient might have. Certain ailments can be aggravated by the use of sildenafil, which may do considerably more damage to person’s health. It is only a licensed healthcare professional who can establish suitability of sildenafil therapy in every individual case, assess benefits to risks ratio and rule out contraindications.
The following health conditions can be aggravated by sildenafil use and are therefore listed as generic Viagra contraindications:
- Any heart disease, including a recently experienced stroke;
- Sickle cell disease;
- Anemia;
- Retinitis pigmentosa;
- Peyronie’s disease;
- Liver disease;
- Kidney disease;
- Stomach ulcer, duodenum ulcer;
- Hypotension, hypertension;
- Non-arteritic ischemic eye neuropathy (NAION)
- Hypersensitivity towards sildenafil or other components of generic Viagra
- Inadvisability of any physical activity
- Absence of clinical symptoms of ED
- Age below 18 years
Check for the full list of contraindications for generic Viagra use with your healthcare practitioner. Do not feel discouraged if you find your condition on the list above. A dose adjustment under an attentive supervision or alternative therapy appointed by your healthcare provider are the options that are on the table for you. Read more about generic Viagra and patients with special needs below in our FAQ section.
Drugs that are incompatible with Viagra
It is as important to keep your prescriber informed about the full list of medicaments, over the counter and herbal preparations included, as it is to give your full health history. Certain synthetically formulated and even natural supplements may come into collision with the effects of sildenafil, exposing your health to risks.
The list of such drugs follows, but it is incomplete and is here to give you a general idea about substances incompatible with generic Viagra:
- Nitrate-based drugs used for hypertension, heart disease and chest pain (nitroglycerine, BiDil, Imdur, Dilatrate, Isonate, Isorbid, Isodril, etc.)
- Some HIV medications (Ritonavir)
- Drugs commonly referred to as ‘poppers’ used recreationally
- Other inhibitors of PDE5 used for ED or for any other condition as indicated by the prescriber.
As is the case with physiologically conditioned contraindications, if you find the medication you currently use on the list above, several options are available. Talk to your healthcare provider discussing the possibilities of using alternative drugs either for your pre-existing condition or for ED. Alternating incompatible pharmaceutical products on different days, adjusting doses or finding yet another way out can be done in order to make it possible for you to take generic Viagra.
Safety note
- Generic Viagra should always be taken according to prescriber’s instruction. Failure to do so can result in irreparable damage to patient’s health.
- Self-administration of drugs is also fraught with health risks, as patients do not see the full picture and can do more harm than benefits to their current condition.
- Any adjustments of dose should be confirmed by prescriber.
- Severe side effects require immediate medical assistance; the same goes for milder side effects with the tendency to become persistent or bothersome.
- If you experience erection that is painful or lasts more than 3 hours, call 911. This scene can do irreversible damage to your genital health.
- Do not use Viagra after best-before date; refrain from using drugs if the package is damaged upon arrival.
- Store Viagra pills at temperatures that do not exit the range of 59 and 86 degrees F
- Viagra is not designed to be used in female population. Its effects in pregnant and breastfeeding women are not studied and therefore should be avoided at all times.