Does Viagra make you last longer?

Just as there are a number of reasons why someone experiences erectile dysfunction, the same goes for premature ejaculation. And while medications like Viagra can help your erection stay firm, it usually isn’t the first choice for preventing ejaculation.

However, the two issues often happen together, so your provider may recommend Viagra to help with any underlying erectile dysfunction. As a result of treatment, you may see some improvement with how long you last.

But if not, your provider may have you try behavioral methods (e.g., practicing ejaculation control), counseling, or other medications — like numbing creams or antidepressants — to help.

How do I take Viagra for the best results?

Here are a couple tips for taking Viagra safely and effectively:

Follow safe, recommended doses.

The standard recommended dose of Viagra for treating ED is 50 mg, but your doctor could prescribe anywhere from 25 mg to 100 mg.

Viagra is only recommended to be taken once per day. This means that if you’re planning on engaging in sexual activity more than once throughout the day, you shouldn’t take a pill every time. And if you take a pill and it doesn’t work for you — don’t double up and take another one. Exceeding the recommended Viagra dosage can put you at risk for serious effects.

Because Viagra can affect other parts of the body, such as the heart and lungs, it’s important to stick to the dose and instructions your doctor provides. And if your prescribed dose isn’t working for you, they may make adjustments to find one that works.

Take it on an empty stomach.

Although it can be taken with or without food, Viagra tends to work best when taken on an empty stomach. So, to maximize its effects, try to take it separately from meals.

But if you do end up eating beforehand, avoid taking it with a high-fat meal since this can affect how quickly the medication is absorbed — and how fast it kicks in.

How quickly does Viagra work?

After taking Viagra, the medication quickly enters your system and starts working after about an hour, but you can take it anywhere from 30 minutes to 4 hours before sexual activity.

This means that you’ll want to take it about an hour before sexual activity, but you’ve got a wider window of time for when you can still get a benefit. However, as mentioned above, it only works if you’re aroused.

You may be wondering if there are ways to help the medication work even faster, like chewing or crushing the tablet and dissolving it under your tongue. However, it isn’t made to work that way and should be swallowed whole.

How long does Viagra last?

The amount of time that Viagra will last depends on many factors. Dosage, age, and overall health are just some of the factors that can impact how well Viagra works and lasts for someone.

Viagra 100mg

A smaller dosage of Viagra (recommended for older adults) means that the drug won’t last as long.

The average dose of Viagra is 25-100 mg, taken 30 to 60 minutes, or up to four hours before sexual activity. For adults over the age of 65, the recommended dose is 25 mg. Many older adults have slower metabolisms, which means that a lower dose may last longer for them in comparison to a younger person taking a small dose.

Take Viagra before sexual activity, as it takes time for Viagra to absorb into the bloodstream. It’s unlikely that Viagra will help you last longer during sexual intercourse. However, some men—depending on their metabolism—may experience multiple erections while Viagra is in their system. Once it starts working, Viagra typically lasts for up to four or five hours. If you do experience an erection that lasts longer than this (priapism) or is painful, it may be time to seek medical advice.

Viagra won’t necessarily help you recover faster after orgasm. Recovery time (called the refractory period) varies for each individual. Consuming alcohol while taking Viagra can make the medication less effective by decreasing blood flow to the penis.

For people with certain medical conditions, Viagra might not last as long. Feelings of anxiety, depression, or nervousness often cause Viagra not to last as long or be as effective. Having a heart problem, heart disease, diabetes, or other nervous system problems can also cause Viagra not to last as long.

Certain medications may interact negatively with Viagra and interfere with its effectiveness. Drugs that lower blood pressure can interact with Viagra to cause dangerously low blood pressure. Don’t take Viagra with any medication that contains nitrates, which includes street drugs called “poppers” like amyl nitrate and butyl nitrate. Antifungal and antiviral medications may increase the amount of Viagra in the bloodstream, which can lead to toxicity. Talking with your healthcare provider is the best way to determine if Viagra will cause any drug interactions.

How do you know if you need Viagra?

Knowing when to speak to a doctor about getting Viagra can be challenging. Having trouble getting an erection doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to take Viagra. Viagra won’t cure erectile dysfunction. Therefore, it’s essential to look at the potential underlying causes of impotence.

Viagra Online

Some men might not be able to get or maintain an erection for psychological reasons. If you don’t have a desire to have sex with your partner, this could be causing your ED. Talk to a counselor individually or see a therapist with your sexual partner to resolve underlying psychological issues.

The best way to know if you will benefit from taking an erectile dysfunction medication like Viagra is to consult your healthcare provider. They can perform a physical examination and rule out medical conditions that may be causing ED. Some of these health conditions include diabetes, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure.

If you have no underlying psychological or health issues and have trouble getting and maintaining an erection that’s hard enough for sex, you may benefit from taking Viagra.

Once you’ve talked with a healthcare provider, he or she may give you a prescription for Viagra.

If you can’t get to your doctor, there are other options available. “Sildenafil is available online through validated telemedicine sites that connect you to licensed doctors,” says Dr. Williams. “These doctors will conduct an online visit and review your current health status to determine if sildenafil is an option for you. If you are a good candidate, your prescription may be shipped to you conveniently.”

But take caution with where you purchase it: Even though Viagra is available online, it’s one of the most counterfeited drugs in the world. Some counterfeit pills contain printer ink, antibiotics, and even amphetamines. Get a valid prescription and purchase Viagra from a U.S.-based pharmacy accredited by the Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites to avoid counterfeit Viagra.

There are other prescription medications besides Viagra that treat erectile dysfunction. If you aren’t getting the results you want, it may be time to talk to your healthcare provider about other treatment options.

Cialis (tadalafil) and Levitra (vardenafil) also treat ED. The active ingredient that’s in generic Viagra, sildenafil citrate, is also in the medication Revatio. Revatio (sildenafil) treats pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a condition where blood pressure in the lungs is too high.

Professional information for Viagra

The following information is provided for clinicians and other healthcare professionals.

Indication

Viagra is approved to treat erectile dysfunction (ED) in males ages 18 years and older.

Administration

Viagra is taken orally. It should be taken between 30 minutes and 4 hours before planned sexual activity.

Viagra Mechanism of action

Viagra contains sildenafil citrate, an inhibitor of phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5). Viagra enhances the action of cyclic GMP, which is released in the penis in response to sexual stimulation. Cyclic GMP dilates smooth muscle in the penile tissue. It also increases blood to flow into the corpus cavernosum, causing an erection.

Viagra blocks PDE5 from breaking down cyclic GMP, thereby improving the ability to achieve and maintain an erection in response to sexual stimulation.

Pharmacokinetics and metabolism

Sildenafil has an average bioavailability of 41% (ranges from 25% to 63%) after oral administration of Viagra tablets.

When taken on an empty stomach, the time to reach peak plasma concentration (Tmax) is approximately 30 to 120 minutes. The median Tmax is 60 minutes. Taking Viagra with a high-fat meal delays Tmax by about 60 minutes. It also reduces the maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) by an average of 29%.

Sildenafil is primarily metabolized by hepatic CYP3A4, to a metabolite with similar activity to sildenafil. Sildenafil and its active metabolite have a terminal half-life of approximately 4 hours.

Approximately 80% of the dose is excreted in feces, and approximately 13% is excreted in urine.

Reduced clearance of sildenafil is seen in people ages 65 years and over, and in those with hepatic impairment or severe renal impairment.

Contraindications

Viagra is contraindicated in people with a known allergy to sildenafil, or any of the inactive ingredients in Viagra.

Viagra is also contraindicated for use in combination with:

  • nitrate drugs in any form, such as:
    • nitroglycerin (Nitromist, Nitro-Dur, Nitrolingual Pumpspray, Gonitro, others)
    • isosorbide mononitrate (Monoket)
  • guanylate cyclase stimulators, such as riociguat (Adempas)

Storage

Store Viagra at room temperature between 68oF and 77°F (20oC and 25°C).

Viagra precaution for pregnancy and breastfeeding

It’s not known if Viagra is safe to take during pregnancy. (But keep in mind that the drug isn’t approved for use in women.)

If you’re sexually active and you or your partner can become pregnant, talk with your doctor about whether you’ll need to use birth control while you’re taking Viagra.

Viagra and pregnancy

Viagra isn’t approved for use in women. And it hasn’t been studied in pregnant women. It’s not known whether this drug is safe to take during pregnancy.

In animal studies, Viagra didn’t cause fetal harm when given to pregnant females. But animal studies don’t always predict what will happen in humans.

If you have questions about the safety of Viagra use during pregnancy, talk with your doctor.

Viagra and breastfeeding

Viagra isn’t approved for use in women. And it hasn’t been studied in women who are breastfeeding. Viagra may pass into breast milk, but it’s not known if this could affect a nursing child.

If you have questions about the safety of using Viagra while breastfeeding, talk with your doctor.

Is there a “female Viagra”?

While Viagra isn’t approved for use in women, a drug called Addyi is approved for use in certain women.

Viagra 50mg
Viagra 50mg

Some people refer to Addyi as “female Viagra.”

However, Addyi doesn’t work like Viagra does. Below, we describe the condition Addyi is approved to treat and how the drug works.

If you have questions about using Addyi, talk with your doctor.

What is Addyi?

Addyi is a brand-name prescription drug that’s approved to treat hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HDSS). It’s prescribed for women who haven’t yet gone through menopause. Addyi contains the active drug flibanserin. It’s not known for sure how Addyi works to treat HDSS.

What is HDSS and how does Addyi work to treat it?

With HDSS, you have very low sexual desire that’s troublesome for you. The condition can have various physical or psychological causes.

Unlike Viagra, which improves blood flow to male genitals, Addyi doesn’t work by improving blood flow to female genitals. Instead, Addyi affects the activity of certain neurotransmitters that are involved in sexual desire and arousal. (Neurotransmitters are chemicals found in your brain.)

The neurotransmitters affected by Addyi include dopamine, noradrenaline, and serotonin. But it’s not known for sure how the drug’s action affects sexual function.

How well does Addyi work?

For some women with HDSS, Addyi can improve sexual desire and increase the number of sexually satisfying events. But the drug hasn’t been found to be very effective.

For example, in clinical studies, treatment with Addyi was compared with that of a placebo (no active drug). The number of women whose HDSS was “much improved” or “very much improved” was only about 10% higher in women who took Addyi compared with women who took the placebo.

And keep in mind that it can take up to 8 weeks for Addyi to start working to treat HDSS.

Is Viagra OK for Women ?

Viagra is approved to treat erectile dysfunction (ED) in men. But you may have questions about whether Viagra can be used in women. Or you may be wondering if there’s a drug similar to Viagra that can help women with sexual dysfunction.

Viagra 25mg

Can women take Viagra?

No, Viagra isn’t approved for use in women. And there isn’t enough evidence to show that Viagra works for treating sexual problems in women.

One review of studies showed that current research has conflicting results on how Viagra affects women.

For example, in women with female sexual arousal disorder, the review showed the following findings:

    • In one study, some women who’d gone through menopause were given Viagra. These women had improved arousal, vaginal lubrication, and orgasm when they took the drug.
    • In another study, both women who’d gone through menopause and those who hadn’t were given Viagra. These women reported no significant positive effects from taking the drug.

In men, Viagra improves blood flow to their penis by blocking the action of a chemical called PDE5. This chemical is also found in the vagina and the clitoris of women. So in theory, if a woman takes Viagra, it could increase blood flow to her genitals.

But in reality, there’s less PDE5 in a female’s genitals than there is in a male’s penis. This could explain why Viagra has less of a physical effect in women than it does in men.

And keep in mind that sexual problems in women often have a lot to do with reduced sexual desire and arousal. Viagra is unlikely to address these issues.

How does Viagra work?

Viagra  works by relaxing muscles in blood vessel walls to help increase blood flow to the penis, making it easier to get and maintain an erection. Viagra is only effective if there is sexual stimulation, such as that occurring during sexual intercourse. When stimulation first happens, Viagra helps increase blood flow to the penis and then works to help maintain an erection.

According to the Boston University School of Sexual Medicine, erectile dysfunction affects up to 52% of men between the ages of 40-70, many of whom turn to erectile dysfunction medications to help with their symptoms. Viagra is a type of erectile dysfunction drug called a phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor. PDE5 inhibitors keep a particular enzyme called phosphodiesterase type-5 (PDE5) from acting too quickly. If PDE5 acts slower, then a substance that’s responsible for relaxing muscles and widening blood vessels can do its job.

Viagra will not be as effective for people with certain conditions. You may not get the full benefits of Viagra if you are sick, fatigued, or intoxicated. Alcohol can worsen the side effects of viagra and potentially make erectile dysfunction worse.

You should take Viagra on an empty stomach about one hour before sex. It starts working within 30 to 60 minutes, but an erection requires sexual stimulation.

“Some patients experience the effects of Viagra within 20 to 30 minutes after taking the medication,” says Amber Williams, Pharm.D., a compounding pharmacist at Family Pharmacy in Sarasota. “However, if the dose is taken with a high-fat meal, the peak response may be delayed for up to 60 minutes.

In most patients, the effects of Viagra will last for up to two hours. A duration of two hours or less indicates that an appropriate dose was taken. If the duration is greater than four hours, medical attention should be sought out immediately to avoid damaging effects on the tissues.”

VIAGRA works for men with ED by increasing blood flow to the penis so you can get and keep an erection hard enough for sex.* VIAGRA only works when you are sexually stimulated. It has been proven to help guys with all degrees of ED. VIAGRA usually starts to work within 30-60 minutes. And you only take it when you need it.