Which ED Drug Is Best? Viagra, Cialis, Levitra or Stendra

When it comes to drugs for erectile dysfunction, there is so much to consider.

“What are the side effects?” are usually one of the first questions that pop up.

Or “Should I go with Viagra or Cialis or some other brand?” is another commonly asked question.

Whatever questions you got, it’s all covered here.

This short, but detailed guide will tell you everything you need to know about every ED drug…

And above all, by the end of this article, you will have all the information you need to help you answer the two most important questions:

• Should I treat my erectile dysfunction with prescription ED pills?
• And if so, which ED drug should I try?

Also, just a side note.

When referencing to drugs in this guide, we are not referring to any non-pill prescriptions.

This guide will only cover drugs in pill form.

ED Drugs Options

There is no shortage of ED drugs to choose from.

The most common drugs available for erectile dysfunction treatment are Sildenafil, Tadalafil, and Vardenafil, and Avanafil.

To make it easier to keep track and remember…

Sildenafil is the same as Viagra.

Tadalafil is the same as Cialis.

Vardenafil is the same as Levitra.

Avanafil is the same as Stendra.

The names – Sildenafil, Tadalafil, Vardenafil, and Avanafil—are the actual drugs themselves.

Viagra, Levitra, Levitra, and Stendra—are the respective branded versions of these drugs.

 

How All These Drugs Work

All four of these drugs, Sildenafil, Tadalafil, Vardenafil and Avanafil are classified as PDE5 inhibitors.

In other words, they all work the same way to help you get an erection.

First, these drugs help relax the walls of your blood vessels so blood could enter the penis and form an erection.

But there must be sexual stimulation first.

So you have to be aroused visually or physically (such asthe sight of a beautiful woman or a touch from your partner) beforehand.

Then blood rushes in and you get an erection.

Usually, once you ejaculate, your body releases a chemical called PDE5 which causes your penis to return to its flaccid state.

But ED drugs  “inhibit” or temporarily block the release of PDE5 enzyme.

Hence, preventing your erections from going soft – keeping the blood into your penis “sealed” for a much longer lasting erection.

Differences Amongst ED Drugs

Since Sildenafil (Viagra), Tadalafil (Cialis), Vardenafil (Levitra), and Avanafil (Stendra) are all PDE5 inhibitors, they all work the same way…

But with minor differences.

Sildenafil (Viagra) is designed to be taken on an empty stomach one hour before sex (though it can kick in sooner), and can stay in your system for up to four hours.

This doesn’t mean that you will get a four-hour boner.

It just means that you can get the benefits of the drug in that four-hour window (while it’s still in your system)

Vardenafil (Levitra, Staxyn) works exactly like Sildenafil, with an exception of two features.

First, Vardenafil can be taken with or without a meal.

Secondly, Vardenafil is biochemically more potent than Sildenafil (Viagra).

Hence, it stays in your system for up to 6 hours compared to Viagra’s 4 hours.

This perhaps makes Vardenafil (Levitra, Staxyn) a better choice than Sildenafil (Viagra) if you plan on taking your partner or date out to dinner before sex.

Avanafil (Stendra) works faster than the previous two drugs, cutting the “waiting period” in half, or 30 minutes.

Lastly is Tadalafil (Cialis).

Tadalafil (Cialis) is most noticeably different amongst all these drugs.

Tadalafil, which can be taken with or without a meal one hour ahead of sex, is not a “one and done” like Sildenafil, Vardenafil and Avanavil.

That is, with Tadalafil (Cialis) you can continuously achieve an erection for up to 36 hours.

Because of its potency, many users adjust their dosage when using Cialis.

Results Expectations After First Pill

How hard is your erection going to get?

This will vary from individual to individual because there are a number of factors that affect your outcome—from the severity of your erectile dysfunction to whether there are other health conditions you suffer from like heart problems, diabetes or an enlarged prostate, etc.

And then there is also the dosage.

For instance, the typical recommended dosage for Sildenafil (Viagra) is 50 mg.

Some men get completely hard from that.

Others only get some improvement.

For those with only some improvement, assuming that the drug is well tolerated, can bump their dosage to the maximum 100mg (but this also increases the risk of side effects too).

And of course, there are some that increase to 100 mg from 50 mg and do not enjoy any further gains.

The bottom line is that the level of hardness your penis will experience varies.

Proper dosage

In the case with Sildenafil (Viagra), medical professionals will either recommend the 25mg, 50mg or 100mg dosage based on the severity of your erectile dysfunction…

But they usually will start you off at 50mg because that is the standard dosage.

But because it affects everyone differently, and can cause side effects, you need to experiment with varying dosages (even if it means cutting the pill in smaller dosages)

Keep in mind that even if you can tolerate them well (no side effects), it doesn’t mean that there will not be long term side effects.

So you want to take the least amount possible in your system to get the job done.

According to an article published in menshealth.com:

“Taking Cialis or Viagra at the correct doses are appropriate in some medical conditions,” says Dr. Krychman, “But long-term studies are certainly lacking. Documented adverse effects of certain medications include: changes in vision or sudden vision loss, ringing in your ears, or sudden hearing loss, chest pain or heavy feeling, pain spreading to the arm or shoulder, nausea, sweating, general ill feeling, and irregular heartbeat.”

Side effects

Because all of these drugs are similar, so are the common side effects too, but with slight differences.

Common side effects for all four drugs – Sildenafil (Viagra), Vardenafil (Levitra, Staxyn) include: stuffy or runny nose, headache, flushing, back pain.

Dizziness is associated with Sildenafil (Viagra) and Vardenafil (Levitra, Staxyn), but not Tadalafil (Cialis) and Avanafil (Stendra)

Nausea, rash and blurry vision are only limited to Viagra.

Indigestion is associated with Tadalafil (Cialis) and Vardenafil (Levitra, Staxyn), but not with Sildenafil (Viagra) and Avanafil (Stendra)

Pain in limbs is only limited to Cialis.

Muscle aches are only limited to Sildenafil (Viagra) and Tadalafil (Cialis).

Sore throat is limited to Avanafil (Stendra).

Who won’t Erectile Dysfunction Drugs work for?

Unfortunately, not everyone using ED drugs is guaranteed a completely hard erection again… or any improvements at all.

Take Sildenafil (Viagra), for instance.

It generally works well… successful with 7 out of 10 users… but that still leaves 3 out of 10 men lacking results!

Why’s that?

Because often, they may be suffering from another underlying health condition that’s preventing the erection process from working.

Such health problems include:

• Low testosterone
• Nerve damage (which in common in men with diabetes)
• Clogged arteries (which blocks blood moving to the penis)
• Diabetes
• Prostate cancer
• Enlarged prostate
• Heart disease
• A history of strokes or blood pressure issues

Also, certain medications don’t mix well with ED drugs.

If you are on nitroglycerin for chest pain for tamsulosin (Flomax) for an enlarged prostate, then ED drugs may be problematic

Also, alpha blockers, used to treat prostate enlargement or high blood pressure is another one you need to speak to your doctor about.

So if are on prescription drugs, you need to have a talk with your doctor or if you plan to use an online pharmacy, make sure you include a list of medications you use to see if its okay for you to take any of the ED drugs

Lastly, it’s helpful to keep in mind that everyone is different.

And you are you.

So its possible that ED drugs may not help you even if you are in good health.

ED Drug Cost

By now, you know what the ups and downs of f Sildenafil (Viagra), Vardenafil (Levitra, Staxyn), Avanafil (Stendra) are… and how they all work to get you an erection.

So how do you choose?

Well, this is where cost becomes part of a huge deciding factor.

This is where it can get frustrating.

Believe it or not, health insurance companies do not consider sexual activity or a man’s need to get an erection to be a life or death situation.

Sounds crazy, doesn’t it!

As such, there is very limited coverage when it comes to erectile dysfunction drugs.

However, the patent expiration of Viagra and Cialis has made the active ingredients, Sildenafil and Tadalafil, available at a much lower cost.

Generic Viagra, aka Sildenafil and Generic Cialis, aka Tadalafil, are all much cheaper than their branded counterparts.

And while both work the same, the cost of Sildenafil is much cheaper.

A single pill of Viagra, for instance, usually sells at a pharmacy for around 70 dollars.

Sildenafil, though just a fraction of the cost of Viagra, is still not cheap if you want to enjoy sex frequently.

For instance, if you went to HIMS (the online pharmacy) and wanted to try the smallest offer they have (since medications are not refundable).

The cost is $72 for 12 pills, that’s 8 dollars a pill.

You can also buy generic Cialis (Tadalafil) too.

Vardenafil or Generic Levitra cost double of Sildenafil.

So cost wise, Sildenafil and Tadalafil (Generic Viagra and Cialis) appears to be the best bet.

Does Erectile Dysfunction Drugs Lose Its Potency Over time?

If you decide to try out one of the drugs for erectile dysfunction, and gets you the results you want… and you tolerate it well…

Naturally, you will continue to keep on using it.

The good news is that its effect doesn’t wane gradually.

So it doesn’t matter if it’s the first time you’ve used an Ed pill or the 100^th time, it should still produce the same quality of hardness.

However, you may need to continually increase the dosage to maintain effeciveness

That’s because ED drugs do not fix the root cause of erectile dysfunction.

And over time, most ED symptoms gets worse and worse.

Conclusion

Erectile dysfunction is a serious issue.

As such, it’s worth exploring all available options to get our problems fixed.

Using prescription drugs like Sildenafil (Viagra), Tadalafil (Cialis), Vardenafil (Levitra, Staxyn), and Avanafil (Stendra) are all viable options.

The major drawback of these drugs are the possible side effects and cost.

Also too, these drugs only treat the symptoms and doesn’t fix the root cause of the problem.

So over time, you may need to increase the dosage (which also increases the risk for side effects).

Or it may stop working.

By now, you have learned all the pros and cons of erectile function drugs.

Hopefully, this article helps you decide if ED medication is a route you want to take, and if so, which one to consider selecting.

Resources

How does Viagra work? 5 common questions answered (singlecare.com)

Cialis vs Viagra – What’s the difference between them? (drugs.com)

Your Go-To Erectile Dysfunction Drugs Comparison Chart: (medshadow.org)

Erectile Dysfunction Pills: Your Guide to Common ED Drugs (singlecare.com)

Male Porn Stars Share Their Secrets For Staying Hard on Set​ | Men’s Health (menshealth.com)

Your Go-To Erectile Dysfunction Drugs Comparison Chart: (medshadow.org)

Which drug for erectile dysfunction? – Harvard Health

Long-term safety and effectiveness of sildenafil citrate in men with erectile dysfunction – PMC (nih.gov)

What if Viagra Doesn’t Work for My Erectile Dysfunction? | Low T Center

Improvement in erection hardness and intercourse success with first dose of sildenafil citrate 100 mg – PMC (nih.gov)