There are various reasons why you might be considering trying either of the world’s most popular erectile dysfunction (ED) medications – Cialis or Viagra. Maybe you’ve had a bad experience with a previous medication of the same class – maybe you’ve tried them both, and aren’t sure which one worked best for you. Whatever the case, it’s a safe bet that you’ll encounter countless articles, blogs, and forum posts offering advice on which medication is best suited for which type of patient.
Is one of these drugs truly superior to the other? Are they better for acute uses or for long-term treatment? Which one should you try first? Are there important differences in how they work?
To help you make informed decisions about your ED treatment, we examined the therapeutic effects of Cialis and Viagra in clinical trials. We also considered the side effects and interactions of these medications with other drugs and supplements. Let’s take a look.
Clinical Trials
The FDA requires all drugs to be tested in humans before they’re approved for marketing. This is called the clinical trials phase, and it can last anywhere from 6 months to 3 years. During this time, scientists test the medication being considered for approval in a few hundred to a few thousand patients. This is also the same population that drug companies would like to see benefit from their new medication – people like you.
If the results of the initial tests look good, the FDA may approve the drug for marketing with certain restrictions. These restrictions refer to how the drug should be prescribed and administered, as well as any precautions that must be taken during the time when the drug is active. Having these restrictions in place during the clinical trials phase is quite common – after all, drug companies don’t want contaminated or improperly prepared medications reaching the market. This is why you’ll see so many clinically tested medications awaiting FDA approval.
Cialis Vs. Viagra
The active compounds in Cialis and Viagra are identical, but the medications themselves are not. They’re both PDE-5 inhibitors (phosphodiesterase-5). PDE-5 inhibitors increase the nitric oxide (NO) level in the blood, which is important for maintaining an adequate blood flow to the penis during an erection. This also helps prevent damages from occurring to the penile tissue – due to constant exposure to the same blood flow, injuries to the penis are quite common.).
What’s important to consider is how Cialis and Viagra differ in their dosing and administration. As a general rule of thumb, physicians and other health professionals will usually recommend that patients start out slow, working their way up to a regular dose. This allows the patient’s body to get used to the medication and minimizes the chances of experiencing the side effects. The dosing and administration info found on drug product inserts are quite useful – they include things like the recommended starting dose, how long the drug should be taken before or after sexual activity, and whether the medication should be taken with food or drink. Looking up this information will usually give you the information you need to decide whether or not to try a particular medication.
How Do They Work?
Both Cialis and Viagra work by inhibiting the actions of PDE-5. This enzyme is responsible for breaking down cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP). When cGMP is broken down, it has a positive influence on the neuronal communication that leads to erections. While it has a beneficial effect on the body, too much PDE-5 can cause some negative consequences. For instance, high blood pressure and heart disease have been associated with too much PDE-5 activity. This is why it’s important to keep cGMP levels in check – by keeping PDE-5 activity low, you can minimize these risks.
Which One Should You Try First?
Since Cialis and Viagra are both effective in achieving and maintaining an erection, it’s quite natural for patients to wonder which one is better for them. In general, physicians will recommend trying the drug that you’re more likely to tolerate – this means that if you’ve had negative reactions to previous medications of the same class, then Cialis is probably the best option for you. If, on the other hand, you’ve had good results from previous medications of the same class, then Viagra is also a viable choice.
There are also some circumstances when it might be best to try a different drug – if you’re a first-time patient, for example, then Viagra may be a better choice than Cialis. This is because there are more Viagra specific patient support groups – many physicians and other health professionals are also Viagra experienced, so they can be of more help to you. It’s also common for physicians to prescribe different drugs to patients with certain types of allergies or other negative interactions with other medications. In these situations, Cialis may be a good choice since it has a much lower rate of skin irritation than Viagra. In any case, it’s important to consult with your physician to get the best treatment for your specific needs. Sometimes drug companies pay physicians to recommend their medications, so be sure to consult with your doctor to see what might be available for you to try – if nothing else is working for you, then perhaps a different medication could be the answer you’re looking for.
One thing is for sure – whatever drug you choose, you’re bound to find some information on the web that can help you out. But since each article, blog, and forum post is written by a different person, it can be difficult to know what’s true and what’s hype. There are also legitimate gray areas – like how effective one medication might be compared to another, or whether or not certain medications are better suited for certain types of patients.
Are There Important Differences In How They Work?
It’s quite easy for patients to get confused when dealing with medications. Since they can have similar effects, it’s quite easy for them to think that they’re doing just as good as each other. This can lead to serious errors in judgment – if you’re on Cialis and decide to try another medication, maybe Viagra, you could end up with an impromptu combination pill or polypill that has the same effects as Cialis but with much less side effects. This is why it’s important to remember that although Cialis and Viagra are both PDE-5 inhibitors, they work in completely different ways.
Side Effects And Interactions
If a medication has been approved for marketing by the FDA, then it must be safe enough for consumption. The side effects of PDE-5 inhibitors are usually fairly mild and limited to things like headache, dizziness, and flushing. Since these drugs are safe enough to be consumed by the general population, they’re also generally thought of as being safe enough for patients to self-medicate without the help of a physician. Some studies have shown that these side effects are quite tolerable and have minimal impact on patients’ daily lives. One thing to keep in mind is that the side effects of PDE-5 inhibitors will generally get worse as you dose the drug – this is why starting out low and gradually increasing the dose is usually the best approach. The only serious side effect associated with PDE-5 inhibitors is heart disease and cardiac arrest (when too much NO is produced). It’s also quite common for patients to experience vision loss while using PDE-5 inhibitors. This is quite a serious side effect, but it’s quite rare. Unfortunately, many people don’t know how serious this can be – if you experience vision loss while using PDE-5 inhibitors, you must immediately seek medical help. Other than that, the side effects of PDE-5 inhibitors are very mild and tolerable.