Cialis what is it used for

This can include people with heart conditions such as an irregular heart rhythm and people who take other medications such as nitrates.

And talk with your doctor if you have any concerns. After ejaculation occurs, your sexual excitement usually decreases. However, Cialis can still work up to 36 hours after you take your dose.

So the drug may help you get another erection. Cialis can stay in your system for more than 2 days after your dose. Yes, Cialis can be used to treat ED after prostate surgery. A clinical trial was done in people with ED who had surgery to have their prostate removed. The people used either Cialis or a placebo treatment with no active drug as needed.

If you have questions about using Cialis to treat ED after prostate surgery, talk with your doctor. However, the medication does increase blood flow to the area. Cialis is approved to treat erectile dysfunction ED , symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia BPH , or both of these conditions. ED is a condition in which a man may be unable to get or maintain an erection. An erection occurs when blood flows into the penis and remains there for a period of time.

This happens because the blood vessels and muscles in the penis relax and open up, allowing more blood to flow into the area. Cyclic guanosine monophosphate GMP is a chemical in your body that relaxes the muscles in the penis and increases blood flow into the penis.

Cialis belongs to a group of medications called phosphodiesterase 5 PDE5 inhibitors. And when you have more cyclic GMP, the blood vessels and muscles in your penis relax. This allows more blood to flow in and produce an erection. BPH may cause problems with urination such as the need to urinate frequently or having to urinate more often at night. Studies show that the medication may work as quickly as 30 minutes after you take your dose.

However, in some people, the medication may take up to 6 hours until you notice it working. On average, it takes about 2 hours for Cialis to peak. This is how long it takes for you to have the highest level of medication in your body. Both alcohol and Cialis can decrease your blood pressure. This may help prevent your blood pressure from becoming too low. Having five or more drinks five shots or glasses of wine or beer along with Cialis can increase the risk of side effects. In addition to decreased blood pressure, these side effects can include:.

Other drugs are available that can treat your erectile dysfunction ED , symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia BPH , or both. Some medications may be a better fit for you than others. They can tell you about other drugs that may work well for you. Note: Some of the drugs listed here are used off-label to treat these specific conditions. However, other combinations of drugs may be used for this purpose. Doses of up to mg of Cialis have been tested. Doses of up to mg have also been given to people once a day.

Overdose symptoms were similar to the normal side effects people have had after taking Cialis. You can also call the American Association of Poison Control Centers at or use their online tool.

But if your symptoms are severe, call or go to the nearest emergency room right away. But if you have a prostate condition called benign prostatic hyperplasia BPH , your doctor may first prescribe a drug called finasteride Proscar.

Finasteride is a first-line treatment the first treatment used when medications are recommended for BPH. This is because the drug shrinks the prostate by blocking the growth of prostate cells.

Finasteride can help also ease symptoms of BPH, such as having to urinate suddenly and more often. However, this medication can cause negative sexual side effects such as decreased libido sex drive and erectile dysfunction. To help ease these side effects, your doctor may have you also take Cialis. When you get Cialis from the pharmacy, the pharmacist will add an expiration date to the label on the package or bottle. This date is typically 1 year from the date they dispensed the medication.

The expiration date helps guarantee that the medication is effective during this time. If you have unused medication that has gone past the expiration date, talk with your pharmacist about whether you might still be able to use it.

How long a medication remains good can depend on many factors, including how and where you store the medication. Store Cialis in a tightly sealed container away from light. And avoid keeping this medication in areas where it could get damp or wet, such as bathrooms.

This helps prevent others, including children and pets, from taking the drug by accident. It also helps keep the drug from harming the environment. This article provides several useful tips on medication disposal. You can also ask your pharmacist for information on how to dispose of your medication. Different interactions can cause different effects.

For instance, some interactions can interfere with how well a drug works. Other interactions can increase the number of side effects or make them more severe. Below is a list of medications that can interact with Cialis. Before taking Cialis, talk with your doctor and pharmacist. Tell them about all prescription, over-the-counter, and other drugs you take. Also tell them about any vitamins, herbs, and supplements you use. Sharing this information can help you avoid potential interactions.

If you have questions about drug interactions that may affect you, ask your doctor or pharmacist. This type of drug may be used for chest pain. Taking nitrates along with Cialis can cause a serious decrease in your blood pressure. Both Cialis and medications called alpha-blockers can cause a decrease in blood pressure. So taking these medications together can cause blood pressure to drop further.

And if you have erectile dysfunction ED and are taking an alpha-blocker, your doctor will likely lower your dose of Cialis.

Before taking Cialis, tell your doctor about any medications that you use, including alpha-blockers. Cialis may reduce your blood pressure. They may give you a lower dose of Cialis or monitor you more often. This means that you may not get the full dose of Cialis, so it may not work as well to treat your ED or symptoms of BPH.

Talk with them about how far apart to take the doses of each drug if you need to use both medications. Cialis is broken down in your body by an enzyme in your liver called CYP3A4. An enzyme is a protein that aids chemical changes in your body. Certain drugs can inhibit block this enzyme from working. So if the enzyme is unable to break down Cialis, the level of Cialis in your body may get too high. This can be dangerous and may increase your risk of side effects from Cialis.

In some cases, your doctor may recommend a lower dose of Cialis or a different medication to treat your ED, symptoms of BPH, or both. Cialis is broken down in your liver by an enzyme called CYP3A4. Certain drugs may induce increase the activity of CYP3A4, making it work better or faster than usual. This means that your body may break down Cialis more quickly than it should, so the drug may not affect you.

In some cases, your doctor may recommend a different medication to treat your ED, symptoms of BPH, or both. This kind of medication is used to treat people with pulmonary hypertension a type of high blood pressure in your lungs. Using a guanylate cyclase stimulator along with Cialis may cause your blood pressure to become dangerously low.

An example of a guanylate cyclase stimulator is riociguat Adempas. This medication can be used to treat pulmonary hypertension PH that happens in your arteries of your lungs pulmonary arterial hypertension or PH that happens due to a blood clot in your lungs. However, you should still check with your doctor or pharmacist before using any of these products while taking Cialis. Grapefruit blocks that enzyme from working. As with all medications, the cost of Cialis can vary.

To find current prices for Cialis in your area, check out GoodRx. The cost you find on GoodRx. Before approving coverage for Cialis, your insurance company may require you to get prior authorization.

This means that your doctor and insurance company will need to communicate about your prescription before the insurance company will cover the drug. The insurance company will review the request and let you and your doctor know if your plan will cover Cialis. If you need financial support to pay for Cialis, or if you need help understanding your insurance coverage, reach out to your insurance company.

They can aid you and tell you if there are any financial assistance options available. Cialis is available in a generic form called tadalafil. And generics tend to cost less than brand-name drugs. To find out how the cost of tadalafil compares with the cost of Cialis, visit GoodRx.

They may have a preference for one version or the other. Animal studies showed no problems with development of the fetus when the mother was given Cialis while pregnant.

In animal studies , Cialis was present in breast milk. This drug comes with several precautions. Before taking Cialis, talk with your doctor about your health history. Cialis may not be right for you if you have certain medical conditions or other factors affecting your health. These include:. Cialis is indicated for the treatment of erectile dysfunction ED and the signs and symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia BPH. Cialis is a phosphodiesterase 5 PDE5 inhibitor. The increase in cyclic GMP causes relaxation of smooth muscles and arteries, leading to more blood flowing into the penis.

It is not known exactly how Cialis works to treat symptoms of BPH. The usual dose is 40mg — two 20mg tablets, taken once a day. These tablets are large, so take the tablets one after the other.

If you have kidney or liver problems your doctor might decrease the starting dose to 10mg or 20mg. You could also ask a pharmacist for advice on other ways to help you remember to take your medicine. Side effects will usually go away when you stop taking the tablets. Talk to a doctor if you have taken too much tadalafil and you're worried about these side effects. Like all medicines, tadalafil can cause side effects in some people. Many people have no side effects or only minor ones.

Common side effects happen in more than 1 in people. The side effects may increase with an increasing dose. If you get these side effects, keep taking the medicine, but tell a doctor or pharmacist if they bother you or do not go away:. In rare cases, tadalafil can cause a serious allergic reaction anaphylaxis. These are not all the side effects of tadalafil. For a full list, see the leaflet inside your medicine packet. If you have pulmonary hypertension, tadalafil is not recommended in pregnancy or while breastfeeding.

Some complementary therapies may have ingredients that could interfere with tadalafil and cause side effects. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you're taking any other medicines, including herbal remedies, vitamins or supplements. If you have erectile dysfunction , it works by temporarily increasing blood flow to the penis when you get sexually excited. It helps reduce symptoms of an enlarged prostate gland , such as difficulty peeing or needing to pee urgently, by relaxing the muscles in the prostate and bladder.

It helps pulmonary hypertension by relaxing blood vessels in the chest. This increases blood supply to the lungs and reduces the workload of the heart. You should be able to get an erection at any time between 30 minutes and 36 hours after taking tadalafil.

You need to be sexually excited for it to work. On average, the alternatives to tadalafil work for up to 4 hours. If you take tadalafil, it can be effective for up to 36 hours. If tadalafil does not work, there are other tablets you could try that work in a similar way, such as:.

Only sildenafil Viagra is available without prescription. However, you should take sildenafil and avanafil on an empty stomach for fastest effects. Eating a meal which is high in fat may delay the effect of vardenafil. You could also try a medicine called alprostadil only available with a prescription. This is a man-made hormone that helps to stimulate blood flow to the penis. If you cannot get erections because of a hormonal problem, your doctor may refer you to an endocrinologist a doctor who specialises in the treatment of hormonal problems.

They may recommend hormone injections to bring your body's levels back to normal. Other treatments for erectile dysfunction include:. Some complementary therapies, such as acupuncture, have claimed to treat erectile dysfunction. But there's little evidence they work.

There are lots of treatments that claim to be a "herbal Cialis". In fact, there's no such thing. There's no firm evidence to suggest that taking tadalafil will reduce fertility in either women or men.

Tadalafil does not affect any type of contraception, including the contraceptive pill and emergency contraception. Do not drink grapefruit juice if you're taking tadalafil. It interferes with the way the medicine works. Occasionally tadalafil can make you feel dizzy. If this happens to you, do not drive, cycle or use machines or tools until you feel better.

If you're taking tadalafil to treat symptoms of an enlarged prostate gland , you might be able to help the symptoms by making some simple changes to your lifestyle:. Page last reviewed: 6 September Next review due: 6 September Tadalafil On this page About tadalafil Key facts Who can and cannot take tadalafil Where to get tadalafil How and when to take it Side effects Pregnancy and breastfeeding Caution with other medicines Common questions.

About tadalafil Tadalafil is a medicine used to treat erection problems erectile dysfunction and symptoms of an enlarged prostate benign prostate enlargement.

Tadalafil is available on prescription only. It comes as tablets that you swallow with water. It can be taken with or without food. It usually takes 30 to 60 minutes for tadalafil to work for erectile dysfunction. You can take it once a day, at least 30 minutes before you want to have sex. Taking tadalafil on its own is not enough to cause an erection.

You can report an adverse event either online, by regular mail or by fax, using the contact information at the bottom of this page. Index to Drug-Specific Information. What is Cialis used to treat? Cialis is approved for the treatment of men who experience difficulty having and maintaining an erection impotence. Cialis works by enhancing the effects of one of the chemicals the body normally releases into the penis during sexual arousal. This allows an increase of blood flow into the penis.

An erection is the result of an increase in blood flow into certain internal areas of the penis. Cialis is different from other currently approved products for ED in that it stays in the body longer. However, there were no studies that directly compared the clinical efficacy and safety of Cialis to other products. Cialis is taken orally before sexual activity, not more than once daily. Cialis may be taken with or without food. In some patients, the dose strength and maximum frequency of use may be adjusted.

For more detailed information consult with your health care provider. The most commonly reported side effects in patients treated with Cialis during the testing of the product were: headache indigestion back pain muscle pain flushing stuffy nose Patients who get back pain and muscle aches usually get them 12 to 24 hours after taking Cialis and these usually go away by themselves within 48 hours.