Both Sildenafil and Tadalafil are prescription medications used to treat erectile dysfunction (ED). We’ll get into the difference when it comes to Sildenafil vs Tadalafil in a bit, but first, let’s dive into erectile dysfunction, what it is, and its common causes.
What is Erectile Dysfunction?
Erectile dysfunction is the inability to get or keep an erection firm enough to participate in sexual intercourse. It is sometimes referred to as impotence, although this term is now used less often.
Occasional ED isn’t uncommon. Men can experience it during times of stress. However, frequent ED can be a sign of health problems that may need medical treatment. It can also be a sign of emotional or relationship problems that may need to be addressed by a health professional. An estimated 5–20% of men are affected by moderate to severe ED around the world.
ED can occur due to problems at any stage of the erection process. An erection is the result of increased blood flow into a man’s penis. Blood flow is usually stimulated by either sexual thoughts or direct contact with the penis.
When a man becomes sexually excited, muscles in the penis relax, which allows for increased blood flow through the penile arteries, filling two chambers inside the penis. As the chambers fill with blood, the penis grows more rigid. An erection ends when the muscles contract and the accumulated blood can flow back out through the penile veins.
Common Causes of Erectile Dysfunction
Although ED is a benign disorder, it can affect physical and psychosocial health and may have a significant impact on the quality of life of patients and their partners. Below are some of the more common causes of erectile dysfunction.
- cardiovascular disease
- diabetes
- high blood pressure
- high cholesterol
- obesity
- low testosterone levels
- stress
- anxiety
- depression
- drug/alcohol use
If you’re interested, you can view a more detailed and comprehensive list of erectile dysfunction causes here.
Health Tips for Preventing Erectile Dysfunction
In order to prevent erectile dysfunction, it is important to make healthy lifestyle choices while properly managing any existing health conditions that one might have. Examples of healthy lifestyle choices include some of the following:
- Working with your healthcare professional to address and manage diseases like diabetes, heart disease, or any other chronic conditions
- Visit your healthcare professional for regular checkups
- Quit smoking, limit alcohol intake, and refrain from using drugs
- Begin exercising regularly
- Identify ways to cope with and reduce stress, anxiety, and depression
Different Medications to Combat Erectile Dysfunction
Tadalafil and sildenafil are the two most common phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors used to treat ED. A phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor (PDE5 inhibitor) is a drug used to block the degradative action of cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) on cyclic GMP in the smooth muscle cells lining the blood vessels supplying various tissues. These drugs dilate the corpora cavernosa (masses of erectile tissue) of the penis, facilitating erection with sexual stimulation, and are used in the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED).
So what’s the difference when it comes to Sildenafil vs Tadalafil in combating erectile dysfunction?
Sildenafil, which is considered the original PDEI, was first introduced in 1998 and has a quick onset of action of 30 minutes after the initial dose is taken. It can last for 4-6 hours and as much as a maximum of 12 hours. Tadalafil is very similar to Sildenafil, but it is a selective, long-acting PDEI that was released a couple of years later in 2003. Tadalafil has an onset of 20 minutes and should be taken 30 minutes prior to intercourse. Tadalafil lasts much longer than Sildenafil with a maximum duration of 72 hours.
Both Tadalafil, which is the main ingredient found in Cialis, and Sildenafil, which is the main ingredient found in Viagra, are useful in treating Erectile Dysfunction, but based on a recent study, the majority of patients and their partners preferred Tadalafil over Sildenafil. Tadalafil was found to improve psychosocial outcomes, including the SEAR Confidence and Sexual Relationship scores more than Sildenafil.
A previous study also suggested that time concerns appeared to play a role in patient decisions regarding Sildenafil vs Tadalafil. This study reported that significant improvements in the time concerns were observed after baseline. The improvement in the Tadalafil group was superior to that of the Sildenafil group, indicating that men who took Tadalafil felt less time pressure and a reduced sense of urgency and had to do less planning before and during sexual encounters compared with those taking Sildenafil.
A big reason for this is due to the time of erectile functionality (EF) provided with each medication. Tadalafil grants patients more freedom to perform sexual intercourse with less of a need to plan ahead, which is appealing.
How to Obtain Sildenafil or Tadalafil
For the wellness of you and your family, if you can, stay home! We understand the value of your patient/physician relationship. However, during these challenging times, we partnered with CallOnDoc.com, an online TeleMed service where you can video chat with experienced doctors from the safety and privacy of your home.
Discuss some of the different ED medications we have to offer such as Sildenafil 20mg, Sildenafil 50mg/100mg, Tadalafil troches, and Tadalafil tablets with your personal doctor, or a CallOnDoc physician and request the prescription that works best for you. Then have your prescription sent to Lakeview Pharmacy, and we can send it directly to you.