Sildenafil tablets

• Sildenafil should be taken an hour before planned sexual activity. The tablet should be swallowed whole with a glass of water.
• Sildenafil should not be taken more than once a day.
• It can be taken with our without food, but heavy meals may effect how quickly it takes effect.
• Sildenafil will only cause an erection if the person is sexually stimulated.
• It should only be taken under the supervision of a medical prescriber

You should only take the dose recommended by your prescriber. If the dose is too strong or too weak, you should contact your prescriber before taking any further doses.

Do not take Sildenafil

• If you are allergic to sildenafil or any of the other listed ingredients.
• If you have a severe heart or liver problems
• If you have recently had a stroke or a heart attack, or if you have low blood pressure.
• If you have certain rare inherited eye diseases (such as retinitis pigmentosa).
• If you have ever had loss of vision due to non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy
• (NAION)

You should not take Sildenafil if you do not have erectile dysfunction.
You should not take Sildenafil if you are a woman

Talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse before taking Sildenafil

• If you have sickle cell anaemia (an abnormality of red blood cells), leukaemia (cancer of blood
• cells), multiple myeloma (cancer of bone marrow).
• If you have a deformity of your penis or Peyronie’s Disease.
• If you have problems with your heart. Your doctor should carefully check whether your heart can take the additional strain of having sex.
• If you currently have a stomach ulcer, or a bleeding problems (such as haemophilia).

If you experience sudden decrease or loss of vision, stop taking Sildenafil and contact your
doctor immediately.
Sildenafil can cause dizziness and can affect vision. You should be aware of how you react to Sildenafil before you drive or use machinery.
Sildenafil contains lactose

Like all medicines, Sildenafil can cause side effects although not everybody gets them. The side
effects reported in association with the use of Sildenafil are usually mild to moderate and of a short
duration.

Side-effects include:

Very common (may affect more than 1 in 10 people): headache.

Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 people): nausea, facial flushing, hot flush (symptoms include a
sudden feeling of heat in your upper body), indigestion, colour tinge to vision, blurred vision, visual
disturbance, stuffy nose and dizziness.

Uncommon (may affect up to 1 in 100 people): vomiting, skin rash, eye irritation, bloodshot eyes /red
eyes, eye pain, seeing flashes of light, visual brightness, light sensitivity, watery eyes, pounding
heartbeat, rapid heartbeat, high blood pressure, low blood pressure, muscle pain, feeling sleepy,
reduced sense of touch, vertigo, ringing in the ears, dry mouth, blocked or stuffy sinuses, inflammation

If you experience any of the following rare serious side effects such as an allergic reaction (sudden wheezing, breathing difficulty, dizziness, facial swelling), chest pain, prolonged erections of more than 4 hours, you should stop taking VIAGRA and seek medical help immediately.

Speak to your prescriber before taking Sildenafil if you are on any of the following medicines:

• Nitrate medication for angina
• Nitric oxide donors such as amyl nitrate, "poppers"
• Riociguat
• Antiviral medication such as used in HIV treatment
• Alpha-blockers for blood pressure or prostate conditions
• treatments of pulmonary arterial hypertension containing PDE5 inhibitors
• other local or oral treatments for erectile dysfunction

The active substance is sildenafil. Each tablet contains 25 mg, 50 mg or 100 mg of sildenafil (as
the citrate salt).

The other ingredients are:
Tablet core: microcrystalline cellulose, calcium hydrogen phosphate (anhydrous), croscarmellose sodium  magnesium stearate
Film coat: hypromellose, titanium dioxide (E171), lactose monohydrate, triacetin, indigo carmine aluminium lake (E132)

Alternatives include other generic and branded medication containing Sildenafil, Tadalafil, Verdenafil and Avanafil. These work in a similar way but may have longer or shorter durations of action. Effects vary from person to person so some may find one brand or drug works better for them than others.

There are also several treatments available other than tablets which can help. Treating underlying causes of erectile dysfunction is extremely important such resolving any treatable conditions such as depression, anxiety or any nervous or blood vessel diseases.

Lifestyle changes can also be extremely beneficial and should be tried before resorting to drug treatments. Avoiding alcohol prior to sexual intercourse can be beneficials, as well as giving up smoking. Exercise can help to improve blood flow to all parts of the body and can also help to reduce stress and anxiety which may cause erectile dysfunction.

Other alternative options include
• Pumps
• Implants
• Rings to help maintain erections
• Surgery
• Counselling