ED pill comparison

Cialis, Viagra and Levitra – ED pills compared

Curing erectile dysfunction using Phosphodiesterase Type 5 inhibitors

ED pill comparisonThis ED pill comparison looks at characteristics of the 3 most popular erectile dysfunction medications. Phosphodiesterase Type 5 Inhibitors (PDE5 inhibitors) are the active ingredients in all erectile dysfunction (ED) pills.

Sildenafil is the PDE5 inhibitor of Viagra®, a registered trademark of Pfizer.  Pfizer also manufactures this well-known brand. Sildenafil was the initial PDE5 inhibitor (or ‘blocker’) granted approval for the treatment of ED in 1998.

Tadalafil is the PDE5 Inhibitor of Cialis®. It is a registered trademark of pharmaceutical Eli Lilly. Some people call Cialis ‘the weekend pill’.  It is the longest lasting ED pill of the 3 main impotence drugs.

Vardenafil, another PDE5 inhibitor, is the basis of Levitra. Bayer Pharmaceuticals, a German company most known for its flagship medication Aspirin, distributes Levitra®.

ED pills price comparisonSocial stigma of ED is decreasing

The stigma surrounding the condition of impotence is still present but is decreasing. This improvement is partly due to the easy availability of Viagra. Since then, the popular understanding of ED has grown with increased demand for ED pills.

Regarding the available pills to cure ED,  this ED pill comparison deals with these ED pills currently available.

This ED pill comparison details the 3 effective oral PDE5 inhibitors such as Vardenafil (Levitra), Tadalafil (Cialis) and Sildenafil (Viagra).

Each of the ED pills have similar results and have complimentary chemical structures. Vardenafil and Sildenafil have related molecular characteristics. Tadalafil is structurally distinct.

ED in the male population – recent findings

erectile dysfunction stigmaErectile dysfunction, often referred to as ‘impotence’, is an inability to achieve an erection of sufficient stiffness for sexual intercourse. Many people associate ED with getting older. Impotence becomes more prevalent with men over the age of 40.

Previously, the medical establishment considered ED as a mental issue or simply a result of ageing. The medical establishment accepted ED as with other manifestations of old age. These days, many doctors realize that impotence is chiefly biological as a consequence of internal biological processes.

Then again,a number of lesser known bodily misalignments could cause ED. As an example, men with vascular problems, such as cardiovascular disease and/or diabetes, have a high incidence of impotence.

ED may often show to be an important indicator for hidden natural diseases. This includes high blood pressure, diabetes and  heart problems.

Decrease in stigma associated with ED

Men are now more aware of the prevalence of ED. However the condition remains unreported and under-cured by medical professionals. The embarrassment about discussing ED has decreased. But the stigma felt by many men persists. This creates a barrier to sufficient understanding and treatment of ED.

Many men feel uncomfortable discussing their ED problems This includes medical professionals involved in consulting roles. The result is a delay of ED pill uptake.

Hence, countless men suffer ED prior to demanding medications to treat ED.

Often the medical establishment gives little regard to the condition of ED. As a result there is clearly not enough funds set aside for ED treatments.

A lot of men who suffer ED are poorly treated. This is despite the fact that they would have much to gain from proper diagnosis and treatment. The results is a misplaced chance to enhance men’s general and mental health, not just ED.

The following ED pill comparison examines this imbalance. It also offers some guidelines to improve the treatment of men who suffer ED.  The medical establishment needs a more focused view of the solutions currently available.

The role of oral PDE5 inhibitor in ED pills

ED pills enhance the sexual life of men. It can reawaken their sexual capacity to a previously enjoyed condition. There is a preference for ED pills that extend the time of effectiveness. This allows more unplanned sexual encounters.

Also, changes in lifestyle for men considered obese are beneficial to improve sexual function. It also decreases the incidence of ED through weight reduction and increased aerobic activity.

However, lifestyles changes alone did not cure ED for most subjects. This clearly demonstrates that the majority of ED sufferers still need ED pills.

Intrusive alternatives to PDE5 blocker medications (ED pills)

The medical establishment has explored various cures for ED including injections and surgery. Statistics show the majority of patients prefer less intensive methods  and ED pills are frequently the first choice.

Consequently the medical establishment is phasing out the more costly treatments for ED. More affordable and effective generic PDE5 inhibitors become are available on the internet or from a clinic.

ED pills like Levitra, Cialis and Viagra are simple to use. They also enjoy few side effects and a high rate of success.

Accordingly the World Health Organization (WHO) consider ED pills ,namely Viagra, Cialis and Levitra, as the recommended treatment of ED.

The ED pills with the highest track record of effectiveness are PDE5 blockers such as Viagra, Levitra and Cialis. As a consequence both the success rate of ED pills have improved.

Oral PDE5 inhibitor Sildenafil called Viagra

Viagra pillThe first PDE5 blocker to to be used extensively was Sildenafil marketed as Viagra.

Sildenafil is also available online as generic Viagra. Vardenafil (Levitra) and Tadalafil (Cialis) are the most well known ED pills after Viagra. Tadalafil and Vardenafil have slightly different effects to the original PDE5 blocker Viagra.

The PDE5 inhibitors are the preferred initial treatment for ED. These ED pills are not suited for men who have previously suffered stroke. Also a range of other health conditions like:

  • kidney disease that requires dialysis;
  • heart defects;
  • excessive hypertension;
  • seriously hypo-tension;
  • substantial liver disease.

In these cases doctors are encourages to examine the detailed information for each particular PDE5 inhibitor available to dispense.

This is because ED pill have slightly alternate pharmacological effects on the patient. Nevertheless,  all 3 PDE5 blockers, Viagra, Levitra and Cialis are similar.

How do ED pills work?

This is the method by which the oral PDE5 inhibitors of Levitra, Viagra, Cialis, and other ED pills function:

The penis only becomes engorged in response to sexual situations. Erotic stimulus results in the creation of nitric oxide. This results in the dilation of the arteries and veins to the corpus cavernosum, the body of the penis. It is in turn assisted by the increasing presence of cyclic guaosine monophosphate (cGMP).

As men get older, the levels of cGMP required for erections is broken down by the growing presence of PDE5.

By degrading the presence of PDE5 (increasingly present as men age), these PDE5 inhibitors allow sufficient erections to come about.

PDE5 inhibitors only become activated when cGMP synthesis is present.

All ED pills require erotic arousal to activate

Needless to say, erectile dysfunction pills that use PDE5 blockers require sexual stimulus to become active.

During sexual stimulation of the male subject, nitric oxide is created from nerve endings beside to the penises corpus cavernosum. As a result there arises a glut of cGMP arising from GTP which results in the relaxation of the tissue which in turn leads to an erection to the cavity being engorged with fluid. Phosphodiesterase Type 5 inhibitors retard the degradation of cGMP which then allows erections to manifest with greater ease.

Erectile dysfunction medications that use oral PDE5 inhibitors as the effective ingredient are becoming very popular. These ED pills employ substances created from cyclic guaosine monophosphate and in the case of Cialis, Levitra and Viagra, their actual molecular makeup are very similar.

In distinction to Viagra and Levitra, Cialis has a slightly different pharmacokinetic property. However it also retards Phosphodiesterase Type 5.

Comparative analysis of the  chemical characteristics of PDE5 inhibitors used by ED pills

Phosphodiesterase enzymes are identified in 11 distinct instances. They are described in relation to to the amino acid structure as well as the reaction produced when blocked or inhibited. Lab-based research has shown that the PDE5 inhibitors used in curing erectile dysfunction inhibit PDE enzymes in distinct manners.

Most PDE5 inhibitors developed inhibit phosphodiesterase type 5. But, the 3 PDE5 blockers discussed here, Tadalafil, Vardenafil and Sildenafil, have distinct effects when it comes to blocking additional PDE enzymes.

Selective inhibition of PDE6 and PDE11 comparative analysis

Out of the three ED pills examined, two show a tendency to block the activation of PDE6, an enzyme that help organize the perception of light by ones optical nerves.

This inhibition of PDE6 affects the experience of color. This distortion is often reported as an enhancement of blue colors in ones field of vision. ED pill comparisons indicate that Sildenafil (Viagra) and Vardenafil (Levitra) occasionally leads to too much retardation of PDE6 and consequently causes a noticeable degradation of sight.

Tadalafil (Cialis) does not usually demonstrate a likewise predilection for PDE6 retardation.

ED pill comparisons have demonstrated that Vardenafil (Levitra) has a 3 times propensity to inhibit PDE5 over PDE6.

Sildenafil (Viagra) has a 7 times propensity to inhibit PDE5 over PDE6.

Tadalafil (Cialis) conversely has a 700 times propensity to retard PDE5 over PDE6.

However, Cialis has a greater bias to retard PDE11 over both Levitra and Viagra. The purpose of PDE11 remains unknown.

All 3 ED pills, Cialis, Levitra and Viagra are absorbed quickly into the blood stream after ingesting.

Time to achieve top blood concentration comparison

Post taking, Sildenafil PDE5 blocker (Viagra) achieves the highest accumulation somewhat less than an hour.

Vardenafil (Levitra) reaches its peak plasma concentration in up to 1 hour.

Tadalafil (Cialis) requires up to 2 hours to reach its highest accumulation.

A comparative look at the affect of food and alcohol on Viagra, Cialis and Levitra

Fatty-based foods in the patient’s stomach prior to taking an ED pill decreases in the absorption of Vardenafil and Sildenafil. However it demonstrates no causal effect on Tadalafil.

Fatty foods delay the absorption of Viagra up to an hour with . The peak plasma concentration in the blood stream lowers around 30%.

Like Viagra, food with a high concentration of fat also retards the uptake of Levitra for up 1 hour. Additionally, the highest accumulation decreases up to 20%.

the presence of high fat food does not decrease the effect of Cialis on the other hand. One can take this ED pill with no concern regarding food with high fat content.

The consumption of alcohol does not affect Levitra, Cialis or Viagra. However, excessive consumption of alcohol is a factor in decreased sexual performance.

Comparative half-lives of ED pills

PDE5 blockers continue to be active for different spans of time and this is usually expressed half-lives.

Cialis has a half-life of 17.5 hours which means that if a sufficient amount is digested it stays in effect for up to 36 hours.

Viagra and Levitra have a half-life duration of approximately 4 hours providing an active footprint of around 8 hours.

All three PDE5 blockers are eliminated from the subject by route of normal bodily excretion.

To be more specific, PDE5 inhibitors are removed from the blood by means of hepatic metabolism. The metabolite N-desmethyl is the by-product of metabolised Viagra PDE5 inhibitor Sildenafil that additionally displays PDE5 inhibiting properties. This by-product of Sildenafil stays up to 20% as active as the initial oral PDE5 inhibitor Sildenafil.

The metabolite by-product of Levitra has just a 7% strength of the original PDE5 inhibitor Vardenafil.

Cialis oral PDE5 inhibitor Tadalafil provides no useful metabolites subsequent to metabolic action.

Viagra, Cialis and Levitra comparison – activation time comparison

All 3 ED pills in this comparison, Levitra, Cialis and Viagra, are not immediately effective after swallowing. Test results have shown that there remains considerable range among all 3 PDE5 blockers. Also there were noticeable variations of activation rates among test subjects in this ED pill comparison review.

All 3 PDE5 inhibitors are active between 30 minutes to 1 hour after taking. Test results show considerable variance outside these times however.

The standard line adopted by the professionals in regards to the anticipated delay between swallowing Viagra and its wait for effectiveness to ensure a substantial erection when sexually stimulated is 60 minutes.

Apart from that, one test revealed that some experienced the effects of Viagra in 15 minutes. Reports indicated this activation rate of Viagra in 30% of test subjects.

In results from one test, just more than 20% of test subjects reported being able to enjoy sufficient erections capable of sexual intercourse within 10 minutes after swallowing 10mg of PDE5 inhibitor Vardenafil (Levitra). The standard recommendation for Levitra is to start it at least 30%r prior to attempting intercourse.

The standard advice for Tadalafil (Cialis) is to take it at least half an hour prior to attempting sexual intercourse. One study has suggested that some 15% of the patients achieved the capacity to preform penetration within 20 minutes.

Comparison of effectiveness duration

The PDE5 inhibitors that form the basis of Cialis, Levitra and Viagra have different time-scales in their effectiveness. Normal information that ships with Viagra and Levitra state up to five hour time-scale during which the ED pill remains effective.

Cialis on the other hand enjoys a half-life of 17.5 hours. The effectiveness of this ED pill is effective for up to 36 hours plus. Consequently it people refer to it as ‘the weekend pill’. This makes Cialis a top selection ED pill for men who seek more spontaneous sexual activity.

Results from the lab demonstrate that all 3 ED pills compared are beneficial for a wide range of erectile dysfunction sufferers. At this time there still is a gap in direct tests to compare the Ed pills Cialis, Levitra and Viagra.

ED pill comparisons of relative potency

Improvement for ED sufferers coming from a 3 month test of trying the ED pills involving:

  • over 100 subjects trying Levitra,
  • approx. 300 subjects trying Viagra,
  • over 1,000 subjects ingesting Cialis,

resulted in the following numbers:

75% of the subjects who ingested Viagra 50 mg had erections when sexually aroused. Only 16% of subjects had similar results with a placebo.

80% of the subjects who ingested Levitra 20mg experienced erections when sexually stimulated. Only 40% of patients who took a placebo experienced similar results.

All the subjects of the tests where in their mid-50’s. They previously had various degrees of ED ranging between occasional failure to total failure for up to 6 years before the test trials took place.

84% of the subjects who ingested Cialis 20mg experienced erections when sexually stimulated. Only 33% of patients who took a placebo experienced similar results.

These studies included patients in their late50’s who had suffered ED for at least a year. The severity of erectile dysfunction experienced by the patients alternated between moderate 40% to extreme 60%.

Testers excluded subjects who had failed to respond positively to PDE5 inhibitors in the past.

After the tests were completed it was directly asked:

Was your erection of adequate firmness and long lasting enough to engage in full intercourse?

The answer ‘yes’ to this question was 65% for Viagra and Levitra, and 68% for Cialis.

ED pills aims and preferences

The primary focus of ED pills such as Viagra, Levitra and Cialis is to enable satisfactory capability for erections when sexually aroused leading to an enjoyment of a full and satisfying sex life. Doctors must consider the requirements and distinct preferences of the patient when prescribing ED pills.

The response rate and effectiveness of the three easily available ED pills are more or less the same. Doctors must consider the interests of the patient prior to making a prescription.

Comparison of ED pills preference

To compare men’s choice between Cialis and Viagra a lab test used approximately 200 subjects. The doses were a flexible amount of Sildenafil (Viagra) and 20mg of Tadalafil (Cialis).

Subjects taking Viagra started on 50mg with the ability to increase the dose.

Because advice concerning duration for Cialis and Viagra are distinct, testers used placebos mimicking both PDE5 inhibitor’s advice to ensure blindness.

Additionally a random selection for which patients used Cialis and Viagra with a 3 month exchange from one treatment to the other one. At the end of the lab study there remained 180 men who could be regarded as appropriate to choose which ED pill they preferred to continue with.

Preference for Cialis

generic Cialis pillAt the end of the blind lab test the results showed that approximately 75% of the subjects preferred Cialis vs Viagra as their preferred ED pill.

Another lab study employed subjects taking doses of Sildenafil between 25mg to 100mg for a time-scale of 6 weeks, prior to changing to Cialis 20mg.

This ED pill comparison test attempted to mimic normal test practice. The resulting figures demonstrated beyond doubt that close to 90% of the subjects favored Cialis vs Sildenafil.

In another ED pill comparison test conducted in Ireland to discover the preference between Cialis and Viagra, over 300 men participated in the study lasting 3 months for each ED pill.

The first two months trying either Cialis or Viagra was the dosage selection phase. Men chose the most appropriate dose for each ED pill. The subjects were started with 25mg or 50mg of Viagra. They could increase the dosage to 100mg. Subjects also began with 10mg of Cialis and could increase the strength to 20mg if the chose to.

Viagra 33%, Cialis 66%

At the end of 12 weeks of this ED pill comparison study of Cialis vs Viagra, testers offered the subjects a choice on which ED pill they wished to continue with. 33% of the subjects wished to stay with Viagra and 66%decided to remain on Cialis.

3% of the men quit because of negative side effects and less than 1% dropped out the lab study due to a lack of any significant beneficial result.

These two ED pill comparative studies clearly indicate that subjects choose their preferred ED medication founded on the actual effects. Nevertheless the methods employed in these studies of ED treatments the subjects’ choice used techniques that may have introduced bias in decision making.

Questions about comparative study methods were discussed such as failures in blindness, pattern of medication switch, and changing dosage strengths and instructions. The information varied due to the differences in duration and influence of food on the effectiveness of Viagra and Cialis.

Keeping in mind that the men were provided dosage instructions tailored to the ED pill being used (Cialis or Viagra) during that phase, it would be doubtful that any negative reaction or experience of its effectiveness were effected by the methods of the test study

Although this test study admitted possible discrimination, more in depth studies are being undertaken to clearly identify erectile dysfunction sufferers’ preference of the 3 main PDE5 inhibitors – Levitra (Vardenafil), Viagra (Sildenafil) and Cialis (Tadalafil).

ED pills price comparisonED pills comparison wrap up

Due to the interest and wide-spread use of ED pills, the complexity and price to acquire these impotence treatments marketed as Cialis, Levitra and Viagra have fallen considerably.

The 3 readily available Ed pills are a cost-effective approach to overcome over 90% of impotence cases. Being effective for a far longer period, Cialis is the most cost-effective ED pill especially if the user wants to continue to use Ed treatments over many years.

Considering ED treatments available, ED pills remain the most effective and affordable approach to curing ED. All 3 main ED pills, Cialis, Levitra and Viagra, enjoy the same properties. All are effective and have few negative side effects by the vast majority of users.

Doctors must keeps in mind the differences among these PDE5 inhibitors when prescribing ED pills. It is essential that each ED sufferer gets the appropriate treatment for his needs.

The Levitra vs Viagra vs Cialis comparison contention is seemingly endless. However, by preference, Cialis comes out on top every time. Also, ED pill comparisons show that Levitra and Viagra are more successful in curing ED overall.