Healthdirect Free Australian health advice you can count on.
healthdirect Australia is a free service where you can talk to a nurse or doctor who can help you know what to do.
Viagra is an erectile dysfunction medicine.
Viagra
What is Viagra?
Viagra is a medicine used to treat erectile dysfunction (ED, also called impotence). It is sometimes known by its generic name, sildenafil.
It works by helping to relax the blood vessels in the penis, allowing blood to flow into the penis causing an erection. If you plan to use Viagra, you should take it an hour before planned sexual activity.
You can get an erection for up to 4 hours after taking the Viagra although the erection itself will only last for the normal period of time.
Viagra doesn’t cause erections on its own — sexual stimulation is still needed. It also does not cure ED, increase a man’s sexual desire, protect from sexually transmitted diseases or serve as a male form of birth control.
If you use Viagra, you should not take any more than 1 tablet in 24 hours and it should not be taken with other ED medicines.
Does Viagra have side effects?
The most common side effects of Viagra include:
If you are thinking about using Viagra, you should discuss it with your doctor first.
Very occasionally, Viagra can cause a painful erection or an erection that won’t go away. If this happens, and the erection lasts for more than 4 hours, you should go to the nearest emergency department. Prolonged erections can be dangerous.
Viagra may be unsafe for men with certain medical conditions, including men who have had a stroke, have heart disease or retinitis pigmentosa (an eye disease).
It can also interact with many other medicines, particularly nitrates (used in the treatment of heart disease), amyl nitrite and blood pressure medicines. Men who use nitrates in any form or who are being treated for pulmonary hypertension should not take Viagra.
Buying Viagra
You need a prescription from a doctor to obtain Viagra. You can buy it from a store-based pharmacy or reputable online pharmacy with a prescription.
Some people buy Viagra online, often without a prescription. However, you cannot be sure whether these pills contain the drug or whether they are just fakes.
Viagra for women
Viagra is not for use by women. If you have heard about ‘female Viagra’, it is probably referring to a medication called flibanserin (also known by its brand name, Addyi). This medicine has been approved in the United States to treat premenopausal women who have low sexual desire.
Flibanserin is not approved in Australia, although it is possible to buy it online from overseas. This drug is dangerous for some women and can interact with other medications and supplements.
See healthdirect’s medicines section for more information about Viagra.
Source s :
Last reviewed: November 2020
Related pages
Search our site for
Need more information?
These trusted information partners have more on this topic.
Erectile Dysfunction – Causes & Treatment | Healthy Male
If you’re having difficulty getting or maintaining an erection, this is called erectile dysfunction. It’s not a disease, but a symptom of another problem, which might be physical, psychological, or a mixture of both.
Read more on Healthy Male – Andrology Australia website
Impotence treatments – MyDr.com.au
If you have impotence (erectile dysfunction), the treatment your doctor recommends will depend on the severity of your symptoms and the underlying cause of your impotence.
Read more on myDr website
Erectile Dysfunction: Impact on Other Diseases and Conditions | myVMC
Erectile dysfunction is associated with many systemic health conditions, which affect a man’s physical health, can impact negatively on the treatment of erectile dysfunction, and in some cases are life-threatening.
Read more on myVMC – Virtual Medical Centre website
Erectile dysfunction: visiting your doctor – MyDr.com.au
Find out what questions a doctor may ask when discussing erectile dysfunction (ED, or impotence). Also, see what tests may be recommended.
Read more on myDr website
Sex Therapy | myVMC
Sex therapy refers to a group of treatments which are used to resolve sexual difficulties, for example difficulties relating to sexual desire, arousal and ability to orgasm.
Read more on myVMC – Virtual Medical Centre website
Impotence causes – MyDr.com.au
Find out the physical and psychological causes of impotence, also called erectile dysfunction or ED.
Read more on myDr website
Sex and the ageing process – MyDr.com.au
Most older people are able to enjoy an active and satisfying sex life.
Read more on myDr website
Herpes treatments – MyDr.com.au
Although there is currently no cure for genital herpes (a common STI in Australia), treatments are available that can reduce the severity, frequency and duration of episodes.
Read more on myDr website
Brachytherapy for Prostate Cancer Treatment – Targeting Cancer
Learn more about brachytherapy treatment for prostate cancer.
Read more on Radiation Oncology Targeting Cancer website
Premature ejaculation – MyDr.com.au
Premature ejaculation: what is it, what are the causes and what treatments are available?
Read more on myDr website
What GPs need to know about the new COVID antivirals
This article was originally published on newsGP and is reproduced with their permission.
Read more on RACGP – The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners website
Testosterone – Pathology Tests Explained
Why and when to get tested for testosterone
Read more on Pathology Tests Explained website
Finasteride provides relief of symptoms related to benign prostatic hyperplasia. | Cochrane
Authors’ conclusions: Finasteride improves long-term urinary symptoms versus placebo, but is less effective than doxazosin
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Leprosy: How Much do you Really Know? | Ausmed
Leprosy is a bacterial infection caused by Mycobacterium leprae (M. leprae), which multiples slowly and progressively affects cooler body tissue (e.g. skin, testes, superficial nerves, eyes). It is a chronic disease that is most common in the tropics and subtropics
Read more on Ausmed Education website
The ocular adverse effects of oral drugs
The rich blood supply of the eye exposes it to the adverse effects of medicines taken by mouth.
Read more on Australian Prescriber website
Sexual difficulties in the menopause – Australasian Menopause Society
Sexual difficulties can be life-long or recently acquired, but they are a common presentation at the menopause.
Read more on Australasian Menopause Society website
Disclaimer
Healthdirect Australia is not responsible for the content and advertising on the external website you are now entering.
Related pages
Search our site for
Symptom checker
Worried about your health?
Select a symptom, answer some questions, get advice.
Healthdirect 24hr 7 days a week hotline
24 hour health advice you can count on
Government Accredited with over 140 information partners
We are a government-funded service, providing quality, approved health information and advice
About
Discover
Resources in your language
healthdirect’s information and advice are developed and managed within a rigorous clinical governance framework. This website is certified by the Health On The Net (HON) foundation, the standard for trustworthy health information.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Support for this browser is being discontinued
Support for this browser is being discontinued for this site
We currently support Microsoft Edge, Chrome, Firefox and Safari. For more information, please visit the links below:
You are welcome to continue browsing this site with this browser. Some features, tools or interaction may not work correctly.
