Safety
The warnings that matter most with ED medicines, taken from the drug labels and FDA: when to get care right away, what never to combine, and how to avoid fake and tainted products.
Get medical help right away for
- An erection that lasts longer than 4 hours. About prolonged erections
- Chest pain, dizziness or nausea during sex after taking an ED medicine: stop and get help, and tell the care team when you took it. ED medicines and the heart
- Sudden loss of vision in one or both eyes, or a sudden drop in or loss of hearing, after taking an ED medicine. Vision and hearing warnings
ED pills and nitrates: why the combination is dangerous
Why sildenafil, tadalafil, vardenafil and avanafil must never be combined with nitroglycerin, other nitrates or poppers, and what to do if chest pain starts.
Emergency signs
Priapism: when an erection lasting over 4 hours is an emergency
What priapism is, why the painful type is a medical emergency, which ED medicines list it as a risk on their FDA labels, and what to do if it happens.
Penile fracture: the emergency signs
What a penile fracture is, the signs urology guidelines list, why it needs emergency care, and what studies show about erections after repair.
Sudden vision or hearing loss with ED pills: the label warnings
What the Viagra and Cialis labels say about sudden vision loss, NAION and sudden hearing loss, how a blue tint differs, and what to do if it happens.
Dangerous combinations
Can you combine ED medicines? What the labels and the AUA say
Can sildenafil and tadalafil be taken together? What the FDA labels say about combining ED treatments, why combo tablets are not approved, and testosterone.
Is sexual activity safe with heart disease? What cardiologists check
What the American Heart Association says about sexual activity after a heart attack, stent or bypass, with heart failure or AFib, and where ED pills fit.
Taking ED pills without ED: what the labels and studies say
Do ED pills do anything for men without ED? What placebo trials, user surveys and FDA labels say about recreational use, poppers, stimulants and anxiety.
Fake, tainted and unapproved products
Hidden drugs in 'natural' ED pills: what the FDA warning list shows
What FDA lab tests found in rhino pills and other 'natural' male enhancement products, why hidden sildenafil is dangerous with nitrates, and how to report one.
Can you buy Viagra over the counter? Prescription status explained
Viagra and generic sildenafil are prescription-only in the US. The UK pharmacy version, gas-station ED pill risks, and the OTC gel FDA classed as a device.
Are Generic ED Medications Safe? How to Tell a Real Generic From a Fake
Generic Viagra (sildenafil) and Cialis (tadalafil) are FDA-approved and bioequivalent. How to tell a legal generic from a counterfeit or scam seller.
Also in this section
Filed under another topic, and relevant here too.
How to Get ED Treatment Online Safely (and Avoid the Fakes)
Is buying Cialis or Viagra online safe? How to spot scam sites, what a real intake asks, the nitrate screen, and why counterfeit ED pills are dangerous.
Sildenafil interactions: which combinations actually matter, and why
Viagra (sildenafil) drug interactions from the FDA label: never with nitrates, poppers or riociguat; care with alpha blockers, ritonavir and BP drugs.
Sildenafil side effects: what the trials counted, and why men stop
Sildenafil (Viagra) side effects from the FDA label: how often headache, flushing, indigestion and vision changes occur at each strength, and rare risks.
Tadalafil interactions: nitrates, blood pressure medicines, alcohol and grapefruit
Tadalafil (Cialis) interactions from the FDA label: why nitrates are off-limits, blood pressure medicines and alpha blockers, alcohol, grapefruit and ibuprofen.
Tadalafil side effects: what the label lists, including back pain
Tadalafil (Cialis) side effects from the FDA label: how often headache, indigestion and back pain occur, why the aches happen, and which signs need urgent care.
Questions this section answers
All questions- Are generic ED medications safe and legitimate?
- Is generic Viagra safe?
- Is generic Cialis legal and legitimate?
- What does “generic” actually mean for sildenafil and tadalafil?
- How do we know a generic works the same as the brand?
- Why does a generic pill look different from the brand?
- Is compounded sildenafil or tadalafil the same as a generic?
- Is a generic the same as a counterfeit or “gas-station” pill?