Best over the counter male erectile dysfunction pills

Every man wants to perform at his best in the bedroom and can suffer when sexual problems stand in his way. If you're struggling to feel confident and in control during intimate moments, sexual enhancement tablets may help to improve your experiences and deepen your satisfaction. Walgreens has an assortment of sexual enhancement tablets available to meet your needs and will ensure that your order is shipped discreetly to your door.

What Are Sexual Enhancement Tablets for?

Sexual enhancement tablets are a type of dietary supplement that is taken by mouth with the goal of improving sexual experiences. Most products on the market are formulated for the sexual health needs of men and different products are designed to offer different types of benefits. Some products are designed to improve sexual performance by enhancing arousal to promote firmer erections or to help intercourse last for longer periods of time. Others are designed to assist with libido (sex drive) to help men who may not be in the mood for sex as often as they'd like to be. There are also products that are formulated to address concerns with penis size.

What's in Sexual Enhancement Tablets?

Because sexual enhancement tablets can have a variety of uses, the ingredients they're made from can vary greatly from product to product. Sexual enhancement tablets are not FDA-approved over-the-counter medications, so they typically contain natural ingredients. Oftentimes, these ingredients include herbs that have a history of use as aphrodisiacs or folk treatments for impotence (inability to achieve or maintain an erection). Among these herbs are Korean ginseng, maca, horny goat weed, saw palmetto and ginkgo biloba. Sexual enhancement tablets may also contain nutrients that some scientists believe may play a role in arousal and sexual performance. Examples include the amino acid L-arginine, the compound carnitine and the herb zinc.

Comparing Oral Supplement Options

As you consider the options available to help you promote a more satisfying sex life with dietary supplements, you'll want to carefully compare products. Taking the time to read the product descriptions can help you identify the formulas that are geared toward addressing your specific sexual concerns. You can also examine the ingredient listings to determine precisely what is found inside each of the sexual enhancement tablets and browse the user reviews to find out what other men experienced when using the supplements. The number of tablets found inside of the bottles and the prices of the supplements may also influence your decision.

Important Considerations When Using Sexual Enhancement Tablets

Many men report improvements in their sex lives from the use of sexual enhancement supplements. Still, there is usually not enough evidence to definitely prove that any particular tablet is effective for all men. Although sexual enhancement tablets are typically made from herbal extracts and natural nutrients, they could cause side effects, interfere with the actions of medications or cause complications in men who have certain medical conditions. Talking to your doctor before taking any type of sexual enhancement supplement can help you to reduce the risk of any problems. Using the supplement as directed can also help to ensure best results.

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Men's Health

August 9, 2022

Erectile dysfunction pills have some differences, but price can limit your ED medicine choices.

What are the differences between erectile dysfunction drugs? About half of men ages 40 to 70 have erectile dysfunction (ED) to some degree, although only one in 10 report a complete inability to have erections. Taking an ED drug produces an erection sufficient to start intercourse in about 70% of otherwise healthy men.

Does it make any difference which of the four drugs for erectile dysfunction you take? "Yes, there can be differences," says Dr. Louis Liou, chief of urology at Harvard-affiliated Cambridge Health Alliance in Boston. "For new patients, I have them try different ones to see what works best."

Sildenafil (Viagra) is often the first drug your doctor offers. It's been on the market longest and its side effects and the medications and foods it interacts with are well known.

But the main challenge to finding the best ED drug for you may turn out to be health insurance rules—not biochemistry. It's a common practice among insurers to limit the number of pills you can obtain per month. After you hit your limit, the out-of-pocket cost for a single pill can be very high. "The main obstacle in my practice is the cost," Dr. Liou says. You'll need to work with your doctor to get the pill you need at a price you can afford.

What erectile dysfunction pills are available?

In addition to Viagra, other ED drugs available in the United States include avanafil (Stendra), tadalafil (Cialis) and vardenafil (Levitra). These all improve blood supply to the penis. In combination with sexual stimulation, the drugs can produce an erection sufficient to initiate and complete intercourse. There is also a fast-dissolving form of Levitra, called Staxyn, that you put under your tongue.

One ED drug, Cialis, is FDA-approved for use daily in a dose of 2.5 or 5 milligrams. This helps to produce erections on demand and may also help relieve urinary problems, like difficulty starting urination, that result from an enlarged prostate.

Cost of erectile dysfunction pills

The cost to you for ED drug therapy varies considerably, depending on the pharmacy price, prescription co-pays, and your level of health plan coverage. Even if private insurance covers it, you may be limited to four doses per month. Here are a few things you can do to contain costs:

Shop around, because pharmacy prices vary. Various web-based tools can help you compare prices easily. One of them is www.goodrx.com.
Ask your doctor about pill splitting, where you get the pills at a higher dose than you need and divide them.
Explore manufacturer discount programs. These allow you to obtain a limited supply of medications not covered by your insurance.

How well do ED pills work?

ED drugs produce an erection sufficient for intercourse in about 70% of men. But the results vary quite a bit from one individual to another. A man with nerves or arteries damaged by prostate surgery, diabetes, or cardiovascular disease will not respond as strongly to ED drugs. "There are some men in whom none of these drugs work," Dr. Liou says.

How quickly do ED pills work?

How soon the drugs start working ranges from 15 to 60 minutes. Neither Viagra nor Levitra will work if you take them after a meal, which blocks their absorption. However, neither Cialis nor Stendra interact with food this way. The onset time determines how soon you can engage in intercourse. Stendra and daily-use Cialis are closest to being an "on demand" erectile drug; using the others requires more planning.

How to use ED pills properly

Dr. Liou says that some men come to him after getting a prescription from their primary care doctors, claiming that the drug doesn't work. Sometimes it's because they used it incorrectly. "The biggest misconception is that these drugs are an on/off switch for erections," Dr. Liou says. But the drugs don't work well without sexual stimulation. "During that time, you need to be with your partner and have foreplay," Dr. Liou says. "Don't take it, do the taxes or the dishes, and then meet at the bedroom thinking you'll be ready to go. It's not like that."

How long do ED pills last?

The ED drugs break down at different rates in the body. The durations of action range from four hours to more than a day (for Cialis in the higher doses). Each dose should be sufficient to provide a full cycle of intercourse, from erection to climax.

"Will it last through another cycle? It's not guaranteed," Dr. Liou says. To have sex more than once a day, Cialis is your best bet.

What are the side effects of ED pills?

The most common side effects of ED drugs, in order of most to least common are headache, flushing, upset stomach, nasal congestion, vision problems, diarrhea, dizziness, and rash. A man who has an erection that lasts four hours or more needs to get to a hospital or risk permanent damage.

None of the ED drugs is safe to take with cardiac drugs called nitrates because it could cause a dangerous drop in blood pressure. Drugs that many men take for urinary symptoms, called alpha blockers, can also lower blood pressure, so take them at least four hours apart from ED drugs. Your doctor may start you on a smaller dose of the ED drug if you already take an alpha blocker or may recommend the alpha blocker tamsulosin (Flomax), which affects blood pressure less.

Heart health and erectile dysfunction

ED is often an early warning sign of underlying cardiovascular disease, such as clogged arteries (atherosclerosis). "It can predate a diagnosis of cardiovascular disease by at least a few years," Dr. Liou says. We don't have strong proof yet that starting to live a healthier lifestyle can reverse erectile problems, but it can't hurt.

ED drugs: How soon they start working and how long they last
Medication	Onset	Duration
avanafil (Stendra)	15-30 minutes	6-12 hours
sildenafil (Viagra)	30-60 minutes	4-5 hours
tadalafil (Cialis)	30-45 minutes	24-36 hours
tadalafil (Cialis) daily	continuous	continuous
vardenafil (Levitra)	30-60 minutes	4-5 hours

Looking for natural solutions to ED? Read 5 natural ways to overcome erectile dysfunction.

Image: Goodboy Picture Company/Getty Images

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As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles.

No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.

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Which erectile dysfunction drug is best over the counter?

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Is there an over the counter version of Viagra?

Are there over-the-counter pills that works like Viagra? According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) , there are no safe and effective alternative treatments for ED. Some OTC treatments may contain active ingredients found in prescription drugs, but not at safe levels.

Can you buy erectile dysfunction pills over the counter?

The answer is yes; there are over-the-counter pills that work like Viagra. If you have erectile dysfunction (ED), you may be desperate to find a cure for your problem. ED can be caused by several factors, including stress, depression, physical issues, and medications.