Sildenafil per la disfunzione erettile

About sildenafil for erectile dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction (sometimes called impotence) means that you cannot get or maintain a proper erection. There are several causes, the most common being due to a narrowing of the arteries that take blood to the penis.

Sildenafil works by preventing the action of a chemical in your body, called phosphodiesterase type-5. This helps to widen (relax) blood vessels and improves the flow of blood to the penis following sexual stimulation. This helps to maintain an erection.

Sildenafil is available on prescription. Non-branded (generic) tablets of sildenafil are available on the NHS, but the brand Viagra® can only be prescribed on the NHS for men with erectile dysfunction resulting from certain medical conditions.

Sildenafil can also be bought over the counter from pharmacies in certain circumstances. Ask your pharmacist for advice on whether this option is suitable for you.

Another brand of sildenafil tablets called Revatio® is used in a completely different condition called pulmonary arterial hypertension - please see the separate medicine leaflet called Sildenafil for pulmonary hypertension if you have been prescribed this brand of sildenafil tablets.

Alcuni medicinali non sono adatti a persone con determinate condizioni, e a volte un medicinale può essere utilizzato solo con particolare attenzione. Per questi motivi, prima di iniziare a prendere il sildenafil, è importante che il tuo medico sappia:

• Se hai una malattia, una lesione o una deformità del pene.

• If you have a heart condition, or blood vessel disease.

• Se hai avuto una condizione oculare che ha causato la perdita della vista.

• If you have low blood pressure or angina.

• Se hai problemi con il funzionamento del tuo fegato o con il funzionamento dei tuoi reni.

• Se hai avuto un ictus o un attacco di cuore.

• Se hai una condizione che causa sanguinamento, come un'ulcera allo stomaco.

• Se hai l'anemia falciforme.

• Se hai mai avuto un cancro al midollo osseo o la leucemia.

• If you are taking or using any other medicines. This includes any medicines you are taking which are available to buy without a prescription, as well as herbal and complementary medicines, and recreational drugs.

• If you have ever had an allergic reaction to a medicine.
  

• Before you take sildenafil, read the manufacturer's printed information leaflet from inside the pack. It will give you more information about the tablets and will provide you with a full list of the side-effects which you may experience from taking them.

• Take sildenafil exactly as your doctor tells you to. It is intended to be taken before sexual activity - it is NOT for continuous daily use. You should take one tablet about an hour before you plan to have sex, although it may still be effective up to five hours after taking the tablet. You can take the tablet either before or after food but, if you have just eaten a large meal, it may take longer for it to work.

• There are three strengths of sildenafil tablets: 25 mg, 50 mg and 100 mg. It is likely that you will be given the 50 mg strength tablet to begin with, but this may be changed subsequently depending upon how you react. Each time you collect a prescription, check to make sure it contains the strength of tablet you are expecting.

• Do not take more than one dose of sildenafil in any 24-hour period.

• You and your partner will still need to engage in foreplay, just as you would if you were not taking a medicine for erectile dysfunction. Sildenafil will not cause an erection unless you are sexually aroused.

• Do not drink large amounts of alcohol before you plan to take sildenafil. Drinking too much alcohol can reduce your ability to get an erection and this may prevent you from getting the maximum benefit from the tablets.

• It is recommended that you do not drink grapefruit juice with sildenafil. This is because there is a chemical in grapefruit juice which can increase the amount of sildenafil in your bloodstream and this makes side-effects more likely.

• Keep your regular appointments with your doctor so your progress can be monitored. If you feel the tablets are too strong for you, discuss this with your doctor as your dose may need to be reduced. Alternatively, if you do not get an erection after taking sildenafil, or if it does not last long enough for you to have sex, you should discuss this with your doctor - do not take more tablets than you have been told to.

• You should not take sildenafil if you are using any other products or taking any other medicines to treat erectile dysfunction.

Oltre ai loro effetti utili, la maggior parte dei medicinali può causare effetti collaterali indesiderati, anche se non tutti li sperimentano. La tabella sottostante contiene alcuni dei più comuni associati al sildenafil. Troverai un elenco completo nel foglietto illustrativo fornito con il tuo medicinale. Gli effetti indesiderati spesso migliorano man mano che il tuo corpo si adatta al nuovo medicinale, ma parla con il tuo medico o farmacista se uno dei seguenti continua o diventa problematico.

Se si verificano altri sintomi che ritieni possano essere dovuti alle compresse, parla con il tuo medico o farmacista per ulteriori consigli.

• Tenere tutti i medicinali fuori dalla portata e dalla vista dei bambini.

• Conservare in un luogo fresco e asciutto, lontano da fonti di calore e luce diretta.