Vardenafil for erectile dysfunction

About vardenafil

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.

Vardenafil 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.

Vardenafil is available on prescription, but it is only prescribed on the NHS for men with erectile dysfunction resulting from certain medical conditions. If you are given a private (non-NHS) prescription, you will be asked to pay the full cost of the tablets.

Some medicines are not suitable for people with certain conditions, and sometimes a medicine may only be used if extra care is taken. For these reasons, before you start taking vardenafil it is important that your doctor knows:

• 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.

• Se hai mai avuto una reazione allergica a un medicinale.

• Before you take vardenafil, 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 vardenafil 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 25-60 minutes before you plan to have sex, although it may still be effective up to 4-5 hours after taking the tablet. You can take the tablet either before or after food but, if you have just eaten a large or high-fat meal, it may take longer for it to work.

• There are three strengths of vardenafil tablets: 5 mg, 10 mg and 20 mg. It is likely that you will be given the 10 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 vardenafil 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. Vardenafil will not cause an erection unless you are sexually aroused.

• Do not drink large amounts of alcohol before you plan to take vardenafil. 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.

• You should not drink grapefruit juice with vardenafil. This is because there is a chemical in grapefruit juice which can increase the amount of vardenafil in your bloodstream and make 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 vardenafil, 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 vardenafil if you are using any other products or taking any other medicines to treat erectile dysfunction.

Along with their useful effects, most medicines can cause unwanted side-effects although not everyone experiences them. The table below contains some of the most common ones associated with vardenafil. You will find a full list in the manufacturer's information leaflet supplied with your medicine. The unwanted effects often improve as your body adjusts to the new medicine, but speak with your doctor or pharmacist if any of the following continue or become troublesome.

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.