Cialis

Description

Cialis can work for up to 36 hours in your body.

To treat erectile dysfunction (ED), your doctor may have you take Cialis only as needed before sexual activity. (See the “Cialis dosage” section below to learn more.) In this case, Cialis may keep working for up to 36 hours in helping you have and maintain erections during that time.

However, if you take Cialis each day for either benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) or ED, you’ll consistently have medication in your system. Therefore, it will continue to work throughout the day.

Drug forms and administration

Both Cialis and Viagra come as tablets that you swallow. Cialis may be taken once a day or just when needed for sexual activity. Usually, Viagra is taken only as needed for sexual activity.

Side effects and risks

Cialis and Viagra both contain medications to treat ED. Therefore, these medications can cause very similar side effects, but some different ones as well. Below are examples of these side effects.

Mild side effects

These lists contain up to 10 of the most common mild side effects that can occur with Cialis, with Viagra, or with both drugs (when taken individually).

• Can occur with Cialis:
  • pain in your arms or legs
  • heartburn
• Can occur with Viagra:
  • abnormal vision
• Can occur with both Cialis and Viagra:
  • headache
  • flushing
  • stuffy nose
  • back pain
  • muscle pain
  • nausea
  • dizziness
  • rash

Serious side effects

This list contains examples of serious side effects that can occur with Cialis and Viagra when taken individually.

• prolonged erection (an erection that lasts more than 4 hours)
• loss of vision
• changes in hearing, such as trouble hearing or ringing in your ears
• allergic reaction
• changes in blood pressure

Effectiveness

Cialis and Viagra have different FDA-approved uses, but they’re both used to treat ED.

The use of Cialis and Viagra in treating ED has been directly compared in clinical studies.

One study’s results

One study compared people who took Cialis either once a day or as needed with people who took Viagra as needed.

• The study showed that people in the Cialis group had more improvement in their sexual confidence than those in the Viagra group.
• The Cialis group was also less concerned about how long their erection lasted than the Viagra group. This is because Cialis works longer than Viagra.

Results from a second study

In another ED studyTrusted Source, people took either Cialis as needed or Viagra as needed for 4 weeks. They then switched to the other medication for an additional 4 weeks. Finally, people decided which drug they preferred.

Researchers found that more than twice as many people preferred Cialis over Viagra. Most often, people reported that they preferred Cialis because the medication lasts longer in the body.

The study also looked at how well the drugs worked to treat ED, based on the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) survey. A higher IIEF score meant that erectile function was better, so ED symptoms improved.

IIEF scores increased by about the same amount (on average) in people who took Cialis or Viagra. Average scores for self-esteem and relationship quality were also about equal in the two groups.