Vardenafil

What Is Vardenafil?

Vardenafil may be prescribed to adult men for a treatment of erectile dysfunction (impotence).

Vardenafil also may be administered for other purposes not mentioned in the guide for this medication.

How vardenafil works

Vardenafil and the rest of the PDE5 inhibitors that were developed to address ED do so by letting more blood to flow into your penis. For that reason, it is essential to learn how drugs work, and it begins with understanding the erection process.

When you become sexually aroused, your brain causes the release of the chemical nitric oxideTrusted Source which has an effect on the blood vessels in your penis.

Nitric oxide is transported into blood vessels and cGMP is formed once it is activated.

cGMP is a chemical that causes the blood vessels in your penis to relax and let more blood in. This helps the blood vessels of your penis to become harder.

Vardenafil is a PDE5 inhibitor, much like cGMP that is broken down by this enzyme. The inactivation of this enzyme leads to the greater availability of cGMP in your blood vessels and consequently more blood can deliver to your penis.

Besides from ED treatment, some medicines from the PDE5 inhibitors group may also be used for the other disease called pulmonary hypertension.

Before taking this medicine

Vardenafil must not be used if you are hypersensitive to it, or if other medications for pulmonary arterial hypertension like riociguat (Adempas) are being taken with it.

Vardenafil must not be used with nitrate medications, such as nitroglycerin, isosorbide dinitrate, and isosorbide mononitrate, if chest pain or heart problems are being suffered from. Furthermore, nitrates are found in certain recreational drugs including amyl nitrate or nitrite (poppers). The use of vardenafil with nitrate medicines is not recommended, as a dangerous fall in blood pressure can be caused.

Your doctor must be told if you have ever had:

- cardiovascular diseases, cardiac arrhythmias.
- a heart attack, a stroke, or congestive heart failure.
- Long QT syndrome (LQTS) suffered by you or a family member.
- high or low blood pressure.
- a seizure (convulsions);
- a blood cell disorder like sickle cell anemia, multiple myeloma, or any type of leukemia.
- heterozygosity for a recessive genetic disorder e.g., hemophilia
- a stomach ulcer;
- hearing problems, vision loss; sight loss.
- a visual handicap like retinitis pigmentosa (an inherited condition of the eye).
- a physical abnormality of the sex organ (like Peyronie's disease).
- being told you should not participate in sexual intercourse for health concerns.
- liver problems, kidney problems (or if dialysis is being undergone)

The blood to the nerve of the eye optic nerve can be decreased by Vardenafil, resulting in sudden vision loss. This has only been experienced by a few people, most of whom had heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or certain eye problems. Additionally, it was known that those who smoked or were over 50 years old had these conditions. The development of vision loss may not be attributed to Vardenafil, as drug-induced retinal changes are relatively rare.

Phenylalanine, the ingredient in aspartame, is contained in Staxyn. Your doctor should be told before this form of vardenafil is used by you if you have phenylketonuria (PKU).

Vardenafil has been approved for use only in males, while the effects of vardenafil among pregnant women and breastfeeding women have not yet been known.

What happens if I miss a dose?

Since you are not on a dosing schedule, you are not likely to take vardenafil as regularly and therefore its effect will not be as consistent.

What happens if I overdose?

For urgent medical care, call 1-800-222-1222 or visit the nearest emergency room.

What should I avoid while using vardenafil?

Grapefruit and Seville orange may interfere with vardenafil action and contribute to undesired effects. No grapes and orange marmalades are advisable to consume.

Drinking alcohol in combination with vardenafil can affect the side effect profile.

Take care of not using any other drug to treat erectile dysfunction unless your doctor has instructed you to do so.

What other drugs will affect vardenafil?

Taking vardenafil at the same time with avanafil (Stendra), sildenafil (Viagra), or tadalafil (Cialis) is forbidden. Let your doctor know all other drugs you’re taking for erectile dysfunction disease.

Tell your doctor about all your other medicines, especially

an antibiotic--clarithromycin, erythromycin;

antifungal medicine--itraconazole, ketoconazole;

example of such drugs are alfuzosin, doxazosin, prazosin, silodosin, terazosin, and tamsulosin are used for high blood pressure or prostate disorder.

drugs for heart rhythm-- amiodarone, dronedarone, procainamide, quinidine, sotalol.

HIV/AIDS medicines--atazanavir, indinavir, ritonavir, saquinavir, cobicistat, and other.