Tadalafil is one of the common drugs that is used to treat erectile dysfunction or impotence, a common experience among men. One of the main causes of erectile dysfunction is the lack of blood in the penile area to sustain an erection. Tadalafil addresses this by stimulating an increase in the blood flow to the penis to aid a man in having and keeping an erection. Other factors that cause erectile dysfunction include other physical, psychological, and social conditions (relationship issues) that affect the brain, nerves, muscles, emotions, and your body’s blood flow. These are the main components that function to make an erection possible. Also, it is used as a treatment drug for an enlarged prostate also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia-BPH. Tadalafil helps in treating its symptoms such as the difficulty in the flow of urine or frequent urination.
Tadalafil is known to be a reversible phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor (PDE5) which is approved to treat erectile dysfunction, thus a safe drug. However, there are still precautionary measures one must make:
- You must first consult a doctor or a pharmacist about the drug. There may be inactive ingredients that may cause allergic reactions and other issues. You must know which types of medicines and ingredients you are allergic to.
- If you have these conditions, you must immediately tell your doctor before using Tadalafil:
- A history of heart problems which include: life-threatening irregular heartbeat for the past six months, heart attack, angina/chest pain, heart failure, and others
- Kidney disease
- A history of stroke in the past six months
- Liver disease
- Penis conditions such as angulation, Peyronie’s disease, fibrosis/scarring, and more
- An experience of prolonged/painful erection
- Low blood pressure (anaemia)
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Eye concerns such as a sudden decreased vision, NAION, and retinitis pigmentosa
- Active stomach ulcers
- Conditions that contribute to the increase of the risk of priapism which includes leukaemia, sickle cell anaemia, multiple myeloma
- Bleeding disorders
- If you are taking any of these medications, you must also consult with your doctor whether tadalafil is suitable for you since it may interact with other medications. This includes:
- High blood pressure or prostate drugs (the alpha-blockers)
Your blood pressure may unexpectedly drop to dangerously low levels.
- Alfuzosin
- Tamsulosin
- Terazosin
- Prazosin
- Doxazosin
- Angina drugs (the nitrates)
This is also in relation to the sudden drop in your blood pressure.
- Butyl nitrite
- Isosorbide dinitrate
- Isosorbide mononitrate
- Amyl nitrite
- Nitroglycerin
- Certain HIV drugs
HIV drugs can increase the level of tadalafil in your blood. This may cause dizziness, fainting, and vision problems.
- Lopinavir
- Ritonavir
- Antibiotics
Antibiotics can also raise the tadalafil levels in your blood which causes fainting, dizziness, vision problems, and risks of priapism.
- Erythromycin
- Telithromycin
- Clarithromycin
- Oral antifungal drugs
Oral antifungal drugs is another inhibitor of tadalafil in your blood.
- Itraconazole
- Ketoconazole
- Other erectile dysfunction drugs
Since these ED drugs have the same side effects, taking these with tadalafil may increase your risks of experiencing their side effects.
- Sildenafil
- Vardenafil
- Stomach acid drugs
Stomach acid drugs cause your body to absorb tadalafil well. It may result in tadalafil being more effective. However, too much absorption of tadalafil as mentioned above can result in harmful conditions of low blood pressure and vision problems.
- Aluminium/magnesium hydroxide
- Epilepsy drugs
In contrast, epilepsy drugs cause a decrease of tadalafil in your blood which may lead to tadalafil not working at all.
- Carbamazepine
- Phenytoin
- phenobarbital
Click to Numan to find out more about how tadalafil works. Make sure to consult your doctor before trying it out to prevent any more complications.
