Reviewed by Peggy Coryat, RPh, October 22, 2023
Mechanism of Action Choosing Levitra About Vardenafil Correct Dosage Pricing Genuine Product Interactions Side Effects
Overview
An intense rhythm of life, stressful situations, overstrain at work, unfavorable ecology – all this can lead to exhaustion of a man’s nervous system. The result is an occurrence of sexual dysfunction. Levitra is a modern drug of synthetic origin, which is based on vardenafil, that can help solve this issue.
Advantages of the drug:
- Fast action. The effect of taking Levitra can be observed after 40 minutes. Men get a good, stable erection and have the opportunity to have normal and successful sexual intercourse.
- Long lasting results. After using the drug, the possibility of having a strong erection remains for 8-12 hours. During this time, men may have sexual intercourse repeatedly. The only condition is the desire for intimacy (stimulation).
- Well tolerated. On the part of the body’s systems, Levitra causes only mild side effects that do not cause much concern. Reactions to the drug such as mild headache, dizziness, and facial flushing have been reported. Dyspepsia, nausea, and temporary blurred vision are less common.
- Minimum contraindications. The drug should not be taken by minors, as well as by adults with hypersensitivity to the components of Levitra, or with severe heart, liver, or kidney diseases. A simultaneous use of erection tablets with drugs that contain nitrates is contraindicated.
- High effect. The medicine helps to restore sexual strength even with the development of complete impotence and successfully copes with erectile disorders of varying severity.
The only drawback of these powerful tablets is their high and not affordable price for everyone. Fortunately, you can purchase an analog of the original tablets – generic Levitra, which has all the positive properties described but has a more reasonable price.
How It Works
The active component facilitates increased blood flow to the penile tissues by relaxing the blood vessel’s smooth muscle layer. It takes around an hour, give or take 30 minutes, for the medication to reach the highest concentration in the blood. Once the medication is in the bloodstream, it starts its work.
The effect of Levitra develops only in the presence of sexual stimulation, as a result of which nitric oxide is released from the nerve endings of the corpora cavernosa. This process triggers a reaction to increase the level of cGMP. Muscle relaxation and an increase in blood flow to the penis follow. The rate at which the Guanylyl cyclase enzyme catalyzes cGMP synthesis and cGMP’s rate of hydrolytic PDE breakdown control the amount of cGMP.
Is Generic Levitra the right choice?
Patients with sexual dysfunction are often treated with Levitra. Not every drug offered in a pharmacy can eliminate erectile dysfunction and give good results. In view of this, men are faced with a difficult choice and do not know which product to choose. Before you decide whether it can help you, you need to consult with a doctor to eliminate any contraindications and undesirable side effects. For now, you can consider the following.
The high effectiveness of the drug has been proven by research and many years of clinical practice. Therefore, Levitra rightfully occupies a leading position among drugs for the treatment of erectile disorders. Ninety percent of individuals who use these pills report a favorable impact. Levitra helps with sexual issues caused by physiological and psychological reasons, as well as factors of another nature. Due to the high selectivity of the active substance, Levitra does not affect organs and systems whose function is regulated by other PDEs.
About Vardenafil
Vardenafil is the main active component. It is a powerful PDE-5 suppressor, which is the most important PDE in the human corpus cavernosum. Vardenafil actively enhances the effect of endogenous nitric oxide in the corpus cavernosum by inhibiting PDE-5. PDE5 inhibition under the influence of vardenafil leads to an increase in cGMP levels in the erectile tissue of your penis in response to nitric oxide production, which occurs during sexual stimulation. As with any other medication, Levitra also has secondary components that give it substance
Doses and Taking
After oral administration, the active substance is rapidly absorbed. When taken on an empty stomach, the absorption will take only around 15 minutes. In most cases, though, the maximum concentration will be achieved only in half an hour and up to an hour and a half. At the same time, men can take it 4 to 6 hours in advance as the medication can still be activated by sexual desire and stimulation.
It should be noted that although food intake does not affect the results, high-fat meals do slightly affect the maximum average concentration. It is recommended to wash down the pills with a sufficient amount of liquid, water or juice, except for grapefruit juice. Although the dosages are typically determined individually, men usually take 10 mg. A single dose may be doubled or cut in half, depending on the effectiveness and tolerability of the drug.
Pricing in Canada
The pricing of the brand name Levitra medication varies across different Canadian pharmacies. However, when you compare the prices, it will be obvious that the price per tablet goes down from about $25-35 per pill to $11-12 per 20mg tablet. It is obvious that not all men will be able to afford this medication. Accordingly, they search for effective alternatives. Fortunately, there is a generic version of Levitra. You can find prices around $1-2 per tablet with the same dosage.
Interactions with other medications
The combined use of vardenafil with nitrates and other NO donors is prohibited. When combined with drugs that inhibit or induce cytochrome P450 enzymes, the absorption, distribution, bioavailability, metabolism, and elimination may change.
Levitra should be prescribed with caution to patients receiving alpha-blockers. An interval of at least 3 hours should be maintained between taking this medication and alpha-blockers (except tamsulosin).
Side Effects
Levitra, like any medicine, can cause side effects:
- the appearance of edema as a consequence of allergic reactions;
- headaches and dizziness;
- fainting and convulsions;
- blurred vision, photophobia;
- ringing in the ears;
- tachycardia and rapid heartbeat;
- diarrhea and nausea;
- priapism (rare).
The drug must be taken strictly according to the instructions prescribed by the doctor. When conducting studies on healthy volunteers, it turned out that when consuming 120 mg of the drug once a day, no side effects were found. However, taking the medication twice a day at 40 mg caused complaints of pain in the lumbar region (without signs of intoxication).
In case of overdose, though, you should seek medical attention and carry out usual supportive therapy. Vardenafil is almost completely bound to plasma proteins, only a small amount is excreted by the kidneys. Therefore, there may be no effect from hemodialysis.
USAGE GUIDELINES FOR THIS INFORMATION
Please keep in mind that this is not the full description of the product, so some of the minor details could have been left out. Even though we try to provide you with accurate information, we cannot guarantee that this product will be suitable for you. Under no circumstances should this information be used instead of professional medical consultation. Speaking to your doctor is vital for getting an accurate diagnosis and effective treatment.