Erectile dysfunction (ED) often coexists with other diseases. It can be also treated with several drugs simultaneously.
However, any medication has some interactions with other pharmaceuticals.
Therefore, you should be cautious when combining ED pills with other meds. Some interactions may be very harmful for health, therefore, particular combinations are strictly prohibited.
How Is Erectile Dysfunction Treated?
There are fundamental drugs to successfully combat erectile dysfunction. They originated in the 1990s, when scientists accidentally invented Viagra in the process of developing a drug for the treatment of angina.
Now Viagra, Cialis, Levitra and other medicines are simply indispensable for most men with impotence. They help in a prevailing number of cases.
If these drugs appear to be ineffective other treatment methods can be used (however, they are usually less preferable for men):
- herbal methods like Yohimbe bark supplements;
- intracavernous injections;
- vacuum pumps or vacuum constriction devices (VCD);
- penile implants;
- vascular reconstructive surgery;
- Alprostadil suppositories (Medicated Urethral System for Erection or MUSE), etc.
Possible Drug Interactions
The main thing you need to know is that you cannot combine two different drugs for the treatment of ED.
Notice
That is, for example, you cannot use Viagra and Cialis (or Levitra and Stendra) simultaneously.
This is unlikely to increase the effectiveness of therapy, moreover, this practice increases the risk of serious side effects.
Also, do not use ED drugs with pharmaceuticals for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension that contain similar base agents (for example, Revatio capsules by Pfizer company contain the same sildenafil as Viagra).
The most dangerous interaction that can occur during the treatment of male impotence is a combination of PDE5 inhibitors and nitrates, such as nitroglycerin.
The simultaneous use of these drugs can lead to a rapid drop in blood pressure, which can even cause a lethal effect.
Therefore, nitrates and Viagra (Cialis, etc.) are absolutely incompatible. This rule also applies to those taking stimulants (the so-called “poppers” such as amyl nitrite) for recreational purposes, since their action is similar to that of nitrates and a negative synergistic effect on blood pressure is also possible.
It is not recommended to take some substances for the treatment of HIV and Adempas (Riociguat), a drug for combatting pulmonary hypertension, simultaneously with Viagra.
Other drugs, as a rule, have relative compatibility. This applies to some antibiotics and antifungal medications. Itraconazole and ketoconazole, widely used to treat fungal infections, the drug Tagamet (cimetidine), which is used in the treatment of tumors, as well as erythromycin (antibiotic) inhibit the enzyme that is responsible for removing toxins and pharmaceutical substances from the body.
As a result, they can increase the concentration of sildenafil (tadalafil or another active ingredient of an anti-ED drug) in the blood.
Viagra and Aspirin
These two drugs are often combined. There are some misconceptions regarding the interaction of Viagra with other commonly used remedies, such as aspirin. There is a virtually groundless opinion that the use of Viagra can affect the productivity of aspirin action in the blood. Those who constantly use aspirin to prevent angina were particularly concerned. But these concerns were dispelled by doctors.
Studies have shown that sildenafil (50 mg) does not cause an additional increase in bleeding time when taken with acetylsalicylic acid (150 mg).
If the drugs that you are taking are not mentioned in the instructions for Viagra (or its analogue), these medicines are likely to be fully combined, they neither interact nor interfere with each other’s action.
A possible exception is when you take a completely new drug that has not been added to the list of possible interactions in the instruction.
How to Prevent Medication Interactions?
The most important advice is to thoroughly read the instruction(s) for the drug(s) that you use. They contain the entire list of possible interactions.
If you suffer from a serious heart disease, take nitrates, drugs for the treatment of lung diseases and other powerful drugs, it is highly advisable that you consult with your doctor about possible interactions and combinations of the medicines used.
