Erectile dysfunction (ED) is the ongoing inability to get or keep an erection firm enough for sex. It can be caused by physical issues (like poor blood flow, nerve damage, or low testosterone), psychological factors (such as stress or anxiety), or lifestyle habits (like smoking or alcohol use).

You can expect to experience stronger, longer-lasting erections. However, this won’t be instantaneous. Each ED treatment takes a certain amount of time to take effect, so you should take this into account when you’re planning to have sex.

Sildenafil 50mg

Time to take effect: 1 hour

Lasts for up to: 4 hours

Tadalafil 10mg

Time to take effect: 30 minutes

Lasts for up to: 36 hours

Tadalafil Daily 2.5mg

Time to take effect: 3-5 days

Lasts for up to: Continuous effect

Viagra Connect 50mg

Time to take effect: 1 hour

Lasts for up to: 4 hours

ED tablets do not alter your libido or sexual desire. You’ll still need to be sexually aroused for them to take effect.

ED medications can also be taken with or without food. However, if you take them with a heavy meal, you may delay their effects by about an hour (with the exception of Tadalafil Daily).

A clinician will determine which treatment is most safe and effective for you. They’ll take into account your lifestyle, medical history, and preferences. Although all the erectile dysfunction tablets we offer encourage stronger erections, each ED treatment works in a slightly different way. This allows our clinicians to find a treatment that suits you best.

Sildenafil and Viagra Connect: If you can plan when you have sex, sildenafil or Viagra Connect may be the best erectile dysfunction treatment options for you as these can be taken on an as-and-when basis. They both take around one hour to kick in and can last for up to four hours.

Tadalafil: Tadalafil takes about 30 minutes to kick in and lasts for up to 36 hours. This is ideal if you prefer having a more flexible ED treatment that allows you to experience harder erections for a longer period of time (for example, over the course of a weekend).

Tadalafil Daily: If you tend to have spontaneous sex, Tadalafil Daily keeps you topped up with a steady level of tadalafil in your system every day so you can get erections whenever you need them. It takes three to five days to take effect, but once it does, its effects are continuous.

Erectile dysfunction tablets are typically safe to use both in the short term and long term.

The results of a study looking at men using sildenafil over the course of four years suggest that it’s safe and effective when used over a prolonged period of time.

Likewise, another study involving 1173 men with ED concluded that tadalafil was “safe and well tolerated” when used for the duration of the study, which lasted for two years.

In general, if you find yourself taking sildenafil (or any other ED treatment) for a prolonged period of time, it’s worth looking at the underlying causes with the help of our clinicians. A blood test can help diagnose the root cause and determine any lifestyle changes that could solve your ED for good.

While most men will not experience any unwanted side effects from ED medications, there are some commonly reported ones to be aware of. These include:

• Headaches

• Dizziness

• Feeling faint

• Nasal congestion/stuffiness

• Feeling hot or flushed, including facial flushing

• Nausea

• Indigestion

• Visual changes (including colour changes, sensitivity to light and blurred vision)

A complete list of possible side effects is available in the Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) enclosed with all the ED medications we prescribe. You should always read it carefully before taking your ED treatment for the first time.

While our erectile dysfunction tablets usually work well for most men, some men may find that a particular ED treatment doesn’t give them the results they were hoping for. In this case, email our clinical team and they’ll do their best to find an alternative treatment.

If you change your erectile dysfunction treatment and it still doesn’t work for you, then it’s best to speak to your doctor as it may be a sign of an underlying condition that needs specific medical attention.

Our ED medications are cheaper than branded alternatives because they are “generic” medicines. A generic medicine is the same as an already marketed brand-name medicine in terms of dosage, safety, strength, quality, how well it performs, how it’s administered in the body, and what it’s used for.

Branding a medicine costs pharmaceutical companies a considerable amount of money, and this cost is usually shifted on to consumers in the form of higher prices. However, generic medicines are unbranded - which means these costs do not get passed on to the consumer.

As a result of this, generic medicines are almost always cheaper than branded alternatives (even though they contain the same active ingredients and work in the same way).

ED tablets should not be taken more than once a day. Taking any ED treatment more than once a day will increase the risk of experiencing side effects.

If you'd prefer the freedom to have more frequent sex, you may want to try tadalafil or Tadalafil Daily. These ED medications last for a long period of time and give you more flexibility to enjoy spontaneous sex.

To help you find the right treatment for your lifestyle, our ED tablets come in a variety of doses. The dose you receive will depend on the outcome of your online consultation, as our clinicians will select the most appropriate dose for you based on your health and history with erectile dysfunction.

Sildenafil

Our sildenafil comes in two doses:

• Sildenafil 50mg

• Sildenafil 100mg

The recommended starting dose for sildenafil is 50mg and it is our most commonly prescribed ED treatment.

Tadalafil

Our tadalafil comes in two doses:

• Tadalafil 10mg

• Tadalafil 20mg

The recommended starting dose for tadalafil is 10mg.

Tadalafil Daily

Our Tadalafil Daily comes in two doses:

• Tadalafil Daily 2.5mg

• Tadalafil Daily 5mg

The recommended starting dose for Tadalafil Daily is 5mg.

Viagra Connect

Viagra Connect only comes in one dose:

• Viagra Connect 50mg

Viagra Connect is an over-the-counter ED medication (meaning that you don’t need a prescription to purchase it) so it’s only available in one dose. Viagra also comes in a 100mg dose (Viagra 100mg) and a 25mg dose (Viagra 25mg), but you need a prescription before you can purchase these variants.

As of yet, there are no clinically proven home remedies for ED. For this reason, many people tend to explore ED medications (such as sildenafil or tadalafil) to treat their symptoms because they have been clinically proven to promote harder, longer-lasting erections.

However, although ED can be effectively treated with erectile dysfunction tablets, it’s still advisable to foster healthy habits at home to reduce the likelihood of experiencing ED. Maintaining a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and avoiding excessive porn consumption can all help to keep erectile dysfunction at bay.

Having low levels of testosterone is associated with a reduced sex drive, which can lead to ED. Alongside a healthy lifestyle, Testosterone Support helps to maintain your body's natural testosterone production.

While supplements support the healthy production of hormones, you may need to address low levels of testosterone with a doctor. Should you have concerns, our Testosterone Blood Test can provide further insights. Upon reviewing your test results, our clinicians will offer advice tailored to your individual needs.