Viagra’s effects usually last four or five hours. However, certain factors can shorten or extend the medication’s duration of action.
Viagra’s drug label cautions: “If you have an erection for more than four hours, call a doctor.” Usually the snarky reply is “Tell my doctor? I’m telling everybody!” But it raises the question, Just how long does Viagra last in the first place?
According to Pfizer, the little blue pill’s developer, the effects of Viagra last for about four hours and kick in between 30 and 60 minutes after taking it. But that’s in a clinical environment, essentially testing the drug in a vacuum with no other factors. It’s a good rule of thumb but not the final word for anybody. There are actually several things that can reduce or increase the amount of time Viagra is in your system — in some cases, by a pretty wide margin.
Factors That Delay Onset of Action
Here are two critical factors that can delay Viagra’s onset of action:
♦ Taking it with a high-fat meal makes it more difficult for the body’s digestive process to break down the Viagra so that the full dose can get where it needs to go. So if you’re going to be spending time with that special someone after dinner, order the salad.
♦ Drug interactions, which your doctor should be aware of before prescribing Viagra, can delay Viagra’s onset of action or prevent it from taking effect altogether. For example, rifampin, generally used to treat tuberculosis and leprosy, reduces Viagra’s effectiveness significantly due to the effect it has on the body. In extreme cases, Viagra just doesn’t work. Why somebody being treated for tuberculosis or leprosy would be taking Viagra in the first place is just going to have to remain a mystery.
Taking Viagra with certain other medications can increase the little blue pill’s duration of action. For example, if you take Tagamet and Viagra, it can keep Viagra in the bloodstream for a significantly longer time, although it’s unclear as to why. Similarly, taking CYP 3A4 inhibitors will increase the amount of time Viagra is in the blood because CYP 3A4 is the enzyme in your liver that breaks down Viagra. Less of that, more of Viagra. If you have liver or kidney disease, that will also slow the digestive breakdown of the pill and thus its onset of action.
Age Can Slow Drug’s Breakdown
Another factor that can increase time frame is age. Being over 65, your body simply doesn’t process medications as quickly, so they linger longer in the bloodstream. And, of course, if you take Viagra with another ED drug (hint: DON’T), Viagra will spend more time with you.
All this may sound like a good thing, but it’s not. The entire reason you have to see a doctor if an erection lasts for more than four hours is that the resulting condition, known as priapism, is considered a medical emergency. Blood is trapped in your penis and that can cause severe damage. It’s extremely painful and may require surgery; otherwise, your penile tissues may begin to die as the blood inside them stagnates. So, talk to your doctor about drug interactions before using Viagra, and always follow directions.
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