There are multiple ways of obtaining a prescription for medications for erectile dysfunction (ED). Viagra, Cialis, and their competitors are all prescription medications, and websites claiming to sell them without a prescription are most likely selling counterfeit products that don’t contain the active ingredients in the actual medications.
For nearly two decades, oral erectile dysfunction medications, such as Viagra, Levitra, and Cialis, have helped millions of men worldwide to recover erectile function temporarily and resume relatively normal sex lives.
These drugs, known collectively as PDE5 inhibitors for reasons we’ll explain later, are available in the United States only by prescription. Online enticements that purport to provide these drugs to you without a prescription should best be ignored. What you’ll get is unlikely to be the genuine article.
Consult Your Doctor
However, a frank discussion with your regular doctor or urologist about your erection problems will likely produce a prescription for the drug. Alternatively, certain Internet drugstores can arrange online consultations with one of their medical professionals who can authorize a prescription if appropriate. Some such online services may carry an additional fee, while others are complimentary.
If you don’t mind candidly discussing your erection problems face to face with your doctor, getting a prescription from him or her is clearly your best option. Your regular doctor presumably has a comprehensive knowledge of your medical history and other health issues that may influence the decision about whether an ED drug is appropriate for you.
ED Drugs Not for Everyone
While clinical trials have shown these drugs to be safe and effective for most healthy men, they are not appropriate for everyone. Men with serious cardiovascular problems may be advised to refrain from sex altogether, making the use of Viagra or Cialis not only a waste of time and money but potentially dangerous as well.
These drugs also interact adversely with a number of other medications, some of which your doctor may have prescribed. If, for example, you’re taking a nitrate-based drug for the treatment of angina or persistently elevated blood pressure, your doctor will advise you that taking these two types of drugs concurrently could trigger a potentially life-threatening drop in blood pressure.
Other Drug Interactions
Certain other drugs, including some antihistamines, antihypertensives, and antidepressants, can interfere with the mechanisms of the PDE5 inhibitors. In some cases, your doctor can switch you to a drug unlikely or less likely to interfere with the PDE5 inhibitors, but it’s a decision your doctor is best qualified to make.
The biggest single cause of ED is insufficient blood flow to the penis. The PDE5 inhibitors are so called because they temporarily disable an enzyme known as phosphodiesterase-5 that can interfere with optimal blood flow to the penis. One of that enzyme’s primary functions is to break down an erection-friendly substance known as cyclic guanosine monophosphate, or cGMP. It is cGMP that triggers the relaxation of the smooth muscle tissue that lines the inner walls of arteries that supply the penis. As these arteries relax and expand, blood flow increases, thus paving the way for erection.
Although ED is not an inevitable consequence of aging, its incidence increases as men grow older. That’s because the cumulative effect of certain unhealthy behaviors and the progression of other diseases and disorders increase as you age. In men with robust vascular function, the PDE5 enzyme breaks down cGMP, but new cGMP is released to replace it. In men with compromised vascularity, the PDE5 enzyme can degrade cGMP faster than it can be replaced, thus making it difficult, if not impossible, for erection to occur.
Online Prescriptions
For men who are reluctant to discuss their sexual health problems face to face with their regular doctor, a handful of online drugstores can arrange consultations with one of their doctors. Typically, the prospective ED drug buyer is asked to fill out a fairly comprehensive medical questionnaire that details the symptoms of his erection problems, medical history, and the drugs — prescription and over-the-counter — that he’s taking.
The online doctor will carefully review that questionnaire before making a decision about whether you are an appropriate candidate for the drug. If you opt to get a prescription via the online route, you owe to yourself to be 100 percent honest and as comprehensive as possible when filling out your medical questionnaire.
If you decide to purchase online, you might want to consider using eDrugstore.com, a member of the Secure Medical family of online drugstores that sells only FDA-approved drugs that have been sourced from licensed U.S. pharmacies. If you already have a prescription from your regular doctor, you can fax or scan and email it along with your order. If you don’t yet have a prescription, eDrugstore can arrange an online consultation with one of its team of licensed U.S. doctors. This service is complimentary.
To see for yourself what eDrugstore has to offer and to learn more about the various ED medications available, you can get started by clicking below to access the website’s ED Medication Guide. If you’re ready to order prescription ED medications online, we encourage you to visit eDrugstore.com.
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