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Choosing the erectile dysfunction drug that’s right for you requires a careful review of multiple factors, not the least of which is cost. Using that criterion alone, the average annual cost of Levitra is lowest, while sildenafil citrate is your best buy among the generic equivalents of the Big 3 ED drugs.
Introduction
Erectile dysfunction — the inability to get and keep an erection suitable for intercourse — affects up to 30 million men across America. Fortunately for the vast majority of those men, pharmaceutical research has developed a family of medications that make the treatment of ED far easier than it was up until a couple of decades ago.
The revolution in ED treatment, of course, is represented by the development of Viagra and similar medications designed to treat male impotence caused by insufficient blood flow to the penis. And though the causes of insufficient blood flow vary widely, this vascular anomaly is responsible for an estimated 80 percent of all ED diagnoses.
This quiet revolution in ED treatment began in 1998 with the introduction of Viagra, Pfizer’s iconic blue pill that temporarily improves blood flow to the penis, making it easier to get and keep an erection. Five years later in 2003, rival pharmaceutical companies introduced their versions of medications that, like Viagra, are known collectively as PDE5 inhibitors. The new drugs were Levitra and Cialis.
Despite the introduction of a couple of other PDE5 inhibitors in the years since 2003, Viagra, Levitra, and Cialis remain the Big 3 in ED treatment. They dominate the market, although the arrival of generic equivalents for each of these drugs has understandably reduced sales of the brand-name drugs to some extent.
Choosing the Right Drug for You
As previously noted, the Big 3 ED drugs all belong to the same family of medications, indicating that they work in essentially the same way. However, each has its own unique chemical formula, and that can make a subtle — but sometimes significant — difference in how you react to each drug.
While you might find that all three drugs produce the desired results for you, it’s possible that you’ll prefer one because it goes to work faster, lasts longer, or has fewer side effects than the others.
The biggest difference between these three brand-name drugs — as well as their generic equivalents — is in their typical onset of action and duration of action. While Viagra and Levitra usually take 30 to 60 minutes to become effective, Cialis can take up to 120 minutes to take effect.
However, while the typical duration of action of Viagra and Levitra ranges from four to six hours, Cialis remains effective for up to 36 hours, earning it the nickname of the “weekend pill.” Although Cialis’s lost-lasting effects might sound impressive at first glance, men who rarely have multiple sex acts over a day and a half probably won’t need the pill’s lengthy duration of action.
Another important consideration for most men is price. Prices vary from one of these brand-name drugs to the other. And similar variations exist between the prices of their generic equivalents.
| ED MEDICATION (ACTIVE INGREDIENT) | RECOMMENDED STARTING DOSE | AVG COST PER RSD* | AVERAGE ANNUAL COST |
|---|---|---|---|
| VIAGRA (sildenafil citrate) | 50MG | $39.20 | $2,508.80 |
| LEVITRA (vardenafil hydrochloride) | 10MG | $28.61 | $1,831.04 |
| CIALIS (tadalafil) | 10MG | $38.46 | $2,461.44 |
Annual Cost of ED Treatment
This blog post addresses the relative cost of treating ED symptoms for a year with Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra. It will also look at the annual cost of treatment with the generic versions of these drugs.
To calculate the average cost of treating ED with each of these drugs, it was necessary to try to get a fix on the average number of times American men have sex each year.
According to the National Opinion Research Center, the frequency of sexual activity varies among age groups. NORC found that Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 have sex an average of 84 times a year. For those in their 40s, the frequency of sex is 63.5 times a year. Those in their 70s have sex an average of 10 times a year. Because it lies somewhere in the middle between the two extremes and also because ED tends to emerge most often among those in their 40s, a year-round average of 64 sex acts a year was used for our calculations.
As you can see from Table 1, the least expensive of the brand-name ED drugs in terms of annual cost is Levitra, followed by Cialis, and Viagra. Although it was mentioned earlier, it should be stressed that the effects of Cialis are much longer-lasting than those of either Viagra or Levitra.
Price comparisons are based on the average annual cost of the recommended starting dose of each drug used an average of 64 times a year. The average annual cost of that recommended dose is calculated based on the multiple purchases of 10 pills of maximum strength that are then split in half to yield the relevant recommended starting dose.
Current prices at three major pharmacy retailers — CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart — were added to current prices listed by eDrugstore.com, a longtime online facilitator. The total was then divided by four to obtain a national average price.
Daily Cialis Not Included
Cialis is the only ED drug that is available in two different formulations, one designed for use as needed and the other designed to be taken daily to ensure that users are ready for sex whenever the time is right.
Tadalafil is the active ingredient in both versions of Cialis. However, the daily form of the drug comes in tablets of 2.5 and 5 milligrams each, while the on-demand formulation is sold in tablets of 10 and 20 milligrams.
This post’s comparisons look solely at on-demand Cialis, because it is the version of the drug most comparable with Viagra and Levitra, both of which are drugs to be taken on demand.
However, for those interested in a daily ED drug regimen, it should be noted that low-dose Cialis fits the bill, as does low-dose tadalafil, its generic equivalent.
| GENERIC MEDICATION (BRAND-NAME EQUIVALENT) | RECOMMENDED STARTING DOSE | AVG COST PER RSD* | AVERAGE ANNUAL COST |
|---|---|---|---|
| SILDENAFIL CITRATE (Viagra) | 50MG | $20.73 | $1,326.72 |
| VARDENAFIL HCL (Levitra) | 10MG | 10MG | $1,447.68 |
| TADALAFIL (Cialis) | 10MG | $25.04 | $1,602.56 |
Generic Equivalents of the Big 3
Table 2 compares the average annual cost of the generic versions of Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra. They are all relatively recent arrivals on the market. Generic Viagra first went on sale in the United States in December 2017, while generic versions of Cialis and Levitra came to market in the latter half of 2018.
Because these generics contain the identical active ingredient as their brand-name equivalents, they work virtually identically. However, they can represent a significant cost saving over the brand-name drugs.
The price calculations for these generic equivalents of the Big 3 ED medications used the same basic formula as the one used to determine the average annual cost of the brand-name ED drugs.
Among generic equivalents, sildenafil citrate (Viagra) has the lowest average annual cost at $1,362.72, followed by vardenafil hydrochloride (Levitra) at $1,447.68 per year. At an annual cost of $1,602.56, tadalafil, the generic equivalent of Cialis, is the most expensive, which is not all that bad considering the drug’s significantly longer duration of action. However, if you don’t need a drug that lasts that long, you’d be better off going with one of the others.
Why Order ED Drugs Online?
As you probably are well aware, all of these drugs are readily available at your local pharmacy, although you’ll need a prescription to purchase any of them. Why, then, does it make any sense to order these drugs online?
Well, if you’re like most 21st century Americans, it’s hard to find enough time to take care of all your responsibilities. Ordering prescription drugs from the comfort of your own home saves you the time and hassle spent traveling to and from the drugstore and then waiting in line to drop off your prescription and later pick it up when it’s been filled. On top of that, you’ll need a doctor’s prescription to buy these drugs, and that means a trip to the doctor.
If you order online from eDrugstore.com, you’ll save yourself multiple trips to the pharmacy and may also be able to forgo a visit to the doctor. If you don’t yet have a prescription, eDrugstore will arrange a complimentary online consultation with a licensed U.S. physician who can authorize a prescription if appropriate. To learn more, pay a visit to eDrugstore’s Erectile Dysfunction page.
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