Levitra, an impotence drug introduced in late 2003, has been clinically proven to be safe and effective for most men.If like millions of other men in the United States and around the world you’re beginning to experience recurrent problems getting and keeping an erection, perhaps now is a good time to give one of the popular impotence medications a try.
Only available since the late 1990s, these drugs have given countless impotent men an opportunity to at least temporarily regain erectile function so that they can enjoy a more fulfilling sex life.
Among the handful of drugs you’ll have to choose from, Levitra is for many a popular choice. It was the second of the current crop of impotence medications to win FDA approval and has undergone exhaustive clinical testing that has shown that the drug is both safe and effective when used by most men.
Vardenafil Is Active Ingredient
Levitra’s active ingredient is vardenafil hydrochloride, a chemical compound that belongs to a family of medications known as PDE5 inhibitors. Others in the same family include Viagra, Cialis, and Stendra. Another drug even more closely related to Levitra is Staxyn, an orally soluble formulation of vardenafil hydrochloride.
Levitra is competitively priced, when compared with other impotence medications. If you should decide to purchase the drug through eDrugstore, a reliable online vendor, you’ll pay an average of $23.25 per 10-milligram dose, which is the recommended starting dose for the drug.
To get the $23.25 price per dose, you’ll have to purchase either three or four 20-milligram pills for $139.50 or $186, respectively. Each order comes with a pill splitter than allows you to divide the three or four 20-milligram pills in half to yield either six or eight 10-milligram doses, respectively.
Smaller Orders Also Taken
If you have never used the drug before and would prefer to be a bit more conservative, you can purchase two 20-milligram pills, which yields four 10-milligram doses, for a total price of $102, or $25.50 per 10-milligram dose.
Although all of the PDE5 inhibitors work much the same way, each has subtle differences in its chemical structure. While you may find that all of these drugs work equally well for you, some men have found that one of these drugs delivers maximum results with a minimum of side effects and accordingly decide to make that their drug of choice.
Of course, the only way you can be certain about which of these drugs will work best for you is to give each of them a few tries so that you can better compare results and side effects, if any.
Buy More, Save More
If you have already tried all of the available impotence drugs and have decided that Levitra is the best choice for you, you can realize even greater savings by increasing the number of pills you order. For example, by ordering five to nine 20-milligram tablets — yielding 10 to 18 10-milligram doses — from eDrugstore.com, the price per 10-milligram dose falls to $22.60. Buy 10 to 14 20-milligram pills, and the price per 10-milligram dose falls even further to $22.15.
If erection problems have turned the switch off on your sex life, taking Levitra or another impotence drug may help to switch it back on again.As we’ve already noted, Levitra and the other popular impotence drugs, such as Viagra, Cialis, Staxyn, and Stendra, all belong to a family of medications known collectively as PDE5 inhibitors. They get that name because they temporarily disable an enzyme known as phosphodiesterase-5. The troublesome PDE5 enzyme can interfere with the erectile process, particularly in men who are already suffering from decreased blood flow to the penis, a significant impediment to erectile function.
Blood Flow Is Key
Contrary to the long-held belief that impotence is largely psychological in origin, it’s now widely recognized that most erection problems are caused by compromised blood flow to the penis. And the PDE5 enzyme can cut the fun short because one of its primary functions is the breakdown of a chemical compound known as cyclic guanosine monophosphate, or cGMP.
And the reason this matters is because cGMP relaxes the smooth muscles that line the blood vessels supplying the penis. As these muscles relax, blood vessels expand, allowing blood to flood in and fill the spongy erectile tissue of the penis, thus creating an erection. If the PDE5 enzyme is allowed to go unchecked, cGMP gets broken down prematurely and the erection doesn’t happen at all or it ends before sexual activity is completed.
How PDE5 Inhibitors Work
By holding the PDE5 enzyme at bay for three to five hours, PDE5 inhibitors allow cGMP to do its thing without interference, creating optimal conditions for getting and keeping an erection.
Levitra is a joint venture of Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals and GlaxoSmithKline, two of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies.
Although clinical tests have found Levitra safe and effective for most men, there are some who should not use this drug. Those who are already taking nitrate-based drugs to control their angina symptoms should not use Levitra or any other PDE5 inhibitors. Both nitrates and PDE5 inhibitors sharply reduce blood pressure, so taking them together can cause a life-threatening decline in blood pressure.
Additionally, men who have been told by their doctors to avoid sexual activity because of underlying health problems should steer clear of Levitra as well. Men in this category may have had a recent heart attack or are suffering advanced cardiac disease such that sexual activity can put unnecessary stress on the heart. Generally speaking, you should always consult with a medical professional before taking any prescription drug. He or she can advise you if there is anything in your medical history that might make taking such a drug inadvisable.
Dosage Can Be Adjusted
For most men, the recommended starting dose of 10 milligrams of Levitra is sufficient to get the job done. Some men may find that they can get by with only 5 milligrams of Levitra, and a few others may need as much as 20 milligrams to achieve and maintain an erection strong enough for intercourse.
Ordering prescription medications online can be convenient, but it’s important to deal only with reliable vendors.Whatever strength dose works for you, it is recommended that you take Levitra roughly 60 minutes before sexual activity. Its duration of action averages about five hours. No more than a single dose of Levitra should be taken in any 24-hour period.
Common Side Effects
Common side effects are generally mild and may disappear altogether upon continued use of the drug. Such side effects include back pain, dizziness, flushing, headache, indigestion, and runny or stuffy nose. More serious side effects, although rare, could include loss or changes in hearing and/or vision and an erection that lasts for more than four hours. If you should experience these more serious side effects, you should immediately seek medical attention. Although protracted erections might seem the stuff of fantasy, they are not to be taken lightly and can cause irreversible nerve and/or tissue damage if left untreated.
Buying Levitra or any prescription drug over the Internet can be a hazardous proposition, particularly if you are lured by unrealistically low prices to choose a vendor about which you know nothing.
Based in the United States
Part of the Secure Medical family of online drugstores, eDrugstore.com is based in Tempe, Arizona, and enjoys an excellent reputation as a reliable supplier of both prescription and over-the-counter medications. All the drugs it sells are FDA approved and sourced from licensed U.S. pharmacies.
If you don’t already have a prescription from your personal physician, eDrugstore can arrange an online consultation with one of its team of licensed U.S. physicians. You will be required to fill out a comprehensive medical history, a list of medications currently being taken, and the nature of the health complaints leading to your request for Levitra or any other prescription drug. Your request will be reviewed by one of eDrugstore’s doctors, who will provide a prescription if he or she deems it appropriate.
If, however, you already have a prescription from your personal physician, you can fax it or scan and email it to eDrugstore along with your order.
Photo credit: Flip Tastic
Don Amerman is a freelance author who writes extensively about a wide array of nutrition and health-related topics.
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