What is the Best Way to Ensure I Get Optimal Performance When I Take Viagra?

The main way to ensure the best experience with Viagra is to follow your doctor’s instructions. Particularly if you see a urologist or a practitioner with significant experience prescribing Viagra, you’ll want to listen to what he or she has to say, in terms of problems people report, and tips for maximum effectiveness.

For some men, a big meal, particularly with alcohol, can delay Viagra’s effectiveness.

Typically, you’ll want to take Viagra 30 minutes to one hour before sexual activity, though it’s effective for up to four hours. Don’t take more than one dose of Viagra in any 24-hour period. Swallow the tablet whole. Don’t crush it up or chew it up. The tablets are designed to give you a predictable experience with minimum risk of unpleasant side effects.

Though Viagra can be taken with or without food, you should avoid eating a high-fat meal (like a cheeseburger and fries) when you take it, because this can cause effectiveness to be delayed. Take Viagra on an empty stomach each time if you want the most predictability about time to effectiveness.

Finally, in order to be effective for its intended purpose, sexual stimulation is required. Viagra isn’t designed to magically produce an erection out of nowhere, but rather to optimize physiological conditions so that you’ll have an erection while engaging in sexually stimulating activity.

Can a Big Meal, Particularly with Alcohol, Delay Viagra’s Effectiveness

Typically, you’ll want to take Viagra 30 minutes to one hour before sexual activity, though it’s effective for up to four hours. Don’t take more than one dose of Viagra in any 24-hour period. Swallow the tablet whole. Don’t crush it up or chew it up. The tablets are designed to give you a predictable experience with minimum risk of unpleasant side effects.

Though Viagra can be taken with or without food, you should avoid eating a high-fat meal (like a cheeseburger and fries) when you take it, because this can cause effectiveness to be delayed. Take Viagra on an empty stomach each time if you want the most predictability about time to effectiveness.

Finally, in order to be effective for its intended purpose, sexual stimulation is required. Viagra isn’t designed to magically produce an erection out of nowhere, but rather to optimize physiological conditions so that you’ll have an erection while engaging in sexually stimulating activity.

What are the most common Viagra side effects?

Acquaint yourself with possible side effects before taking Viagra.

The first time you take Viagra in particular, you should watch for signs of unwanted side effects. Some men experience headaches, ringing in the ears, hearing loss, or changes in vision. In some men, an irregular heartbeat is a side effect. If you are at risk for a heart attack, it’s imperative that you talk with your doctor about what you should do if you experience certain side effects, because serious side effects, though very rare, aren’t unheard-of.

Also, whether or not you experience headaches or other side effects mentioned above, seek immediate medical help if you have an erection that lasts longer than four hours. If this problem (known medically as priapism) is not treated, you could experience permanent damage. Don’t try to treat it yourself: this is a situation that warrants a trip to the emergency department.

Does the Insurance I Just Signed Up for Under the ACA Cover Viagra?

Some plans cover a limited supply of erectile dysfunction drugs like Viagra per month, and some do not. The first thing to determine is whether your healthcare policy includes prescription drug coverage. If so, you need to search your policy documents (which you can often do online) for its drug formulary. Your insurance policy’s drug formulary is a list of prescription drugs (generic and name brand) that the insurer has identified as offering the greatest overall value.

Formularies often divide drugs into classes, or “tiers” depending on how expensive they are, and limit coverage for drugs that are costlier. If you locate your policy’s formulary online, do a page search for “Viagra” or whichever drug you’re interested in. This way you can find out whether your policy offers any coverage, and if so how many pills in a given time period, and how much of the cost they cover.

Don’t be shocked if your policy does not cover prescription erectile dysfunction drugs. Not all policies do. Those that do generally limit users to a certain number of pills per month. You can get more, if you have a prescription for more, but you’ll be paying for them out of your own pocket.

What can I do to improve sleep habits as well as erection health?

The American Sleep Association offers several tips for getting better sleep:

• Maintain a regular sleeping routine by going to bed and getting up at consistent times, including on weekends.
• Avoid naps, because naps can “fragment” the next night’s sleep.
• Avoid watching television in bed, because it causes you to associate your bed with wakeful activities.
• Make sure you’re not consuming too much caffeine.
• Exercise regularly, and try to do so before 2 p.m.
• Keep your bedroom at the cool end of a comfortable temperature, keep it dark, have a comfortable mattress, and if you need to, run a white noise machine or fan to block out other noises.
• Develop a comforting pre-bedtime routine, like a warm bath, quiet time, or meditation.
• Don’t lie in bed awake if you’re having trouble sleeping. Sit in a chair (in the dark, preferably) and let your mind race until you’re sleepy again, and then return to bed. Don’t be tempted to turn on Netflix or surf the web during these times.

A restful pre-bed routine, that may include meditation, can help you shift into sleep mode.

If these tips don’t work, don’t hesitate to speak to your doctor about your sleep problems. You won’t necessarily have to take sleeping pills, and if you are able to resolve your sleep difficulties, your erection health should improve as well.

Lifestyle habits can have a tremendous effect, positive or negative, on the quality of your erections. Your sleep habits, dietary habits, whether you exercise regularly, how you handle everyday stress, and whether you use things like smoking or illicit drugs can all make a difference in whether you develop erectile dysfunction and how easy it is to treat if you do.

Going without sufficient sleep sometimes can’t be avoided, like if you’re the parent of a newborn, but in many cases, we have more control over our sleep schedule than we think. After all, nobody is making us binge watch that television series all in one night. Don’t look at lack of sleep as something to brag about, because its effects, while not necessarily evident after one or two sleepless nights, will eventually come home to roost in the form of too much cortisol, impaired testosterone production, and general irritability, none of which are good for your sex life.

And if you think you may have sleep apnea, by all means seek medical help. Not only can sleep apnea be dangerous, it can be a major contributor to erectile dysfunction, and taking care of the sleep apnea will likewise help address your erection problems.

Is It True You Can Get Viagra Online Without a Prescription?

The third way to keep costs for erectile dysfunction drugs down is indirect, but worthwhile, and that is to do what you can to ensure you get the best possible results from your medications. Erectile dysfunction drugs work by allowing greater blood flow to the penis, and if they’re working against blood vessels that are narrowed by cholesterol plaques, or because you smoke a pack a day or don’t keep your diabetes under control, you’re not going to get the best results.

Many doctors who prescribe erectile dysfunction drugs recommend that you take steps to improve cardiovascular health, including having a healthy diet, kicking the smoking habit, keeping your weight under control, exercising regularly, and if you’re diabetic, maintaining tight blood glucose control. These steps improve your overall cardiac health, often improving erectile health at the same time, and helping drugs like Viagra work optimally.

Erectile dysfunction is a physiological issue for the vast majority of men who have it. That’s why drugs like Viagra work so well: they address the underlying issue, which is blood flow. When you do your part to improve your cardiac health, you’re also doing your part to improve your erectile health, whether or not you take prescription erectile dysfunction drugs.

Insurance coverage for Viagra and other drugs in its class is not great. When the name brand drugs go off-patent in the United States (which won’t start happening until the end of this year), it’s possible that generic competition could bring costs down enough that more insurance plan drug formularies will offer coverage. In the meantime, work with your doctor, compare prices, and do what you can to make your heart healthy, and you’ll get the absolute most out of the investment you make in erection health.

What are the risks of taking Viagra?

Viagra has been on the market since 1998, and has been taken by tens of millions of men of all ages, all over the world. Its safety and side effect profiles are well-known, and the medical community has plenty of experience in predicting who is most likely to experience side effects, and how to avoid or treat those side effects. For most men who take Viagra, the risks are minor compared to the benefits. If side effects occur, they’re typically negligible.

In other words, there’s a reason Viagra is a household word, and is the first thing most people think of when they think of erectile dysfunction. For the vast majority of users, Viagra works as expected. Follow your doctor’s recommendations, and you could find yourself enjoying your sex life more than you thought possible.

Does ObamaCare Cover ED or Erectile Dysfunction Pills Like Viagra?

Some plans cover a limited supply of erectile dysfunction drugs like Viagra per month, and some do not. The first thing to determine is whether your healthcare policy includes prescription drug coverage. If so, you need to search your policy documents (which you can often do online) for its drug formulary. Your insurance policy’s drug formulary is a list of prescription drugs (generic and name brand) that the insurer has identified as offering the greatest overall value.

Formularies often divide drugs into classes, or “tiers” depending on how expensive they are, and limit coverage for drugs that are costlier. If you locate your policy’s formulary online, do a page search for “Viagra” or whichever drug you’re interested in. This way you can find out whether your policy offers any coverage, and if so how many pills in a given time period, and how much of the cost they cover.

Don’t be shocked if your policy does not cover prescription erectile dysfunction drugs. Not all policies do. Those that do generally limit users to a certain number of pills per month. You can get more, if you have a prescription for more, but you’ll be paying for them out of your own pocket.

Can My Sleep Schedule Increase Erectile Dysfunction Risk?

It’s almost a badge of honor to declare yourself sleep-deprived these days. It’s an indication of how busy we are taking care of things, sacrificing our time for our job, or hobby, or kids, for example. But ongoing sleep deprivation affects health in profound ways. We all know how great it feels to wake up after a restful night’s sleep, and how awful it feels to be sleep-deprived.

A good night’s sleep does more than make you feel good, it helps you stay healthy.

Negative effects of sleep deprivation include being cognitively off your game, yawning too much, having trouble remembering things, and being more accident prone. Over time, chronic lack of sleep weakens the immune system, can lead to depression, and even increases risk factors for weight gain, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

And as you might guess (or know from experience), losing sleep affects your erections as well. Here are some frequently asked questions about the relationship between sleep quality, sleep quantity, and erectile health.

What could go wrong if I take Viagra but don’t have erectile dysfunction?

Suppose you don’t have erectile dysfunction, but have an undiagnosed heart problem. Because Viagra works by enlarging blood vessels, it can potentially cause blood pressure to drop. A sudden decrease in blood pressure, as you may know if you ever stood up too quickly, can cause you to faint.

If you take illicit substances along with recreational Viagra, you could be in for an unpredictable experience. That’s because many street drugs cause blood vessels to constrict. It may sound like Viagra would nicely cancel out this effect, but it’s less predictable than that. And if you obtain “Viagra” from sketchy sources, there’s no telling what’s actually in it.

Fake Viagra has been found to contain any number of nasty chemicals, some of which are dangerous on their own, others of which could interact badly with illicit drugs. In other words, you’re taking a big risk with your health for a benefit that might not be worth it.