Risks of Alcohol and Viagra (& Other Erectile Dysfunction Meds)

What Happens When I Use Viagra and Alcohol Together?

Let’s assume that you use alcohol to relax and feel good, and you use Viagra to enable a sexual encounter. As it turns out, mixing Viagra and alcohol can reduce your chances of accomplishing both goals (which can come as a surprise).

Why?

First, let’s talk about biochemistry.

Viagra (sildenafil) is a type of medication known as a PDE5 inhibitor – a substance that blocks the PDE5 protein.

PDE5’s job is to break down the chemicals required to maintain an erection. With PDE5 inhibited, patients can keep their erections for far longer.

Viagra also causes the muscles surrounding the penis to relax and makes the blood vessels in the area get a little wider. This helps blood flow to the penis, which also helps with getting and maintaining an erection. This also may cause reduced blood pressure.

American prices for brand-name Viagra start at about $180.00 for two tablets or $90.00 for just one dose! Alternatively, you can buy brand-name Viagra through NorthWestPharmacy.com in packs of 4 doses for about $75.00 – just under $19.00 per dose (up to 74% savings).

Zooming in on the Viagra and Alcohol Interaction

Alcohol isn’t a medication, but it can have similar effects on your body.

For example, alcohol also causes widened blood vessels. (If your face has ever gotten warm and red after you’ve had a few drinks, that’s why.)

As a result, taking Viagra and alcohol together can have a compound blood-pressure-lowering effect on your body.

If you already have low blood pressure or are on medications to reduce your blood pressure, this can trigger a dangerous situation.

Let’s Look at the Studies Around Viagra and Alcohol

The simultaneous use of Viagra and alcohol has inspired a series of studies to determine actual risk.

For example:

In one 2004 study, male participants were each given a high dose of Viagra. Then, one group of participants was asked to drink one bottle of red wine. The researchers watched this group closely for three hours after administration.

The researchers could not identify a clinically-significant interaction between sildenafil and alcohol.

That’s red wine, though: Alcohol comes in many forms.

One clear finding from the data indicates that if you’re going to drink while on Viagra, it’s a good idea to stay away from cocktails containing grapefruit juice.

Grapefruit juice contains a substance that makes it easier for your body to absorb several types of active ingredients. Sildenafil is one of them.

If you take Viagra and an alcoholic beverage with grapefruit juice, it can mess with your dosage – rendering the drug more potent than users might expect.

What Side Effects Occur with Alcohol and Viagra?

Viagra, when taken on its own, already has a list of possible side effects. These include:

Available research indicates that if you take Viagra and alcohol together, these side effects can become more severe.

Another Viagra-and-alcohol study sought to answer this question by surveying 300 men with ED about their drinking habits and observed side effects. According to the survey responses, the researchers concluded that men who drink “above average” amounts of alcohol experienced heightened side effects while on both Viagra and alcohol.

This begs another question:

Studies that have tried to shed more light on the Viagra and alcohol connection have almost exclusively provided information about people who take sildenafil while drinking heavily.

There’s less out there about the potential pitfalls of drinking a glass or two (of red wine, say) with your Viagra, particularly if you aren’t on any other medications and have no underlying health conditions.

But what about the efficacy of Viagra itself?

What Effect Does Alcohol Have on Viagra, Anyway?

By itself, alcohol isn’t particularly helpful for sexual performance.

Particularly for those who drink heavily or are dependent upon alcohol. Those who struggle with dependency on alcohol also tend to struggle with erectile dysfunction and low libido.

However, once again, this information is mostly about people who drink a lot of alcohol. If you drink moderately or sparingly, you might not see a similar slump in performance after one or two beers.

And, if you do, Viagra can help – right?

Maybe not. Although low-to-moderate drinking with Viagra may not trigger an immediate, extreme health risk, there is evidence to support that using Viagra and alcohol together will dull the ED med’s ability to turn your night around.

Why?

Alcohol makes people relaxed and drowsy; it lowers men’s testosterone levels immediately after consumption; and even causes short-term erectile dysfunction in some cases.

Even if you take Viagra and alcohol together, you could fail to notice any of Viagra’s effects because even as Viagra is working to help you overcome ED, your alcohol intake could be causing it.

What Happens When I Use Cialis and Alcohol?

Of course, Viagra isn’t your only option for ED.

Does using Cialis and alcohol at the same time pose the same issues as Viagra and alcohol?

What is Cialis?

Cialis (tadalafil) is an effective erectile dysfunction drug that can help patients with sexual performance and symptoms related to an enlarged prostate. Like Viagra, it is a PDE5 inhibitor.

So far, Cialis and Viagra sound very similar, but there are a few differences between the two ED medications. These differences include:

In the United States, 5 tablets of Cialis start at around $75.00, or $15.00/tablet. Here, through NorthWestPharmacy.com, you can purchase 28 doses of brand-name Cialis for about $155.00, or approximately $5.50/tablet (up to 63% savings!).

A Quick List of Cialis Side Effects with Alcohol

Much like Viagra and alcohol, the effects of using Cialis and alcohol together aren’t entirely clear – but most available information indicates that the mixture is probably unhelpful if you’re hoping to feel good and perform reliably well.

Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol while on Cialis can result in dizziness, fainting, headaches, and orthostatic hypotension. To make matters more complicated, Cialis tends to stay in a patient’s bloodstream far longer than other ED meds – about two days. This makes it easier to take Cialis and alcohol together accidentally (e.g., if you take Cialis one evening and then decide to drink alcohol the next).

If you do decide to risk taking Cialis and alcohol at the same time, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on your blood pressure or look out for the symptoms of hypotension listed above.

What About Levitra and Alcohol?

First things first: What is Levitra?

Levitra (vardenafil) is a PDE5 inhibitor, like the other ED medications discussed in this guide. Levitra is a prescription drug that can help patients achieve and maintain an erection for optimal sexual performance.

Although Levitra is similar to Cialis and Viagra, Levitra can offer a best-of-both-worlds experience. Levitra will last in a patient’s system for 4-6 hours, or about the same amount of time as Viagra. However, Levitra can be taken with meals, much like Cialis.

Selecting the right ED medication for your needs may involve trying each, but the process should always begin by discussing your options with a doctor you can trust.

In America, it can be tough to find brand-name Levitra, as generic vardenafil is widely available. If you require the brand-name medication at an accessible price point, you can buy Levitra through NorthWestPharmacy.com for around $20.00 per tablet.

Levitra and Alcohol: Side Effects

Levitra carries similar risks if used frequently with alcohol.

While (as with Viagra and Cialis) you can take Levitra and alcohol simultaneously, it isn’t the best idea. Alcohol will make it harder to have an erection, even with the assistance of an ED medication.

If you do decide to take Levitra and alcohol together, “less is more” is a good drink policy to stand by. Otherwise, you risk increasing the severity of Levitra’s known side effects, which include:

In rare cases, mixing Levitra and alcohol can even lead to severe adverse events (such as heart problems).

This does not happen often, but it’s essential to realize that it can happen. In other cases, taking Levitra and alcohol together can lead to erections that last for a very long time (hours).

If this is the case, call your doctor and seek immediate treatment.

Do I Have Options Besides Mixing Alcohol and ED Meds?

If you choose to drink alcohol while on an ED med, you may choose to commit to 1-2 drinks and carefully monitor your symptoms. Keeping a note on your phone with a drink counter and symptoms log can help.

You could also opt for a non-medicinal erectile dysfunction treatment (think: surgery, prosthesis, physical therapy and even try certain superfoods for erectile dysfunction).

Or you could take your ED medication and then refrain from drinking alcohol.

The best bet is to avoid alcohol and ED meds together, but if you decide to drink, do so in moderation while other drugs are in your system.

This is good advice for any medication, but particularly in the case of ED meds since drinking alcohol can actually produce an effect opposite of what you’re looking for – putting you potentially at risk of dangerously low blood pressure without even giving you your sought-after boost in sexual performance.

Smart Decisions With Viagra and Alcohol Start with Low Prices

If you’re seeking a way to access the medication you need to support your health, goals, and lifestyle, you’re in the right place.

Particularly if you’re an American who’s wondering how to accomplish those while getting the best prices on prescription medication.

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Here’s how it works. After you’ve received your valid prescription from your doctor, visit our site to price-check or learn more about your options. Then, call our customer service team if you have any questions or wish to speak with one of our pharmacists. There will be someone knowledgeable and friendly to answer your call here seven days a week!

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