Key facts about Tadalafil

• There are two different doses of tadalafil available - which one is right for me?

  The two different doses represent the two different ways of taking tadalafil based on what you would prefer. Taking 2.5mg every day means that you will have a baseline level of tadalafil in your system all the time such that you should be able to get an erection whenever you like, as many times a day as you like. If you take 10mg on an as-needed basis, the tadalafil will start working 30 minutes after you take it and the effects will be active for 36 hours (which is why it’s sometimes known as ‘the weekender’).

• What’s the difference between sildenafil and tadalafil?

  Both sildenafil and tadalafil have the same mechanism of action - they work by inhibiting the PDE5 enzyme, allowing your erection to stay harder for longer. The differences are in the onset and duration of the effects: whilst sildenafil takes one hour for the effects to kick in, tadalafil starts working in 30 minutes. Sildenafil stays active in your system for four hours, tadalafil meanwhile keeps working for 36 hours.

  	Time to take effect	Duration
  Sildenafil 50mg	1 hour	4 hours
  Tadalafil 10mg	30 minutes	36 hours

• Is there an advantage of taking tadalafil instead of sildenafil?

  The choice really depends on your lifestyle, and how frequently you anticipate having sex. If you have sex infrequently, sildenafil might be a more cost-effective option. If you have sex more frequently (or spontaneously) and would like the flexibility of not needing to coordinate taking a tablet before sex, taking 2.5mg tadalafil every day might be better for you. If you don’t like the idea of taking a pill every day, the 10mg dose tadalafil, taken as needed, might be your best option.

• Can I try tadalafil if sildenafil didn’t work for me?

  In short, yes. If you’ve taken sildenafil 50mg on six to eight different occasions and received sexual stimulation without having a good response, it might be either that you need a higher dose of sildenafil (100mg taken before sex) or that a different PDE5 inhibitor such as tadalafil might work better for you.

• What are the common side effects of tadalafil?

  The side effects are similar to sildenafil. While most users will not experience any unwanted side effects from tadalafil, there are some commonly reported ones to be aware of. These include:

  • - headache
  • - dizziness, feeling faint
  • - nasal congestion/stuffiness
  • - feeling hot or flushed, including facial flushing
  • - nausea
  • - indigestion
  • - visual changes (including colour changes, sensitivity to light and blurred vision)

  There are a number of other side effects you could experience when taking sildenafil, and some prior medical conditions which might mean you should not take the medication. A complete list is available in the Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) enclosed in your medication, which you should always read before taking it for the first time.