Cialis is a powerful, anti-ED drug based on tadalafil as its main ingredient. The medication provides good effects for men. You can buy Cialis only if you have a prescription issued by a licensed, health care professional, as the drug belongs to RX (prescription) meds. In many countries, generic Cialis online is available. The price for the medication can be high, but you can use coupons to receive extra discounts.
The List of Cialis’ Side Effects
The most frequent, Cialis side effects are: dyspepsia (around 7% of patients suffer from this adverse event), headache (the prevalence among patients is approximately 11%). Most side effects of Cialis are usually minor. They disappear on their own within 1-2 hours. With a constant intake of the drug, side effects are reduced. The most common, adverse effects include: back pain, myalgia, runny nose, and flush.
Less common side effects include:
- swelling of the eyelids;
- conjunctivitis;
- pain in the eyes;
- dizziness;
- prolonged erection.
Very rare side effects are hypersensitivity, rashes, urticaria, increased sweating, and impaired vision.
The medication can also affect the cardiovascular system. Men suffering from cardiovascular diseases and taking the medication sometimes experience a heart attack, stroke, pain in the chest, and abnormal heartbeat. However, it isn’t known whether these phenomena are directly related to Cialis’ action or to sexual arousal. The medication is fully safe for the man’s partner.
Older men (aged 65 & over) have a lower rate of excreting tadalafil from the body, which is manifested in increasing the concentration of the medication in the blood plasma by 25% compared with men aged 19 to 45. This difference isn’t significant and doesn’t require an individual dose. Men having diabetes experience a decrease in drug concentration in the plasma by about 19% after the drug’s ingestion (compared with healthy men). This difference is also not significant and doesn’t require an individual dose. However, the risk of side effects occurring can be increased.
Men having renal insufficiency should take Cialis with caution, as the data of clinical trials on the safety and efficacy of the drug in this category of patients are absent. Also, patients taking some beta-blockers should take Cialis cautiously because the joint application of these drugs can lead to hypotension. In such situations, it is better to start taking the medication in the minimum dosage (for example, Cialis 5mg or 2.5 mg).
How to Avoid Side Effects of Cialis?
The risk of side effects occurring depends on the dosage of the medication. For example, if you take the medication in the 2.5 mg dosage, the risk is minimal. However, in the case of a Cialis 20mg dosage, the adverse effects occur more frequently. Therefore, the dosage and features of the drug (Cialis daily or when needed) should be selected only by a qualified physician. He will fully test your health, analyze the information about what drugs you take and what diseases you have. Based on this, the doctor will make the right choice on how long you should take the medication and in what dosage.
Combining Cialis with Nitrates
Tadalafil enhances the effect of meds containing nitrates. This emerges because of the simultaneous action of nitrates and tadalafil on the metabolism of NO and cGMP. Using Cialis simultaneously with nitrates is contraindicated.
Nitrates are meds that are used to treat heart disease. The greatest danger to patients is the possible significant reduction in arterial pressure called hypotension. Therefore, we repeat, patients taking any kind of nitrate should not treat their sexual problems with the help of Cialis. If a patient is taking tadalafil while using any medication or a drug containing nitrates, arterial pressure may drop to a life-threatening level. A large number of meds used to cure chest pain caused by heart disease have nitrates in their composition. These meds include nitroglycerin (it can go in the form of aerosols, ointments, plasters or fast-dissolving tablets), isosorbide mononitrate, and dinitrate (tabs intended for swallowing, chewing or placing under the tongue). Some recreational drugs, such as amyl nitrate (also known as “popper” that is often available for sale on the black market), contain moderate quantities of nitrates.
Cialis and Other Meds
1. Ketoconazole (an antifungal medication) at a dose of 400 mg a day enlarges the concentration of tadalafil in the blood plasma by 312%, and the maximal concentration by 22%.
2. Ritonavir (200 mg 2 times a day) significantly increases the effect of a single dose of tadalafil (i.e., the concentration in the blood plasma). Such medications as saquinavir, erythromycin and itraconazole also increase the effect of tadalafil.
3. Rifampicin (60 mg a day) reduces the effect of the active agent of the medication (the drug concentration in the blood plasma) by 88% and the maximum concentration by 46%.
4. Tadalafil features vasodilating properties and can significantly strengthen the effect of medications aimed at lowering blood pressure.
Cialis and Grapefruit
Grapefruit contains substances that block a number of enzymes responsible for the processing of medicinal substances in the body. As a result, the metabolism of drugs slows down, and an increased concentration of tadalafil accumulates in the body. It can lead to unexpected side effects.
It should be noted that Cialis is characterized by long-term action duration. It lasts in the blood for 36 hours. Therefore, if you like grapefruits, you should keep in mind this feature of Cialis that you shouldn’t eat the fruit during the day of taking the medicine and the next day.
Can You Combine Cialis with Alcohol?
According to clinical research, tadalafil doesn’t enlarge the concentration of alcohol in the blood and vice versa. Patients who took alcohol at a dose of 0.7 gram/kilogram in combination with Cialis experienced a greater drop in blood pressure than patients who drank only alcoholic beverages.
However, taking the medication did not cause a significant increase in the risk of side effects and a large decrease in pressure. Patients who drank alcohol at lower dosages did not experience a decrease in blood pressure.
Therefore, the medication can be combined with alcohol (in moderate doses). For example, you can drink 1-2 glasses of wine or 1-2 glasses of whiskey. An excessive dose of alcoholic beverages is likely to increase the frequently occurring side effects of the drug. They can be dizziness, headache, or back pain.
Cialis Overdose – What Can Happen?
The maximal dosage of the medication is 20 milligrams (Cialis 10mg is the most typical dose). Larger dosages can lead to an overdose. Overdosing is manifested in the form of more, severe side effects of the medication. In the case of an overdose, standard symptomatic treatment should be used. Hemodialysis is ineffective in the case of a Cialis overdose.