At a time when there are millions of men across the globe, suffering from at least one symptom of sexual problems, especially erectile dysfunction (ED) or impotence, there are affordable generic medications like Vardenafil, that work miraculously for erection problems. Let us have a deeper understanding of this much effective medication.
What is Vardenafil?
Vardenafil is quite an effective branded pharmaceutical drug that is often prescribed for the treatment of erectile dysfunction in males. It is a benzenesulfonamide derivative phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitor, i,e vasodilator drug.
This medication does not have any effect on PDE6, which means that it does not have any adverse effects on vision. Levitra is one of the most common branded forms of this medication.
What is Vardenafil used for?
Vardenafil is used to treat erectile dysfunction (ED). As a phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor, it is capable of projecting a penial erection, at a maximum duration of 8 hours approximately.
Vardenafil may also be effective in the treatment of premature ejaculation, where it may significantly increase the ejaculation timing from the time of penetration.
How does Vardenafil work? : How does Levitra work?
Vardenafil blocks the cyclic guanosine monophosphate (GMP) specific phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5), which is known to degrade the cyclic GMP in the corpus cavernosum of the penis.
Nitric oxide (NO) from nerve terminals and endothelial cells, stimulates the synthesis of cyclic GMP in smooth muscle cells.
Cyclic GMP causes smooth muscle relaxation and allows increased blood flow into the corpus cavernosum.
On receiving sexual stimulation, a strong penile erection is caused by the increased blood flow in the penis, which happened due to the relaxation of penile arteries and corpus cavernosal smooth muscle.
The tissue concentration of cyclic GMP is regulated by both the rates of synthesis and degradation via phosphodiesterases (PDEs), and the most abundant PDE in the human corpus cavernosum is PDE5.
Hence, it is the inhibition of PDE5 by Vardenafil that normalizes erectile function by increasing the amount of cyclic GMP.
Dosage variations available for Vardenafil:
Vardenafil tablets are found in different dosage variations, which are:
What are the side effects of taking Vardenafil?
The common side effects of Vardenafil are the same as that of the other PDE5 inhibitors.
However, there are certain side effects that are specific to Vardenafil as mentioned below herein:
- Nausea
- Abdominal pain
- Back pain
- Photosensitivity
- Abnormal vision
- Eye pain
- Facial edema
- Hypotension
- Palpitation
- Tachycardia
- Arthralgia
- Myalgia
- Rash
- Itching
- Priapism
Further, a few serious but rare side effects of Vardenafil are a heart attack and priapism, which is a very painful emergency condition that can cause impotence if left untreated.
How does Vardenafil get excreted from a male body?
Vardenafil is excreted as metabolites mainly through feces and urine. Approximately 91 to 95% of administered oral dose is found in feces, while 2-6% of administered oral dose is found in urine.