Impotence pill (Levitra)
By admin at 28 July, 2009, 3:46 pm
How Effective is Vardenafil (Levitra)?
In a series of four studies conducted on patients of several ethnic backgrounds, and some having pr-existing conditions, Vardenafil proved to work significantly better in improving the ability to have an erection over all placebos in every age group. The doses of Vardenafil in the four studies were 5 mg, 10 mg, and 20 mg.
How Should Vardenafil (Levitra) Be Administered?
The recommended initial dose of Vardenafil is 10 mg taken orally approximately 1 hour before sexual activity. This dose may be changed later by a doctor depending on a variety of factors. The maximum recommended dose is 20 mg once a day. Vardenafil can be taken with or without food. In studies, it has shown that there is no difference in its effectiveness whether taken on an empty or full stomach.
What Are the Side Effects of Vardenafil (Levitra)?
The known side effects of Vardenafil include: headaches, flushing, nasal congestion, dyspepsia, body aches, dizziness, nausea, and increased blood levels of the muscle enzyme creatine kinase.
There have been reports of priapism (prolonged and painful erections lasting more than 4 hours) with the use of PDE5 inhibitors such as Sildenafil, Vardenafil, and Tadalafil, especially when Sildenafil is used in combination with injections of medications into the Corpora cavernosa or intra-urethral suppositories. Patients with the pre-existing conditions including: blood cell diseases such as sickle cell anemia, leukemia, and multiple myeloma have above average risks of developing priapism. Please go immediately to a hospital should your erection last longer than 4 hours as a prolonged erection can cause permanent ED.
Who Should Not Use Vardenafil (Levitra)?
Vardenafil can cause hypotension (abnormally low blood pressure that can lead to fainting and even shock) when given to patients who are taking nitrates. Because of this, it is recommended that all patients taking nitrates on a daily basis should not take Vardenafil.
Vardenafil should not be used with alpha-blockers, medicines used to treat high blood pressure or benign prostate hypertrophy (BPH), because this combination of Vardenafil and an alpha-blocker may lower the blood pressure greatly and lead to dizziness and/or fainting.
Men with a rare heart condition known as long QT syndrome should not take Vardenafil due to research showing its link to abnormal heart rhythms. Since long QT syndrome can be inherited, men with a family history of long QT syndrome should not take Vardenafil. And, Vardenafil is not recommended for men who are taking medications that can affect the QT interval such as: Quinidine (Quinaglute, Quinidex), Procainamide (Pronestyl; Procan-SR; Procanbid), Amiodarone (Cordarone), and Sotalol (Betapace).
There is insufficient information on the safety of Vardenafil in men with the following conditions:
• Angina (chest pain caused by coronary artery disease)
• Low blood pressure (a resting systolic blood pressure less than 90mm Hg)
• Uncontrolled high blood pressure (greater than 170/110 mm Hg)
• Recent stroke or heart attack (within the last 6 months)
• Uncontrolled, potentially life-threatening, abnormal heart rhythms
• Severe liver disease
• Severe kidney failure requiring dialysis
• Severe heart failure or disease of the heart valves (for example: aortic stenosis)
• Retinitis pigmentosa
Men suffering from these conditions should not use Vardenafil without having these conditions evaluated and stabilized first. Also, it must first be determined by a doctor if the heart is strong enough to handle the extra workload that is necessary during sexual activity by doing a cardiac treadmill test.
What Precautions Should Be Taken When Using Vardenafil (Levitra)?
The metabolic breakdown of Vardenafil is often slowed by aging, liver or kidney dysfunction, and the simultaneous use of other medications (erythromycin, ketoconazole (Nizoral), and protease inhibitors). This slowdown causes Vardenafil to accumulate in the body and could eventually cause health problems. Thus, men over the age of 65 with kidney or liver disease, or men taking protease inhibitors, are often given the smallest dosage in an attempt to avoid a build-up of the drug in the body. For example:
• Men taking erythromycin or Ketoconazole should not take more than 5 mg of Vardenafil in a 24-hour period
• Men taking high doses of Ketoconazole (Nizoral) should not take more than 2.5 mg of Vardenafil in a 24-hour period
• Men suffering from moderate to severe liver disease should not take more than 5 mg of Cardenafil in a 24-hour period
• Men taking the protease inhibitor (for the treatment of HIV/AIDS) Indinavir (Crixivan ) should not take more than 2.5 mg of Vardenafil in a 24-hour period
• Men taking the protease inhibitor Ritonavir (Norvir) should not take more than 2.5 mg of Vardenafil every 72 hours.
As with all medications there will be side effects that are unwanted. Some of these side effects can be guessed based on your pre-disposition to a variety of factors. But, there will always be unknown side effects that are not anticipated. It should be said that though side effects may occur, it is not necessarily a reason to stop taking a certain drug or give up on a treatment. These side effects are often temporary and can go away when the dosage is changed. Please make sure you have a long discussion with your doctor about any and all concerns to help alleviate your fears of any and all treatments.
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