Tadalafil

Tadalafil is a generic medicine containing tadalafil that can treat erectile dysfunction (ED) symptoms in adult men. It belongs to a group of medicines called phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor (PDE-5) inhibitors and is only available on prescription.

You can use it if you find it difficult to get or keep an erection during sex.

Tadalafil is a little different to other ED tablets, as it lasts longer and is the only treatment you can take every day to manage erectile dysfunction.

Is tadalafil the generic Cialis?

Yes, tadalafil is the generic Cialis. The main difference is that Cialis is a registered trademark of Eli Lilly, so only they can make the medicine under this name, but this does not mean the medicine works any differently. As tadalafil is a generic medicine, it’s usually cheaper than the branded version.

This also means that tadalafil daily tablets are the same as Cialis Daily tablets, they are just made by different manufacturers.

Tadalafil works for ED because it’s a PDE-5 inhibitor, relaxing the smooth muscle in blood vessels to improve blood flow to the penis, helping you achieve a harder, longer-lasting erection.

You can take tadalafil daily or 30 to 60 minutes before you want to have sex.. will only work if you are sexually aroused, so once you feel its effects we recommend engaging in foreplay rather than trying to have sex straight away. This gives tadalafil enough time to work and helps you get used to the effects of the treatment.

Tadalafil is available in 4 doses:

• 2.5mg and 5mg, also known as tadalafil daily tablets
• 10mg and 20mg, which are taken as needed when you want to have sex

Tadalafil 2.5mg

Tadalafil 2.5mg is the lowest dose tadalafil tablet you can be prescribed. They are also known as once-daily tablets.

Rather than taking it before sex, you’ll take it every day so that you’re always ready to have sex. You’ll usually only be prescribed this dose if 5mg is too strong for you, such as if you get side effects.

Tadalafil 5mg

Tadalafil 5mg is the usual daily dose for people who want to take a daily ED tablet.

Your doctor may recommend taking tadalafil 5mg if you are currently using or expect to use an ED tablet at least twice weekly, but this will be based on your choice and your doctor’s assessment of the best treatment for you.

Tadalafil 10mg

Tadalafil 10mg is the recommended starting dose for just before sex. It should only be used once per day and is not recommended for continuous, daily use.

If you find that you’re using tadalafil 10mg multiple times a week, speak to your doctor about switching to a daily treatment.

Tadalafil 20mg

Tadalafil 20mg is the highest dose of tadalafil you can be prescribed and is taken just before sex. You’ll be offered this dose if 10mg is not strong enough for you and you are not getting bothersome side effects on the lower dose.

You must only take tadalafil 20mg if your doctor has prescribed it. Taking a higher dose without a prescription could be dangerous, and may increase your risk of experiencing serious side effects.

Tadalafil is prescribed in 2 ways, depending on how often you plan to have sex and your suitability for daily or as-needed tablets. Whichever tablet you take, swallow it whole, with a glass of water. Tadalafil can be taken with or without food.

Taking tadalafil as-needed

You can take tadalafil 10mg or 20mg, 30 to 60 minutes before you want to have sex and no more than once a day. As it stays effective for up to 36 hours, 1 tablet can help you get an erection for up to a day and a half.

If you take your dose with a large meal, it can slow absorption, so it may take longer than 60 minutes to work. Do not take a double dose if your tablet is not working, instead try again on a different day.

Taking tadalafil as a daily tablet

You can take a lower-dose tadalafil tablet (either 2.5mg or 5mg) every day, around the same time, so you can get an erection at any time of the day. It will not decrease in effectiveness if you take it with a large meal, as you’re taking a tablet every day.

Tadalafil daily works best when taken at the same time each day.

When should I start taking tadalafil?

You can start taking tadalafil if you have difficulty getting or maintaining an erection for sex. You’ll just need a prescription from a doctor.

For 10mg or 20mg tablets, it’s best to take it 30 to 60 minutes before you plan to have sex. How long it takes to work would be different for each person. Try it a few times to find out the best time for you to take it.

Tadalafil daily tablets can be started whenever you want and then continued every day.

What should I do if I forget to take tadalafil?

If you forget to take tadalafil and you’re using it just before you have sex, take it as soon as you remember. This means you might have to wait a little longer to have sex.

If you forget to take tadalafil daily, take your dose as soon as you remember, but do not take a double dose if it’s the next day. You should only take 1 tadalafil tablet a day, regardless of which dose you’re taking. This might make it less effective, especially if you forget doses often.

What should I do if I take too much tadalafil?

If you take more tadalafil than you’ve been prescribed, speak to your doctor straight away. You may experience more side effects than usual, or they may feel stronger. If you get any serious side effects or you’re worried, call 111 or 999 in an emergency.

What should I do if I want to stop taking tadalafil?

You can stop taking tadalafil whenever you want, but you’ll no longer benefit from its effects. If you’re stopping tadalafil but still need help getting an erection, speak with your doctor about tadalafil alternatives.

You can buy tadalafil online from services that offer prescriptions for erectile dysfunction treatments, such as Asda Online Doctor. You cannot get tadalafil over the counter, and it’s only available on the NHS if you have certain conditions.

Can I buy tadalafil online?

Yes, you can buy tadalafil online from trusted online services like Asda Online Doctor. We are monitored and regulated to ensure you receive safe and genuine medication.

Getting tadalafil with Asda Online Doctor is simple, with no need for a face-to-face appointment:

1. Complete a short confidential medical questionnaire - share details about your health so our doctors can ensure tadalafil is right for you
2. Doctor review and approval - one of our doctors will review your questionnaire to see if tadalafil is suitable for you
3. Fast and discreet delivery - if approved, your treatment will be sent directly to you via our rapid delivery service in discreet unmarked packaging, or if you choose you can collect it from your local Asda Pharmacy within 2-3 hours.

Can I buy tadalafil over the counter?

No, because tadalafil is a prescription-only medication, you cannot buy it over the counter.

Be wary of any website promising genuine tadalafil medication without a prescription, as this may not be tadalafil and it’s illegal to take this medication without a doctor’s prescription. An over-the-counter alternative to tadalafil is Viagra Connect, which contains sildenafil and is also available to request with Asda Online Doctor.

Can I get tadalafil on the NHS?

You can get tadalafil on the NHS in certain circumstances, usually if you have ED caused by multiple sclerosis or a spinal cord injury. Tadalafil 5mg is also available on the NHS for a different condition called benign prostate enlargement.

Usually, the main treatment offered by the NHS for ED is sildenafil, which is generic Viagra.

Common side effects of tadalafil include:

• back pain
• headache
• muscle aches
• pain in the arms or legs
• flushing of the face
• nasal congestion
• indigestion

These side effects are usually manageable at home and will go away as your body gets used to the treatment. If they do not go away or get worse, speak with your doctor.

Uncommon side effects of tadalafil include:

• dizziness (more common in men over 75 years of age)
• diarrhoea (more common in men over 65 years of age)
• stomach ache
• feeling or being sick (nausea or vomiting)
• reflux
• blurred vision
• eye pain
• difficulty breathing
• blood in urine
• prolonged erection
• pounding heartbeat sensation
• fast heart rate
• high or low blood pressure
• nose bleeds
• ringing in the ears
• swelling of the hands, feet, or ankles
• feeling tired

If you get any of these side effects, let your doctor know straight away.

Rare side effects of tadalafil include:

• fainting
• memory loss
• seizures (fits)
• red eyes
• sudden decrease or loss of hearing
• hives (itchy, red welts on the skin)
• penile bleeding
• blood in semen
• increased sweating
• heart attack
• stroke
• partial, temporary, or permanent decrease or loss of vision in one or both eyes
• migraine
• swelling of the face
• serious skin rash
• disorder affecting blood flow to the eye
• irregular heartbeat
• angina
• sudden cardiac death

These side effects are serious; you should speak to your doctor or call 999 in an emergency. Most of the men who had a heart attack and stroke while taking tadalafil had known heart problems before taking the medicine.

If you get any of the following side effects, you must stop taking tadalafil straight away and call 999, or go to A&E:

• a severe allergic reaction (can cause difficulty breathing, swelling, and hives)
• chest pain – do not use nitrates to treat this
• priapism (a prolonged, sometimes painful erection lasting more than 4 hours)
• a sudden loss of vision
• distorted, dimmed, blurred, or sudden decrease in vision

Your doctor will check you do not take any medications or have any medical conditions that could make side effects more likely, before prescribing it to you. For a full list of known side effects, please check the patient information leaflet that comes with your medication.

Although tadalafil is suitable for most men with erectile dysfunction, this does not mean that everyone can take it. Some conditions and medications interact with tadalafil and cannot be taken together.

You must not take tadalafil tablets if you:

• are allergic to tadalafil or any of the other ingredients in this medicine
• have serious heart disease or recently had a heart attack within the last 90 days
• recently had a stroke within the last 6 months
• have low blood pressure or uncontrolled high blood pressure
• have ever had a loss of vision because of non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION)
• do not have a penis
• are under 18

Some medical conditions that could also make tadalafil unsafe include:

• heart problems (taking a PDE-5 inhibitor and having sex can put a strain on your heart)
• severe kidney or liver problems
• any deformation of the penis
• leukaemia (cancer of the blood cells)
• multiple myeloma (cancer of the bone marrow)
• sickle cell anaemia (an abnormality of red blood cells)

You might still be able to take tadalafil with these conditions but your doctor will decide whether treatment is suitable after discussing it with you. Tell your doctor about any other diagnoses or tests you’re currently undertaking before starting tadalafil.

It’s not known whether tadalafil is effective in people who have had:

• radical non-nerve-sparing prostatectomy (removal of some or all of the prostate gland in which nerves are cut)
• pelvic surgery

If you have nerve damage, PDE-5 inhibitors are not likely to work. In this case, Vitaros cream would be a better option.

Tadalafil drug interactions

Let your doctor know if you take any of the following medicines, as tadalafil may not be suitable for you:

• any form of organic nitrate or nitric oxide donors such as amyl nitrite
• riociguat (a treatment for pulmonary hypertension)
• other PDE-5 inhibitors
• an alpha blocker or other medications to treat high blood pressure
• a 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor (used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia)
• medicines such as ketoconazole tablets to treat fungal infections
• protease inhibitors for the treatment of AIDS or HIV
• epilepsy treatments, including phenobarbital, phenytoin, and carbamazepine
• rifampicin, erythromycin, clarithromycin, or itraconazole

Tadalafil food and drink interactions

Tadalafil and alcohol

Alcohol is known to interact with tadalafil and may temporarily lower your blood pressure. Taking tadalafil and drinking excessively can also increase the risk of dizziness when standing up.

Alcohol is known to affect your ability to get an erection, so we recommend avoiding or limiting how much alcohol you have when taking tadalafil, especially the first few times until you know how your body reacts to the medication.

Tadalafil and grapefruit juice

Grapefruit juice can affect how well tadalafil works, so you should avoid or limit it. It contains an enzyme that can delay the effects of the medication and possibly increase the chance of side effects.

This depends on how often you’re taking tadalafil and when you last had grapefruit juice. Speak to your doctor for more information.

Tadalafil and food

Tadalafil is not known to interact with any other food and drink. You can take it with or without food, but if you’re taking tadalafil before you want to have sex it’s best to avoid having a large, fatty meal. This can slow the absorption of tadalafil, and so it may take longer than 30 to 60 minutes to work.

Tadalafil active ingredients

The active ingredient in tadalafil tablets is tadalafil.

The other ingredients are:

• lactose monohydrate
• croscarmellose sodium (E468)
• hydroxypropyl cellulose (E463)
• sodium lauryl sulphate, povidone K-25
• silica colloidal anhydrous
• magnesium stearate (E572)
• hypromellose
• titanium dioxide (E171)
• macrogol
• talc
• iron oxide yellow (E172)

Tadalafil contains lactose so may not be suitable if you have an intolerance to sugars. If you have an allergy or hypersensitivity to any other ingredients, please speak to a doctor for advice before taking tadalafil.

How should I store tadalafil?

You should store tadalafil in its original packaging, below 30°C and away from sunlight and moisture. Keep tadalafil away from children or pets.

How should tadalafil be disposed of?

If you want to dispose of your tadalafil tablets, take them to your local pharmacy. Do not throw away your tadalafil tablets in the bin or down the drain at home.

What does tadalafil look like?

Tadalafil tablets are usually light yellow and capsule-shaped. What tadalafil looks like can be slightly different depending on the manufacturer.

What pack sizes is tadalafil available in?

Tadalafil is available in pack sizes of 4 to 28 tablets from Asda Online Doctor.