Levitra vs Viagra
Both Levitra and Viagra are erectile dysfunction medications available in the UK. When combined with sexual stimulation, they can help men with erectile dysfunction to achieve an erection.
What is Levitra?
Levitra is a medication used to treat erectile dysfunction. It contains the active ingredient vardenafil, which belongs to a group of drugs called PDE-5 inhibitors.
What is Viagra?
Viagra was the first erectile dysfunction medication to enter the market. Sildenafil is the active ingredient in Viagra and it is also a type of PDE-5 inhibitor.
What is erectile dysfunction?
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a condition in which men cannot maintain an erection sufficient for sex. That can mean that some men cannot get an erection at all, but some men cannot get an erection hard enough for penetration.
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What causes erectile dysfunction?
When you get an erection, the penis fills with blood. This can occur in response to stimulation of the nerves in the penis and is also influenced by hormones and sexual excitation. In erectile dysfunction, this process is interrupted in some way.
In middle-aged and older men, ED is usually related to damage to the nerves or blood vessels that supply the penis. This can affect the blood flow to the penis or the nerve impulses that cause an erection. However, psychological issues are more likely to be the cause of sexual dysfunctions in younger men. In rare cases, hormonal imbalances can also lead to ED.
Risk factors for erectile dysfunction include obesity, alcohol use and smoking can increase your chance of developing erectile dysfunction. Certain diseases also increase your risk of erectile dysfunction such as diabetes, high blood pressure and an enlarged prostate.
How do Levitra and Viagra work?
Whilst Levitra and Viagra do contain different active ingredients (vardenafil and sildenafil), they both work in the same way. Viagra and Levitra cause the blood vessels that supply the penis to relax and widen. This means that more blood can enter the penis causing a firmer erection.
Levitra and Viagra both need sexual stimulation to work. They will not give you an erection without sexual stimulation.
How long do they take to work?
It usually takes between 30-60 mins to experience effects after taking Levitra or Viagra. There is no difference in the time frame between them, but you may find one works better for you than the other.
How effective is Levitra vs Viagra?
Both Levitra and Viagra are effective for approximately 60-80% of men with ED. One medication is not considered to be significantly more effective than the other. Interestingly, reviews of these medications on Drugs.com do suggest that Viagra is slightly more popular with an average patient rating of 8.6/10 compared to 7.9/10 for Levitra.
How long do Levitra and Viagra last?
Viagra typically lasts up to 4 hours, whereas Levitra can last for up to 5 hours. This is because Levitra stays in the bloodstream for slightly longer. However, this does not mean that taking Levitra or Viagra would give you an erection that lasts for several hours. Instead, it means that you should be able to get an erection at some point within the first 4 or 5 hours after taking it.
Side effects of Viagra and Levitra
Although they are similar drugs, Levitra and Viagra do have slightly different side effects. The most common side effects of Levitra are dizziness, flushing, digestive discomfort, headaches and nasal congestion.
These side effects are also all found in Viagra, but other common side effects include hair loss, anxiety, coughing, diarrhoea, dizziness, swelling, insomnia, nausea, night sweats, pain, skin reactions, shaking, flushing, increased risk of infection and visual changes. Levitra is a newer drug than Viagra, and so it is likely that many of these side effects were reduced in the development of the drug.
You should also be aware that Viagra and Levitra can interact with some medications.
For a full list of side effects and drug interactions, please read the patient information leaflet included with your medication.
Seek medical advice if you experience significant side effects whilst taking Viagra or Levitra.
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Prescription vs over the counter
Both Levitra and Viagra are prescription medications. However, Levitra is only available on prescription, but Viagra is also available in one form over the counter. Over-the-counter Viagra is called Viagra Connect and it is only available in 50mg tablets.
Which forms are available?
Viagra and Levitra are both available as oral tablets which you swallow whole. However, Levitra is also available as an orodispersible tablet that dissolves in the mouth. Therefore, if you have difficulty swallowing tablets, orodispersible Levitra may be a better option for you.
Which is more expensive – Viagra vs Levitra?
Most drugs, including Levitra and Viagra, are available in branded or generic forms. Branded forms are produced by the original manufacturer. Generic drugs contain the same active ingredients as branded drugs but are produced by other manufacturers. The generic versions are usually significantly less expensive than their branded counterparts.
Levitra and Viagra are both branded drugs. Sildenafil is the generic version of Viagra and vardenafil is Levitra. Currently, at Simple Online Pharmacy, four tablets of Viagra start from £24.95 and Levitra starts at £23.45. The generic versions are significantly cheaper with 4 tablets of sildenafil starting from £5.89 and vardenafil starting from £17.99.
Prices can fluctuate, but currently, Levitra is the cheaper of the branded medications. If you are looking to buy generic treatments instead, sildenafil is the least expensive option.
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Levitra (vardenafil) vs Viagra (sildenafil) – which is best?
On the whole, Viagra and Levitra are very similar medications, but there are a few key differences that may include your decision. Viagra is an older drug than Levitra. This means that in its generic form (sildenafil), it is significantly cheaper than generic Levitra or the branded versions. However, as an older drug, Viagra also carries the risk of more side effects.
Additional factors to consider are that Viagra is available over the counter as Viagra Connect. Some men may find this more convenient than getting their medications on a doctor’s prescription. And, if you do find if difficult to swallow tablets whole, Levitra is available in an orodispersible form which may make it easier for you to take them.
What are the alternatives to Viagra and Levitra?
There are currently only four ED medications licenced for use in the UK. Viagra and Levitra are two of them and both have generic forms called sildenafil and vardenafil respectively. The remaining two ED treatments are Cialis (tadalafil) and Spedra (avanafil).
You may choose Cialis over Viagra or Levitra if you want a medication that you can take as a daily dose. This means that you do not have to plan ahead and take a pill immediately before you want to have sex. The advantage of Spedra is that it acts the most quickly of all the ED medications, working in as little as 15 minutes.
If you are new to ED medications, it can take you a little while to work out which medication suits you best. Simple Online Pharmacy offers an ED Trial Pack containing three different ED medications for you to try. Trying lots of different ED medications can help you to find out which is best for you.