Erectile Dysfunction
What Can I Expect When Taking Viagra for the First Time?
Question:
Dear ED: On my last visit to my doctor, he prescribed Viagra to see if perhaps it could overcome my inability to get and keep an erection. I haven’t used the drug yet, and I’m wondering exactly what I’m likely to experience when I do. I’m aware that Viagra could trigger some mild side effects, but that’s not really my primary interest. I’d just like to know how the medication will affect my erection process.
Abe C., Philadelphia, PA
ANSWER:
It can take up to an hour before Viagra’s erection-friendly effects kick in, although some men report that they feel the drug’s effects as soon as 15 minutes after taking it. By the 30-minute mark, you’re likely to be more responsive to sexual stimulation and feelings of sexual desire, and an hour after the drug is taken, your blood levels of its active ingredient, sildenafil citrate, should peak. At no point in this continuum will an erection spontaneously occur. You’ll still need to get that the old-fashioned way, through genital stimulation and thoughts of sex. It’s probably best to engage in sexual activity within four hours after taking Viagra. At the four-hour mark, your blood levels of sildenafil citrate, Viagra’s active ingredient, will have fallen to half their original peak level. And the levels of sildenafil citrate in your bloodstream will continue to decline until all traces of the drug have been cleared from your body. However, men who are particularly sensitive to the drug’s effects can sometimes benefit from its effects beyond the four-hour mark.