If you have issues with how to take Viagra with water or milk or juices, this discussion illuminates on the matter.
First thing off, Viagra is a drug for erectile dysfunction (ED) treatment. This condition pertains to an inability to develop or maintain an erection.
Viagra’s base ingredient, sildenafil, is a substance that can help a man with ED to successfully maintain an erection during sexual activity by increasing blood flow to the area.
Take a tablet approximately an hour before sexual activity, as sildenafil takes about 30 minutes to take effect. The effect can last up to 4 hours after administration (1).
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Dosage
Viagra is available in three doses: 25 mg, 50 mg, and 100 mg – with 50 mg as the recommended starting dose. The dose can be increased to 100 mg for improved efficacy, but don’t do it without consulting your physician first (2).
Take a tablet daily before sex. Take note of your body’s response to the drug, as different people reported different responses. If it is more effective for you taking it 4 hours before engaging in sex, you may continue to do so.
One way to use the medicine the first time, whether you will be taking Viagra with water or with milk, is to use it alone and without others knowing that you are using it.
Using it alone can help become familiar with Viagra in a private manner. This will allow you to understand its positive and negative effects on your body and eliminate performance issues with your partner.
Besides, focusing on yourself before focusing on the details of sexual activity might be the right way for you to achieve confidence.
It was shown that the best results with Viagra are seen after eight times of use. Most users use it two times a week for eight weeks to get the best dose and to get a good grasp of their body’s reaction, including timing its best effect.
The maximum dose recommended per occasion is 100 mg. However, higher doses can be given to patients with severe ED, pulmonary hypertension, or ejaculatory delay (3).
Adverse Effects
The safety and adverse effects of sildenafil are well-documented. Common adverse effects at therapeutic doses include palpitation, abnormal vision, nasal congestion, dizziness, dyspepsia, facial flushing, and headache.
The following may also occur:
- Vomiting
- Priapism (prolonged erection of the penis
- rhabdomyolysis – muscle breakdown
- diarrhea
Death Due to Overdose
Can one die from Viagra overdose? It is possible. According to a report, Viagra has been implicated in deaths related to heart attacks. The number was put at 1,824 deaths in the decade from 1998 to 2007 (4).
A case of overdose involving a 40-yr old male was reported. Apparently, he took sildenafil for ten years in a progressive manner, starting from 100 mg to 1300 mg per occasion. The abuse was done 2 – 3 times per week.
In this case, the only side effect reported was the blurring of vision in the last two years of abuse. Otherwise, the man was normal.
The case was unique because this is the highest dose of the use of sildenafil reported in the literature with abuse done over a protracted period (5).
Another case that landed in the news involved a 66-yr old Colombian man, who also did not die from Viagra abuse, but had to have his penis castrated.
Doctors found his organ inflamed, fractured, and showing symptoms of gangrene as a result of several days of erection (6).
Overdosing on Viagra is dangerous, the report added. Nausea, chest pains, irregular heartbeat, and in this particular case, priapism.
If priapism is left untreated within 24 hours, permanent damage to the penis may occur, leading to a difficulty in achieving erections in the future.
Can Viagra Be Taken With Water or Milk?
Doctors sometimes recommend using milk to take medications. One of the reasons is that milk does not damage the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract and reduces the bitter taste typical in drugs.
With the question “can Viagra be taken with milk instead of water” and is it safe to do so, the answer is YES – under normal health conditions. If you are lactose intolerant, your doctor will advise not using milk for taking Viagra.
Thus, unless your pharmacist or the doctor explicitly tells you to avoid taking certain drugs with certain foods, then the drug can be taken with any diet.
With Viagra and other drugs per se, we are not aware of any contraindications with milk. If milk is a contraindication, the drug’s label will state so.
Grapefruit juice may affect Viagra absorption, as it increases blood level after a delay in absorption. This can increase the chances of side effects occurring.
Alcohol, on the other, has that relaxing effect, which can impair the achievement of an erection (7, 8).
It is better to take Viagra on an empty stomach, as food may interfere with absorption. Avoid fatty food for a minimum of two hours before taking the drug.
Alpha-Blockers
Aside from food, take note of current medications you’re taking. One critical type of drug to take note of is alpha-blockers, which are prescribed for enlarged prostate and high blood pressure (9).
For these patients, the doctor needs to make sure that they are under a regular alpha-blocker regimen before starting using Viagra in minimal dosages.
If a patient is already under a regular dose of Viagra, he or she must start at the lowest dosage of an alpha-blocker allowed for his condition.
Moreover, allow 4 hours to pass after taking an alpha-blocker before Viagra administration.
Alpha-blocker: a drug that blocks the artery and smooth muscle receptors. The action allows for the relaxation of blood vessels leading to an increase in blood flow and lower blood pressure.
Taking Viagra, which also lowers blood pressure, together with an alpha-blocker, may result in hypotension and dizziness.
