Sildenafilo para la disfunción eréctil

About sildenafil for erectile dysfunction

La disfunción eréctil (a veces llamada impotencia) significa que no se puede conseguir o mantener una erección adecuada. Hay varias causas, la más común se debe a un estrechamiento de las arterias que llevan sangre al pene.

Sildenafil works by preventing the action of a chemical in your body, called phosphodiesterase type-5. This helps to widen (relax) blood vessels and improves the flow of blood to the penis following sexual stimulation. This helps to maintain an erection.

Sildenafil is available on prescription. Non-branded (generic) tablets of sildenafil are available on the NHS, but the brand Viagra® can only be prescribed on the NHS for men with erectile dysfunction resulting from certain medical conditions.

Sildenafil can also be bought over the counter from pharmacies in certain circumstances. Ask your pharmacist for advice on whether this option is suitable for you.

Another brand of sildenafil tablets called Revatio® is used in a completely different condition called pulmonary arterial hypertension - please see the separate medicine leaflet called Sildenafil for pulmonary hypertension if you have been prescribed this brand of sildenafil tablets.

Before taking sildenafil

Algunos medicamentos no son adecuados para personas con determinadas afecciones, y a veces un medicamento sólo puede utilizarse si se toman precauciones adicionales. Por estas razones, antes de empezar a tomar sildenafilo es importante que su médico lo sepa:

• Si padece alguna enfermedad, lesión o deformidad del pene.

• Si padece alguna enfermedad cardiaca o vascular.

• Si ha padecido alguna enfermedad ocular que le haya causado pérdida de visión.

• Si tiene la tensión baja o angina de pecho.

• Si tiene algún problema con el funcionamiento del hígado o de los riñones.

• Si ha sufrido un ictus o un infarto de miocardio.

• Si padece alguna enfermedad que provoque hemorragias, como una úlcera de estómago.

• Si tienes anemia falciforme.

• Si ha padecido cáncer de médula ósea o leucemia.

• Si toma o utiliza otros medicamentos. Esto incluye cualquier medicamento que esté tomando y que pueda adquirirse sin receta, así como hierbas medicinales, medicamentos complementarios y drogas recreativas.

• Si alguna vez ha tenido una reacción alérgica a un medicamento.
  

How to take sildenafil for erectile dysfunction

• Before you take sildenafil, read the manufacturer's printed information leaflet from inside the pack. It will give you more information about the tablets and will provide you with a full list of the side-effects which you may experience from taking them.

• Take sildenafil exactly as your doctor tells you to. It is intended to be taken before sexual activity - it is NOT for continuous daily use. You should take one tablet about an hour before you plan to have sex, although it may still be effective up to five hours after taking the tablet. You can take the tablet either before or after food but, if you have just eaten a large meal, it may take longer for it to work.

• There are three strengths of sildenafil tablets: 25 mg, 50 mg and 100 mg. It is likely that you will be given the 50 mg strength tablet to begin with, but this may be changed subsequently depending upon how you react. Each time you collect a prescription, check to make sure it contains the strength of tablet you are expecting.

• Do not take more than one dose of sildenafil in any 24-hour period.

Aproveche al máximo su tratamiento

• You and your partner will still need to engage in foreplay, just as you would if you were not taking a medicine for erectile dysfunction. Sildenafil will not cause an erection unless you are sexually aroused.

• Do not drink large amounts of alcohol before you plan to take sildenafil. Drinking too much alcohol can reduce your ability to get an erection and this may prevent you from getting the maximum benefit from the tablets.

• It is recommended that you do not drink grapefruit juice with sildenafil. This is because there is a chemical in grapefruit juice which can increase the amount of sildenafil in your bloodstream and this makes side-effects more likely.

• Keep your regular appointments with your doctor so your progress can be monitored. If you feel the tablets are too strong for you, discuss this with your doctor as your dose may need to be reduced. Alternatively, if you do not get an erection after taking sildenafil, or if it does not last long enough for you to have sex, you should discuss this with your doctor - do not take more tablets than you have been told to.

• You should not take sildenafil if you are using any other products or taking any other medicines to treat erectile dysfunction.

¿Puede causar problemas el sildenafilo?

Además de sus efectos útiles, la mayoría de los medicamentos pueden producir efectos secundarios no deseados, aunque no todas las personas los sufran. La siguiente tabla contiene algunos de los efectos secundarios más frecuentes relacionados con el sildenafilo. Encontrará una lista completa en el prospecto suministrado con su medicamento. Los efectos no deseados suelen mejorar a medida que su organismo se adapta al nuevo medicamento, pero consulte a su médico o farmacéutico si alguno de los siguientes efectos persiste o se vuelve molesto.

Si experimenta cualquier otro síntoma que crea que puede deberse a los comprimidos, hable con su médico o farmacéutico para que le aconsejen.

Cómo conservar el sildenafilo

• Mantenga todos los medicamentos fuera del alcance y de la vista de los niños.

• Almacenar en un lugar fresco y seco, lejos del calor y la luz directos.
  

Información importante sobre todos los medicamentos