Generic Levitra allows the penis to fill with blood and become erect.
Levitra is designed to treat erectile dysfunction, or ED. Like so many of these new wonder drugs, erectile dysfunction treatment pills and programs have made this age old problem a thing of the past.
It comes in the form of a small orange pill in 2.5mg, 5mg, 10mg, and 20mg dosages. It is normally recommended to take Levitra 30-60 minutes prior to sexual activity, and not more than once a day.
Erectile dysfunction is a very common disorder in men, and can develop for a number of reasons. Most men experience some difficulty getting or maintaining an erection at some point in their lives, especially after the age of 40, even if they are otherwise healthy. Many causes behind ED are psychological in origin, and occur in men that are perfectly healthy. It is primarily for these cases that drugs like Levitra are prescribed. Some cases of ED can have more serious disease as the source, such as diabetes, nerve damage, or hypogonadism, and in these cases Levitra may not be effective.
The drug Levitra was designed as a follow up competitor to the popular ED treatment Viagra. Viagra was first produced in the 1990s, and patented in 1996 with the intention of development as a treatment for ED. When Viagra was FDA approved and hit the markets in 1998 it was an enormous success. In fact, it’s been possible to order Viagra online for a few years now although some countries still treat it as a prescription only drug.
However, because of a number of side effects associated with Viagra usage, including a small risk of heart complications in patients with heart disease, many men were quickly turned off to the drug. The risks associated with Viagra are somewhat exaggerated, and many of the heart attacks that occurred in users of the drug turned out to be due to other factors. Nevertheless, research for a newer and better ED treatment continued, and Levitra was patented in the early 2000s, receiving its FDA approved in the beginning of 2004.
Levitra is lumped together with Viagra and Cialis as PDE5 inhibitors. PDE5 causes a compound called cyclic GMP or cGMP to breakdown. Cyclic GMP causes the smooth muscles in arteries of the penis to relax, allowing the penis to fill with blood and become erect, therefore inhibiting the action of PDE5 will lead to penile erections so long as the individual is otherwise healthy and is stimulated sexually.
The most common side effect of Levitra is nausea. Much less common side effects include upset stomach, flushing, back pain and eye pain. Occasionally, users of Levitra experience blurred vision, and in some rare cases have reported temporary lose of sight in one or both eyes.
By Andy Maingam |
