Combating erectile dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction or ED is a sexual problem which is common among men around the world. It is a condition in which a man isn’t able to attain or maintain an erection for a sufficient amount of time so as to engage in satisfactory sexual activity. The most common causes include reduced blood flow to the penis, nerve damage, drug abuse etc.

Until the year 1998, men suffering from ED had no means of coping up with their condition. This had a serious impact on their sex life and intern, their love life. Then in the year 1998, came along a revolutionary new drug by the name of ‘Viagra’. Viagra is a drug manufactured by Pfizer to treat impotency or erectile dysfunction in men. Soon after its launch, it gained wide spread popularity, enabling couples around the world to once again lead a healthy and satisfactory sex life.

Viagra reigned, undisputed, over the market as the sole brand of impotency pills, capturing a cent percent market share, until the year 2003. Lilly ICOS, another pharmaceutical company, took Sildenafil Citrate, which is the primary content of Viagra and experimented with it to come up with ‘Cialis’ in the year 2003. Cialis gained popularity by the name ‘weekend drug’ due to its ability to last in a man’s body for up to 36 hours.

All the impotence pills in the market work on the same principle, which is PDE-5 suppression. PDE-5 is an enzyme whose job is to regulate the flow of blood to the shaft of the penis. But what differentiates Cialis from Viagra is its ability to last longer. While the effects of Viagra last for about 4 to 6 hours, Cialis is said to be effective for about 24 to 36 hours. Thus, if duration is of importance, Cialis is a clearly a better choice over Viagra. Another point of difference between the two is that Viagra needs to be ingested about an hour before indulging into sexual activities while Cialis can be ingested only 16 minutes prior to intercourse. In spite of the competition, Viagra remains to be the number one choice among men suffering from ED world over. In 2006, the ED market was a 3.1 billion dollar enterprise with Viagra as the market leader with 58% sales and Cialis lagging behind at 31%.

Both these drugs are available at drug stores throughout the world. But, you can get your hands on them only if prescribed by a doctor. Some common side-effects include headache, temporary blurred vision, facial flushing etc. Though Cialis is also known to cause dyspepsia and back pain among some men. People suffering from heart diseases, liver or kidney disease, hypertension, coronary artery disease should stay away from these drugs. Also, people on heartburn and ulcer medicines, blood pressure pills, HIV/AIDS medicines, and various antibiotics are not supposed to take ED medication.