Tadalafil vs Sildenafil: Which ED medication is better?

Published on: May 5, 2022
Last Updated on July 5, 2024
Tadalafil vs Sildenafil: Which ED medication is better?

Erectile Dysfunction or ED is a term you may have heard in articles or on websites. Among males, it is one of the biggest causes of distress.

It is a disorder or medical situation in which men are unable to get the desired erection for satisfying sexual intercourse.

This leads to dissatisfaction and distress among couples. The major reasons for ED are high cholesterol, smoking, alcohol consumption, sleeping disorders, diabetes, depression, etc.

But don’t be pessimistic because ED is curable. When solutions to ED are discussed, men tend to use two major drugs, Tadalafil and Sildenafil. They are both PDE5 (phosphodiesterase type 5) inhibitors since they both inhibit the body’s use of PDE5.

PDE5 helps in the ejaculation of semen after sexual intercourse. Hence, when its functions are suppressed, the ejaculation of semen takes more time thus, the erection lasts longer.

Despite being used for the same purpose, Tadalafil, and Sildenafil (Cenforce 200 mg tablet) are not prescribed to the same person. Like the similarities discussed above, they also have differences.

In this article, we shall find out the major differences between Tadalafil and Sildenafil and which one is better, medication or ED.


⭕Also Read: Erectile Dysfunction Causes & Treatment Options


SILDENAFIL VS TADALAFIL


👉Manufacturer

Two separate drugs, Tadalafil (Vidalista 20 mg or Vidalista 40mg) and Sildenafil have different manufacturers. Pfizer, an American Multinational Pharmaceutical company came out with Viagra. The active ingredient of Viagra was Sildenafil or Sildenafil Citrate.

Viagra first came into use in the late 1990s in 1998. At that time, it was the lone drug that assured long-lasting erection without any major competitor like today.

The patents of Sildenafil expired in 2013, which led to the huge availability of generic drugs with Sildenafil as the main ingredient.

So, you can say at that time Viagra or Sildenafil enjoyed the monopoly due to a lack of competitiveness. But with the emergence of ED cases across the world new companies began manufacturing ED pills.

One such company was Eli Lilly which came out with Cialis, whose active ingredient was Tadalafil. Tadalafil came at the beginning of the 2000s in 2003. The patents of 2003 expired in 2017, after which generic versions of Tadalafil flooded the markets.


🕰Time is taken to work.

Sildenafil Citrate starts showing actions within an hour of consumption. The working of the drug is affected if you take too a heavy meal before taking Sildenafil. Hence, doctors advise you to take Sildenafil on an empty stomach, if you feel too hungry have a light meal.

Tadalafil starts working in less than 30 minutes of consumption with water. However, the working of Tadalafil does not affect whether you take it on an empty stomach or full stomach.

Both of the drugs are water-soluble, therefore for full benefits swallow the pills only with water.

Using alcoholic drinks or acidic juices may weaken the impact of the drug and can increase the time taken to work. Both of them will start working only if the person is properly sexually stimulated.


📋Performance

Sildenafil results in erection which usually lasts in the range of 4 to 5 hours. Whereas Tadalafil causes a much more lasting erection for almost 36 hours.

The duration given may not be fulfilled exactly because it depends on a lot of factors such as how strictly you have followed the prescription.

For example, if you take any of the drugs with alcohol instead of water, you may receive less erection than assured. Hence, for better results from Viagra or Cialis follow every instruction mentioned in the prescription and the label.


🗜Method of consumption

Both Sildenafil (Fildena 100 purple pill) and Tadalafil are swallowing tablets. Hence, do not chew, break, bite, or disintegrate them during consumption.

Avoid using Sildenafil or Tadalafil with any other ED pill as it may lead to overdose which causes fatal side effects like fainting, loss of vision, reduced memory, etc.

Remember Sildenafil and Tadalafil are prescription-based drugs therefore, take the tablets only if the doctor has prescribed them to you.


💊Available doses

The last dose of Sildenafil starts with 25mg, which is given to side effect-prone patients. The most common dosage is 50mg and if needed more than 100mg.

Tadalafil’s dose begins with 2.5mg which may be replaced with 5mg if desired results are not experienced. The highest-used dosage is 10mg and 20mg.

Remember, do not change the dosage without consulting the doctor, or else you might encounter life-threatening side effects.


📜Success rate

Sildenafil shows positive results in 82 percent of men in normal situations when the prescription is carefully followed.

Tadalafil shows positive results in 81 percent of men under normal situations when instructions are obeyed.

Medications that interact with it
Sildenafil or tadalafil may interact with other medicines you are taking. These other medicines can affect how tadalafil or sildenafil work. So it’s a good idea to speak to a doctor first before you take tadalafil or sildenafil.


⏺️You should not take Tadalafil and Sildenafil at the same time.

⚕Tadalafil

Before you take tadalafil, let your doctor know if you take other medicines like:

  • There are other treatments for erectile dysfunction, such as Viagra (sildenafil).
  • nitrates, such as isosorbide mononitrate for chest pain (angina)
  • tamsulosin or another benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) treatment
  • Medicines for high blood pressure
  • bosentan or riociguat
  • ritonavir for HIV treatment
  • phenytoin, phenobarbital, or carbamazepine for epilepsy
  • antibiotics, such as erythromycin, clarithromycin, or rifampicin
  • antifungal medicines, such as ketoconazole or itraconazole
  • any over-the-counter products you have bought from a pharmacy

➰Sildenafil

Sildenafil can interact with other medicines you take, like these:

  • Cialis (tadalafil) and other erectile dysfunction medications
  • nitrates for chest pain, such as glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) or isosorbide mononitrate
  • protease inhibitors or other HIV treatments
  • alpha-blockers for high blood pressure (doxazosin or alfuzosin)
  • recreational drugs that affect your blood pressure, such as ‘poppers’
  • antibiotics (erythromycin)

▶Which is the better one?

The performance of Tadalafil suggests that it is a better medication for erectile dysfunction.

But it is always not correct, if a person is allergic to Tadalafil then he cannot take Tadalafil (Tadalista 20 tablets) and risk his life. Whatever drug doctors prescribe to you is the best medication of ED for you.