Drug	Mechanism of Action	Receptor Target	Effect Duration	Additional Effects
Sildenafil	PDE5 inhibitor, increases blood flow to the penis	PDE5	4-6 hours	Vasodilation, slight hypotension
Tadalafil	PDE5 inhibitor, longer half-life	PDE5	Up to 36 hours	Smooth muscle relaxation
Vardenafil	PDE5 inhibitor, similar to sildenafil	PDE5	4-5 hours	Minimal effects on blood pressure
Avanafil	PDE5 inhibitor, fast-acting	PDE5	6 hours	Fewer visual side effects

Most prescriptions ship from one of Hims’ integrated pharmacies, but you can easily receive your medications from a local pharmacy if you live outside their range.

Product	Dosage	Quantity + Bonus	Price
Viagra Generic	100mg	10 Pills	28.91€ 27.53€
Viagra Oral Jelly	100mg	220 + 18 Sachets	562.28€ 535.50€
Cialis Professional	40mg	120 + 4 Pills	436.68€ 415.89€
Cialis Generic	60mg	360 + 10 Pills	570.52€ 543.35€
Kamagra Gold	50 mg	20 Pills	73.17€ 69.69€
Cialis Generic	40mg	10 Pills	37.79€ 35.99€
Kamagra	100mg	360 + 6 Pills	839.95€ 799.95€
Viagra Generic	25mg	90 + 6 Pills	105.03€ 100.03€
Viagra Oral Jelly	100mg	10 Sachets	46.36€ 44.15€
Super Kamagra	160 mg	32 + 4 Pills	218.25€ 207.86€
Kamagra Effervescent Tablets	100 mg	63 + 7 Pills	171.99€ 163.80€

Their current offering consists of the following: All of these ED treatments are phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5) inhibitors. To be clear, PDE-5 isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it prevents you from having an erection that would never go away. But an abundance of PDE-5 can prevent an erection from happening in the first place. When you’re aroused (physically, psychologically, or both), your body produces cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), which widens blood vessels and relaxes the smooth muscles in your penis, allowing it to fill with blood and become erect.

How oral medicines differ

Getting connected with a doctor involves filling out a short questionnaire and setting up a time to chat, most often through text on their messaging platform but sometimes via phone or video conference. Most prescriptions ship from one of Hims’ integrated pharmacies, but you can easily receive your medications from a local pharmacy if you live outside their range. This is a pretty standard practice among Hims’ top competitors, and it’s one of the main reasons that these medications ship so quickly. Hims offers various ED medications, including three brand-name prescriptions and generic versions of the most popular drugs to combat ED. Their current offering consists of the following: All of these ED treatments are phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5) inhibitors.

Jet lag research

To be clear, PDE-5 isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it prevents you from having an erection that would never go away. But an abundance of PDE-5 can prevent an erection from happening in the first place. When you’re aroused (physically, psychologically, or both), your body produces cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), which widens blood vessels and relaxes the smooth muscles in your penis, allowing it to fill with blood and become erect. PDE-5’s role is to degrade CGMP and keep its levels in check.4 After climax or the removal of arousing stimulants, your body stops producing all that cGMP, the PDE-5 breaks the last of it down, and your erection fades. By binding to PDE-5, these medications let cGMP build up and stay elevated, allowing for an erection to form and stay put until climax.

Pseudoephedrine HCl (Sudafed)

Insider Tip: A common misconception purports that Viagra will give you an erection when you take it, but the medication will only result in an erection if the man who took it is aroused. Psychosomatic erections resulting from excitement or intrigue after an individual’s first dose may contribute to anecdotal reports of spontaneous erections, but they aren’t the result of the medication in isolation.5 Despite the fact that each of these medications is a PDE-5 inhibitor, they aren’t all identical. Viagra, sildenafil, and Stendra are decidedly similar, but there are some important differences among them. And Cialis and tadalafil present the option of a completely different dosing schedule than the others. Hims ED medications are available on monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and, in some cases, annual billing cycles. PDE-5’s role is to degrade CGMP and keep its levels in check.4 After climax or the removal of arousing stimulants, your body stops producing all that cGMP, the PDE-5 breaks the last of it down, and your erection fades. By binding to PDE-5, these medications let cGMP build up and stay elevated, allowing for an erection to form and stay put until climax.

Start your treatment journey

Instead, it’s produced by a third party that has essentially reverse-engineered the original formula and replicated its manufacturing process. FDA regulations demand that these generics be therapeutically identical to the original, but they can come in different doses and include different inactive ingredients like colorants. That’s why generic sildenafil can look very different from the classic “little blue pills.” No matter whether you opt for branded or generic versions of the drug, the effects are the same. It typically takes between 30 and 60 minutes for sildenafil to take effect, at which point any source of arousal should create an erection of sufficient strength for successful sex. Heavy or fatty meals can slow down the time to efficacy, but the drug generally lasts for about 4-6 hours.

Altitude Sickness

Hims offers branded Viagra at a 50mg dose and generic Viagra in doses of 25mg, 50mg, and 100mg. Generic sildenafil is a little different, as Hims utilizes a formulation that’s therapeutically identical to Viagra but that’s from a dosing schedule originally prescribed for pulmonary arterial hypertension. That allows them to distribute it in 20mg tablets for doses of 20mg, 40mg, 60mg, 80mg, and 100mg. Each medication is available in quantities of 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, or 16 pills per month. That makes Hims one of the best places to go if you aren’t sure how many pills per month you might need — their quantity options are among the most flexible on the market.

Premature Ejaculation (PE)

Here’s a look at the cost of different quantities and billing cycles for similar dose options: Insider Tip: If a 20mg dose of sildenafil is all you need to beat back your ED, you can get double the sildenafil for your money by requesting the 40mg dose. Hims charges the same for 20mg and 40mg orders, and they ship both in 20mg tablets regardless of the intended dose per use. That means a four-dose order of 40mg sildenafil gets you eight 20mg tablets for the same price you’d pay for four 20mg tablets with a weaker prescription. Hims also includes sildenafil as part of a combination treatment in one of the company’s Sex Chews, which we’ll discuss in more detail below. The FDA approved tadalafil for medical use in the U.S. Another way to control costs is by carefully choosing your dose level and your monthly quantity. One frustrating thing about Hims’ pricing model is that you don’t always save more money by buying in larger quantities. The six-dose quantities of most sildenafil/Viagra options are all less expensive per dose than others, even the 16-dose orders. Here’s a list of prices per quarter for sildenafil 60mg: If you choose to pay monthly, the price per dose never gets better as your quantity increases. If you pay quarterly, that price per dose fluctuates up and down without a clear logic to it. It’s still better than not being able to choose quarterly billing — which several Hims competitors do not offer — but more clarity in the system would be nice. Hims offers a handful of ED medications, every one of which has been FDA-approved for use against ED and has been subjected to a significant amount of clinical research leading up to and after their approvals.

Future directions in treatment

Beyond the dangers posed to individuals with blood pressure concerns, there are some common side effects associated with PDE-5 use.7 They include: Some of these side effects are caused by the PDE-5 inhibitors working to inhibit the activity of other PDE isoenzymes like PDEs 1, 6, or 11. One uncommon but possible side effect of PDE-6 inhibition is an inability of your vision to distinguish between shades of blue and green. For men who suffer from these collateral PDE inhibition side effects, we’d recommend trying a more targeted inhibitor than sildenafil or tadalafil, like Hims Stendra or chewable vardenafil.8 Let’s take a closer look at each medication Hims offers to get a better sense of which might be right for you. Sildenafil is the most popular and the most affordable option for ED treatment. Developed in the mid-1990s as a treatment for hypertension and angina pectoris, sildenafil is the oldest PDE-5 inhibitor prescribed as an ED treatment.

How do healthcare professionals diagnose erectile dysfunction?

Sildenafil has been the subject of rigorous clinical studies throughout its lifespan, and those studies (as well as millions of patients) confirm its effectiveness.9 The original formulation of sildenafil citrate that was patented and marketed as an ED treatment went by the name Viagra — the now-famous “little blue pill.” Branded Viagra is the original, and it’s the most expensive form of the drug. Few men will opt for it through Hims due to its high cost, but there are two types of men for whom branded Viagra makes sense. Understandably, if you’ve tried something to treat your ED and you’ve found it effective, you may not be interested in trying anything else — even if the alternative is therapeutically the same thing, according to the FDA. In this case, if you’ve found branded Viagra to be effective, you might want to stick with it. This is a rare occasion, as most insurers will only cover generic drugs when they’re available, but if your insurance only offers you reimbursement on branded Viagra, you’ll certainly prefer it to generics so long as your copay is less than the cost of generic alternatives.

What drugs treat erectile dysfunction?

Understanding the difference between the other two sildenafil-based options available through Hims is a little more complicated. Generic Viagra and generic sildenafil may seem like the same thing, but there are subtle, important differences between the two. Generic Viagra is an “authorized generic,” which means it’s made either by the original company (Pfizer, in this case) or by a third party explicitly licensed by Pfizer to produce it. Generic Viagra is identical to the original in every way, but it won’t say Viagra on the prescription bottle — it man up pills will likely say sildenafil. Generic sildenafil citrate, on the other hand, is not produced by Pfizer or an authorized partner. However, some custom formulations, like the company’s chewable tablets and combination therapies, aren’t FDA-approved themselves, even though their individual components are FDA-approved and the compounding pharmacies that make them are FDA-regulated.

Holistic approach: Combining medication with lifestyle changes for best results.
Mind-body connection: Stress reduction techniques can improve sexual function.
Pelvic floor exercises: Kegels can help improve erectile strength and control.
Weight management: Losing weight can significantly improve erectile function.
Sleep hygiene: Poor sleep is linked to lower testosterone and ED.
Integrated treatment: Addressing physical and psychological factors together.

These medications’ potential side effects and contraindications are well-known. Sildenafil (as branded Viagra, generic Viagra, and generic sildenafil citrate) Tadalafil (as branded Cialis and generic tadalafil) Each of these is a PDE-5 inhibitor, which — as part of its ability to improve erectile performance — widens blood vessels. That can lower the blood pressure of anyone taking them, presenting a significant danger to any man taking medication to control blood pressure or suffering from an ailment that lowers it.6 You’ll need to submit a recent blood pressure reading to be given a prescription for any PDE-5 inhibitor, and you and your consulting physician will go over your current health state and discuss any current or previous cardiovascular or cardiopulmonary issues. Beyond the dangers posed to individuals with blood pressure concerns, there are some common side effects associated with PDE-5 use.7 They include: Some of these side effects are caused by the PDE-5 inhibitors working to inhibit the activity of other PDE isoenzymes like PDEs 1, 6, or 11.

Treating ED Without Medications

2. Can erectile dysfunction be cured completely?

One frustrating thing about Hims’ pricing model is that you don’t always save more money by buying in larger quantities. The six-dose quantities of most sildenafil/Viagra options are all less expensive per dose than others, even the 16-dose orders. Here’s a list of prices per quarter for sildenafil 60mg: If you choose to pay monthly, the price per dose never gets better as your quantity increases. If you pay quarterly, that price per dose fluctuates up and down without a clear logic to it. It’s still better than not being able to choose quarterly billing — which several Hims competitors do not offer — but more clarity in the system would be nice.

Legal / Prescription Status in India (Schedule H)

Hims offers a handful of ED medications, every one of which has been FDA-approved for use against ED and has been subjected to a significant amount of clinical research leading up to and after their approvals. However, some custom formulations, like the company’s chewable tablets and combination therapies, aren’t FDA-approved themselves, even though their individual components are FDA-approved and the compounding pharmacies that make them are FDA-regulated. These medications’ potential side effects and contraindications are well-known. Sildenafil (as branded Viagra, generic Viagra, and generic sildenafil citrate) Tadalafil (as branded Cialis and generic tadalafil) Each of these is a PDE-5 inhibitor, which — as part of its ability to improve erectile performance — widens blood vessels. That can lower the blood pressure of anyone taking them, presenting a significant danger to any man taking medication to control blood pressure or suffering from an ailment that lowers it.6 You’ll need to submit a recent blood pressure reading to be given a prescription for any PDE-5 inhibitor, and you and your consulting physician will go over your current health state and discuss any current or previous cardiovascular or cardiopulmonary issues. One uncommon but possible side effect of PDE-6 inhibition is an inability of your vision to distinguish between shades of blue and green. For men who suffer from these collateral PDE inhibition side effects, we’d recommend trying a more targeted inhibitor than sildenafil or tadalafil, like Hims Stendra or chewable vardenafil.8 Let’s take a closer look at each medication Hims offers to get a better sense of which might be right for you.

Age factors: Prevalence increases with age, but ED is not an inevitable part of aging.
Young men: Can experience ED due to psychological factors or lifestyle choices.
Middle-aged: Often a mix of physical and psychological causes.
Elderly: More likely due to comorbidities and medication side effects.
Early onset: ED in men under 40 warrants a thorough medical evaluation.
Lifespan impact: Can affect sexual health at any adult age.

Sildenafil is the most popular and the most affordable option for ED treatment. Developed in the mid-1990s as a treatment for hypertension and angina pectoris, sildenafil is the oldest PDE-5 inhibitor prescribed as an ED treatment. Sildenafil has been the subject of rigorous clinical studies throughout its lifespan, and those studies (as well as millions of patients) confirm its effectiveness.9 The original formulation of sildenafil citrate that was patented and marketed as an ED treatment went by the name Viagra — the now-famous “little blue pill.” Branded Viagra is the original, and it’s the most expensive form of the drug. Few men will opt for it through Hims due to its high cost, but there are two types of men for whom branded Viagra makes sense. Understandably, if you’ve tried something to treat your ED and you’ve found it effective, you may not be interested in trying anything else — even if the alternative is therapeutically the same thing, according to the FDA. In this case, if you’ve found branded Viagra to be effective, you might want to stick with it. This is a rare occasion, as most insurers will only cover generic drugs when they’re available, but if your insurance only offers you reimbursement on branded Viagra, you’ll certainly prefer it to generics so long as your copay is less than the cost of generic alternatives.

Side Effect	Sildenafil	Tadalafil	Vardenafil	Avanafil
Headache	Common	Common	Common	Less common
Flushing	Common	Common	Common	Rare
Nasal Congestion	Common	Less common	Common	Rare
Vision Changes	Rare	Rare	Rare	Very rare
Muscle Pain	Rare	Less common	Rare	Rare
Priapism	Rare	Rare	Rare	Rare

Ed tablets are part of the broader category of phosphodiesterase inhibitors.
Not all ED cases require medication; counseling and therapy may help.
They should be taken approximately 30-60 minutes before sex.
Ed tablets are usually taken only when needed, not daily.
They're contraindicated with certain medications for heart disease.
They can generally be used by men up to an advanced age safely.
Professional consultation can help determine the best treatment approach.
Continued research enhances the options available for ED treatment.

Generic Viagra is an “authorized generic,” which means it’s made either by the original company (Pfizer, in this case) or by a third party explicitly licensed by Pfizer to produce it. Generic Viagra is identical to the original in every way, but it won’t say Viagra on the prescription bottle — it man up pills will likely say sildenafil.

Surgical treatments

in 2003. Like the other PDE-5 inhibitors, tadalafil doesn’t start working the moment you swallow the pill; it will take, on average, 30-60 minutes for the tadalafil to become effective.10 However, once it is effective, you can enjoy sex spontaneously without the degree of planning that other ED treatments require. Generic sildenafil citrate, on the other hand, is not produced by Pfizer or an authorized partner. Instead, it’s produced by a third party that has essentially reverse-engineered the original formula and replicated its manufacturing process. FDA regulations demand that these generics be therapeutically identical to the original, but they can come in different doses and include different inactive ingredients like colorants. That’s why generic sildenafil can look very different from the classic “little blue pills.” No matter whether you opt for branded or generic versions of the drug, the effects are the same. It typically takes between 30 and 60 minutes for sildenafil to take effect, at which point any source of arousal should create an erection of sufficient strength for successful sex. Heavy or fatty meals can slow down the time to efficacy, but the drug generally lasts for about 4-6 hours. Hims offers branded Viagra at a 50mg dose and generic Viagra in doses of 25mg, 50mg, and 100mg. Generic sildenafil is a little different, as Hims utilizes a formulation that’s therapeutically identical to Viagra but that’s from a dosing schedule originally prescribed for pulmonary arterial hypertension. That allows them to distribute it in 20mg tablets for doses of 20mg, 40mg, 60mg, 80mg, and 100mg. Each medication is available in quantities of 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, or 16 pills per month. That makes Hims one of the best places to go if you aren’t sure how many pills per month you might need — their quantity options are among the most flexible on the market. Here’s a look at the cost of different quantities and billing cycles for similar dose options: Insider Tip: If a 20mg dose of sildenafil is all you need to beat back your ED, you can get double the sildenafil for your money by requesting the 40mg dose. Hims charges the same for 20mg and 40mg orders, and they ship both in 20mg tablets regardless of the intended dose per use. That means a four-dose order of 40mg sildenafil gets you eight 20mg tablets for the same price you’d pay for four 20mg tablets with a weaker prescription. Hims also includes sildenafil as part of a combination treatment in one of the company’s Sex Chews, which we’ll discuss in more detail below. The FDA approved tadalafil for medical use in the U.S. in 2003. Like the other PDE-5 inhibitors, tadalafil doesn’t start working the moment you swallow the pill; it will take, on average, 30-60 minutes for the tadalafil to become effective.10 However, once it is effective, you can enjoy sex spontaneously without the degree of planning that other ED treatments require.

An Overview of Erectile Dysfunction Tablets

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