What is Levitra?

Levitra is the brand-name for vardenafil, a new tablet-based oral treatment for erectile dysfunction (ED), which is licensed for prescription in the UK and other countries.

Levitra has proved highly successful in clinical trials and is generating major interest as a real alternative to Viagra, Uprima and Cialis.

Levitra is a new oral PDE-5 inhibitor for the treatment of male erectile dysfunction (ED). Phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE-%) is the predominate enzyme found in human penile erectile tissue and is associated with erections. PDE-5 inhibitors such as Levitra typically work by blocking this enzyme to enhance or prolong the erectile process.

Levitra is marketed by the leading pharmaceutical companies Bayer and GlaxoSmithKline, through a worldwide co-promotion and co-development agreement.

Use

Levitra acts in the same way as Viagra, by blocking an enzyme called phosphodiesterase-5, or PDE-5. This helps the smooth muscles in the penis to relax, which effectively increases blood flow. Levitra will not give a man an erection spontaneously, it will only help a man to get an erection if he is sexually stimulated.

Dosage

Take as directed by your doctor. Your doctor will prescribe the right dosage for you. Levitra usually works within 25-60 minutes, although some men will achieve an erection within 15 minutes. Within a 5 hour period after taking the tablet an erection should occur in response to sexual stimulation.

Side Effects

The most commonly reported side effects were headache, flushing, dyspepsia (indigestion), and nasal congestion.

Precautions

Patients who are currently taking medicines containing nitrates should not take Levitra.

As with patients with a known hypersensitivity to any component of the drug, men with cardiac disease of a severity where sex is inadvisable, recent stroke, heart attack or low blood pressure, unstable angina or angina occurring during sexual intercourse, aged over 75 years and taking ritonavir, indanvir, ketoconazole or itraconazole (oral form).

Levitra should not be taken with other erectile dysfunction treatments.

Levitra should be used with caution in patients with an abnormally formed penis, diseases that might result in prolonged erections such as sickle cell anaemia, multiple myeloma, or leukaemia.

Use with caution if you have a history or postural hypotension, or severe kidney or liver disease.

Be aware of how this drug affects you before operating machinery or driving a vehicle.