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Vardenafil

What is Vardenafil and why is this medication prescribed?

Vardenafil is a prescription medicine for the treatment of erectile dysfunction or impotence. It is in a class of medications known as phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitors. Used in combination with sexual stimulation, Vardenafil works to increase blood flow to enhance penile function, restoring erection. Vardenafil may not be used as a sexual stimulant, nor is it a cure for E.D.

How should I take Vardenafil?

Vardenafil comes in the form of a tablet. It is swallowed with no water and dissolves in the mouth. Unlike tadalafil which may be taken daily or as needed, vardenafil is not for daily use. Vardenafil is ideally taken only as needed, at least an hour before sexual activity. It may be taken with or without food.

If you have health conditions, or are taking medications, Vardenafil may not likely be recommended by your doctor, or you’ll only be ordered to take Vardenafil less often. For safety purposes, always read and follow the directions on your prescription label. You can also consult your doctor or pharmacist for any questions and clarifications.

If you are taking Vardenafil for the first time, make sure to check the blister pack that comes along with your prescription. Never accept or use the medication if the blister is broken.Always follow what’s directed on the package. Don’t try pushing the tablet through the foil. After removing the tablet from the blister package, put it in your mouth and allow it to melt inside. The tablet is meant to dissolve quickly. Make sure not to take it with any fluids or water.

The doctor is likely to get you started on an average dose of Vardenafil. Then increase or decrease it accordingly, depending on how your body responds to the medication. With the rapidly disintegrating tablets, which are only available in one strength, adjusting your dose will not be possible. So if you want to modulate and test your tolerance, you may be advised to take the regular tablets for that. Always observe your body’s response to vardenafil and let your doctor know if it’s working for you or if you are uncomfortable with the side effects.

Regular vardenafil tablets and vardenafil rapidly disintegrating tablets cannot be used alternatively or in lieu of what is prescribed. Make sure to only take the specific type of vardenafil your doctor ordered. For clarifications on the medications prescribed to you, ask your pharmacist for further advice.

What are other uses of Vardenafil?

Vardenafil is a medication that may be prescribed for other uses as well. For more of this, consult your doctor or your pharmacist for more detailed information.

Any special precautions I should observe when taking Vardenafil?

IMPORTANT THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND BEFORE TAKING VARDENAFIL:
  • Let your doctor know about any other medications you’re taking, any allergies you may have with certain ingredients in medicines, and any conditions you may have
  • Do ask your pharmacist for a list of ingredients of the prescribed medicine (Vardenafil)
  • If you are taking medicines called guanylate cyclase stimulators (such as riociguat (Adempas))
  • You should not take Vardenafil if you are taking or have recently taken the following:
    • riociguat (Adempas)
    • nitrates e.g. isosorbide dinitrate (Dilatrate-SR, Isordil, in BiDil)
    • isosorbide mononitrate (Monoket)
    • nitroglycerin (Minitran, Nitro-Dur, Nitromist, Nitrostat, others)
  • Nitrates come in the form of tablets, ointments, pastes, patches, sprays, and sublingual (under-the-tongue) tablets
  • tell your doctor what herbal products you are taking, especially St. John's wort.
  • If you are not sure whether your medications have nitrates, it is best to ask your pharmacist or doctor for this information
  • Iever take street drugs with nitrates (e.g. amyl nitrate, butyl nitrate / poppers) while taking vardenafil simultaneously
  • Be sure to inform your doctor or your pharmacist of other non-prescription and prescription medications, supplements, and vitamins you’re taking or about to take. Take note of the following:
    • alpha blockers such as alfuzosin (Uroxatral)
    • doxazosin (Cardura)
    • prazosin (Minipress),
    • tamsulosin (Flomax, in Jalyn),and terazosin;
    • amiodarone (Cordarone, Pacerone);
    • antifungals such as fluconazole (Diflucan), itraconazole (Onmel, Sporanox),
    • and ketoconazole (Nizoral); clarithromycin (Biaxin, in Prevpac);
    • disopyramide (Norpace);
    • erythromycin (E.E.S., E-Mycin, Erythrocin);
    • haloperidol (Haldol);
    • HIV protease inhibitors that includes atazanavir (Reyataz, in Evotaz), indinavir (Crixivan), ritonavir (Norvir, in Kaletra), and saquinavir (Invirase);
    • medications for high blood pressure or irregular heartbeat;
    • other medications or treatments for erectile dysfunction;
    • methadone (Dolophine, Methadose);
    • moxifloxacin (Avelox);
    • pimozide (Orap);
    • procainamide;
    • quinidine (in Nuedexta);
    • sotalol (Betapace, Sorine, Sotylize);
    • thioridazine and verapamil (Calan, Covera, Verelan, others).
  • Your doctor will be closely monitoring you for side effects and may change your doses accordingly based on how you respond to your meds. Vardenafil has a lot of potential interactions with other substances. If you are taking medications, even those that are not found on this list, still you must inform your doctor about it.
  • If you are taking any herbal products, especially if it’s St. John’s wort, infor your doctor.
  • If you smoke, you must inform your doctor.
  • If you’ve ever had an erection lasting for more than 4 hours, inform your doctor.
  • If you’ve ever had a condition that affected your penis’ shape (e.g. angulation, cavernosal fibrosis, Peyronie’s disease), diabetes, high blood pressure, low blood pressure, high cholesterol, irregular heartbeat, heart attack, stroke, angina (chest pain), stomach ulcer, bleeding disorder, blood cell problems like sickle cell anemia (RBC disease), ulcer in the intestine, multiple myeloma (cancer of the plasma cells), leukemia (cancer of the WBC), liver disease, heart disease, kidney disease, and seizures, inform your doctor
  • If you or anyone in your family experienced QT syndome (heart condition), retinitis pigmentosus (eye disease), or severe case of vision loss especially if it was due to a blockage of blood flow to the nerves to enable you to see, let your doctor know
  • Inform your doctor if you’re going to have surgery of any kind, including dental surgery, and taking Vardenafil
  • Vardenafil should never be taken by women, especially if she is pregnant or breastfeeding
  • Sex can add more strain to the heart, which is critical for those with heart condition. If you feel chest pain during sexual activity, you should discontinue and call your doctor for medical advise
  • You must always inform any health care providers regarding your intake of Vardenafil. For emergency medical treatment for heart condition, the healthcare workers treating you need to know when your last intake of Vardenafil was.
  • The rapid disintegrating tablets are sweetened with aspartame, a source of phenylalanine. Something to keep in mind just in case you have phenylketonuria or PKU (a genetic condition that necessitates a special diet to prevent severe intellectual disability / brain damage)
  • The rapid disintegrating tablets are sweetened with sorbitol. Inform your doctor in case you have a condition known as fructose intolerance (genetic condition where the body has insufficient amounts of protein needed to break down fructose)

Any Special Dietary Guidelines I Should Observe?

Inform your doctor if you are ever eating grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice and also taking Vardenafil
What are the side effects that Vardenafil may cause? Mild symptoms: Let your doctor know if these symptoms don’t go away or become severe
  • flu-like symptoms
  • flushing
  • headache
  • heartburn
  • upset stomach
  • stuffy or runny nose
Severe side effects: Call your doctor if you experience any of these
  • blurred vision
  • changes in color vision (seeing blue tinge in objects, difficulty distinguishing blue and green, or difficulty seeing at night)
  • dizziness
  • difficulty breathing or swallowing
  • erection that lasts longer than 4 hours
  • Fainting
  • hives
  • hoarseness
  • rash
  • ringing in ears
  • severe case of vision loss
  • sudden decrease or loss of hearing
  • swelling of different body parts such as face, eyes, tongue, throat, lips,feet, ankles, hands, and lower legs

Vardenafil may cause other side effects. Call your doctor if you have any unusual problems while taking this medication.

There have been documented cases of patients who experienced sudden loss of vision while taking Vardenafil. In some, the vision loss was permanent. However, it is not certain if the loss of vision was due to vardenafil. Just in case you experience a similar case, call your doctor immediately. It is important to remember not to take more dosage than what is prescribed by your doctor.

There have been documented cases of patients who experienced sudden decrease in hearing or total loss of hearing while taking Vardenafil. The hearing loss usually affected just one ear, but in some cases, it may not get better. What is not certain is if the loss of hearing was caused by vardenafil. Just in case you experience a loss of hearing, sometimes accompanied by dizziness or ringing in the ears, while taking Vardenafil, call your doctor immediately. It is important to remember not to take more dosage than what is prescribed by your doctor.

If you are experiencing serious side effects of the medication, send a report to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch or contact them at 1-800-332-1088.