Written by: Daniel Williams, MD
Viagra is an oral medication affectionately called the “little blue pill” and is taken 30-60 minutes before anticipated sexual arousal. It “lasts” for up to four hours. This means that enough of the medication is still circulating in your blood stream in the event that you become sexually aroused.
Since this is a common question, we have delved deeper into this issue. According to the Viagra package insert by Pfizer, the half-life of Viagra is four hours. That means that four hours after ingesting the little blue pill the concentration of Viagra in your blood stream is one half of what it was shortly after swallowing it. After that point, the effectiveness of the product begins to lessen substantially.
From this information, we derive that once half of the medication has been dismantled by the liver that it ceases to have less of an effect during sexual arousal. Typically, a medication is not considered “completely” out of the system until five half-lives have passed. In this case, it is 20 hours after ingestion that Viagra is completely “out of the system,” but it becomes less effective after only four hours.
Please take only as prescribed. At the recommended doses there is no effect on an erection unless the patient becomes sexually aroused. At higher doses, it can become more toxic and the side effects more pronounced.
Consult your physician about other medications, such as Cialis, if you are concerned that Viagra is not lasting long enough for you. You may use eDrugstore.ED to order these medications from the privacy of your own home. Just place your order and fill out a medical questionnaire. It’s that easy!
Feel free to check out our articles section for more information on erectile dysfunction treatments.
