Most men experience certain forms of erectile dysfunction at some point in their life. Erectile dysfunction (ED), a medical condition that often results in low-confidence and relationship issues, is the inability to achieve or sustain a satisfactory erection. This means that you may either fail to get an erection in spite of sexual stimulation or lose it before you ejaculate. It has been estimated that more than 150 million men all over the world suffer from ED but less than 10 percent seek medical treatment despite the number of oral prescription-only drugs available like Viagra, Levitra and Cialis, which effectively treat this condition. Read on to know more about these treatments.

What is Viagra and how does it help in treating ED?

Viagra (sildenafil citrate) is part of a group of drugs that are known as PDE-5 inhibitors. PDE-5 is a chemical that restricts the flow of blood to your penis, thereby preventing you from getting a complete erection. PDE-5 inhibitors like Viagra and its counterparts help blood vessels to relax and ease the flow of blood to your penis, resulting in an erection. The effects of Viagra are visible within half an hour and often last for 4 hours.

Cialis and its effects

Like Viagra, Cialis (tadalafil) belongs to the category of medications that works as PDE-5 inhibitors. Cialis also works the way Viagra does, by counteracting the effects of PDE-5 allowing an unrestricted flow of blood to your penis, thus resulting in an erection. A number of clinical trials have reported that the effects of Cialis can be visible in about 30 minutes and can be seen for up to 36 hours. Cialis is often known as ‘super Viagra’ for this reason.

Levitra for the treatment of ED

Like Cialis and Viagra, Levitra (vardenafil) works on the same principle. Various clinical trials have reported that Levitra starts taking effect within 30 minutes but the average time it requires is between 30 and 60 minutes. The effects of Levitra are visible for as long as 5 hours. The participants in the clinical studies reported improved quality of erections as well as lesser side effects.

Comparative analysis of impotence treatment drugs

Introduced in 1998, Viagra was the first FDA-approved drug in the market for the treatment of impotence. Since then it has made global sales, but its dominance is now being challenged by Cialis (introduced in 2003) and Levitra. Both drugs claim to produce effective results faster and last longer than Viagra. Viagra is popular largely because it has successfully counteracted ED between 65% and 75% of sufferers, many of whom had experienced long-term and severe impotence. The success of Viagra is also due to the fact that it's the first non-invasive treatment for ED. However, Levitra has often been successful in cases of severe impotence that did not react favourably to Viagra. Cialis, the newest impotence drug in the market, is rapidly gaining in popularity because both Viagra as well as Levitra do not work well if a fatty or rich meal has been eaten beforehand.

All 3 drugs have their pros and cons and you need to study the effects of each before you take them.