Erectile dysfunction is a sexual condition experienced by millions of men all over the world. It can be treated with the help of three prescription medications – Viagra (sildenafil), Levitra (vardenafil) and Cialis (tadalafil). All three have been approved for use by the FDA and belong to the same class of drugs. These impotence medications work as PDE5 inhibitors – they block the action of PDE5, a chemical that restricts penile blood flow and prevents erections.
Viagra was the first medication to be introduced in 1998 and has captured a large slice of the impotence treatment market. However, Levitra, which came on the market in 2003, has also risen rapidly in the popularity stakes, inspite of the fact that there are many similarities between the three medications.
The first major difference between them is in the available dosages. Viagra comes in 25mg, 50mg and 100mg pills; Cialis in 5mg, 10mg and 20mg pills, while Levitra comes in 2.5mg, 5mg, 10mg and 20mg pills, so the low dose of this medication produces same results as the other two ED drugs.
Vardenafil is also suitable for men who have other medical conditions such as high cholesterol and cannot take tadalafil or sildenafil. This drug also works in some cases when the other two drugs fail. Another major difference between these drugs is that vardenafil will work effectively regardless of what you have eaten, while the other two drugs are definitely affected by food intake. This is where vardenafil steals a march over its closest rivals.
