Off Label Use of Cialis - Yes, Women Can Take it Too!

PDE5 inhibitors are sometimes used to treat other conditions besides ED.

How do Cialis and Viagra work?

While Cialis can last up to 36 hours, Viagra offers a quicker onset within 30 minutes. Cialis (tadalafil) and Viagra (sildenafil) are both phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors used to treat erectile dysfunction (ED). They increase blood flow to the penis, which helps produce an erection suitable for sex. A key difference between Cialis and Viagra is their duration of action, largely determined by their biological half-life. This refers to the time it takes for drug levels in the bloodstream to drop by half.

TRT for Low Testosterone

Cialis has a longer half-life than Viagra, leading to a longer duration of action: Cialis: Works up to 36 hours (giving it the nickname "the weekend pill") Viagra: Works up to around four hours, with the strongest effects seen in the first two hours PDE5 inhibitors prevent the breakdown of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), which relaxes blood vessels and increases blood flow to the penis for stronger erections. The onset of action, or how quickly Cialis and Viagra work, depends on their peak plasma concentration—the point when the drug reaches its highest level in the blood after liver metabolism. With Cialis, the peak plasma concentration is reached in around two hours, translating to an onset of action of roughly one hour. With Viagra, the peak plasma concentration is reached in around one hour, translating to an onset of action of 30 minutes or less. Cialis and Viagra share mechanisms of action but differ in side effects.

Medications & Supplements

According to pre-market trials, potential side effects include the following. *Based on the recommended "on-demand" dose Cialis comes in oral tablets of 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg, and 20 mg. For immediate ED treatment, you typically start with 10 mg and adjust based on tolerability or effectiveness. Viagra is also available in oral tablets of 25 mg, 50 mg, and 100 mg. It's typically used at 50 mg once daily, but can be increased to 100 mg if needed. This includes special formulations of tadalafil and sildenafil, called Adcirca and Revatio, that are approved to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (high blood pressure in the lungs). In addition to the daily or "on-demand" use, Cialis and Viagra have also been given different approvals by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA): With Cialis, in addition to ED, the drug can also be taken as a 5-mg daily dose to treat an enlarged prostate, also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). With Viagra, the drug is only licensed for the treatment of ED. Cialis and Viagra are also sometimes used off-label to treat Raynaud's syndrome, a condition in which your fingers turn numb and blue when exposed to cold. Erectile dysfunction meds, like Viagra and Cialis, can help you get and keep an erection. However, each has different side effects, dosage schedules, and other factors.

Here, we look at how they stack up.

Which one lasts for longer?

In terms of dosage, there is one big difference between Cialis and Viagra: With Cialis, you can take it "on demand" for the immediate treatment of ED or as a daily dose to achieve sustained relief of ED in a lower 2.5- or 5-mg dose. With Viagra, the drug is only used in anticipation of sex. Due to its short half-life, it is unsuitable for daily use. Cialis and Viagra vary in their effectiveness when taken with food: With Cialis, you can take a dose, even a small 2.5-mg dose, with or without food. The rate and degree of absorption of the drug are unaffected by food. Viagra and Cialis are oral medications used to treat erectile dysfunction (ED).

What ingredients are contained in Cialis or Viagra and how do they work?

With Viagra, taking a dose with food, especially high-fat foods, reduces its absorption and can make it less effective. Doing so also increases the risks of stomach upset and nausea. That said, all PDE5 inhibitors are about 70% effective at helping people have buy soft viagra better erections. None is considered superior to the other in this respect. That means seven out of 10 people who take a drug like Cialis or Viagra will have more frequent or longer-lasting erections. You may also know them by their generic names: sildenafil (Viagra) and tadalafil (Cialis). About 30 million men in the United States occasionally have a problem with getting or keeping an erection, according to the Urology Care Foundation.

When ED becomes a problem, many turn to these oral ED medications to help address the issue. However, they also have some key differences, such as when you take them, how long they work, and what their side effects are. We break it down further for you below. The main differences between Viagra and Cialis, aside from their chemical makeup, are how long it lasts in your system and the dosage. Keep in mind, though, that the effects for each pill vary by person and other medications you take.

Does Dual Combination Therapy Work?

Even further, patients had to sign a paper vowing not to drink while on the medication even though Cialis--another medication used to treat erectile dysfunction in men--creates similar interactions with alcohol but comes with no more than an advisement to moderate alcohol use. At the time of approval, the FDA argued that Addyi’s interaction with alcohol hadn’t yet been adequately studied. In 2019 and after additional research was conducted, the FDA modified its original alcohol warning for Addyi and removed the test requirement for doctors and pharmacists. In December of 2025, the FDA approved the drug for postmenopausal women, expanding access to more patients. Advocates say a drug to treat women’s sexual dysfunction is a start to addressing health inequity.

Addyi (filbanserin)

Lee adds that recent bigger picture events, though, like the overturn of Roe v. Wade and rollbacks on birth control access, have changed what health care looks like for women today. The approval and acceptance of Addyi is part of a much larger and ongoing conversation about women’s health and regulatory policy currently. “The past five to 10 years really calls into question where the state of women’s health is going,” Lee said. The Pink Pill: Sex, Drugs & Who Has Control is streaming on Paramount+ in Canada and the U.S.

Side effects

as of March 6, 2026. Cialis lasts up to 36 hours, making it a long-acting option. Viagra works faster, with effects in 30 minutes, but lasts only about four hours. Cialis viagra super is also approved for treating an enlarged prostate and has fewer food restrictions. Cialis and Viagra both work to treat erectile dysfunction, but they differ significantly in how long they last and when they start working. While Viagra and sildenafil have a life span of 4 to 6 hours, Cialis (and generic tadalafil) can stay in your system for up to 36 hours. It also takes Cialis and tadalafil anywhere from 30 minutes to 6 hours to take effect. Whereas you can feel the effects of Viagra anywhere between 30 and 60 minutes. Each medication has its own dosage meter. Viagra doses are 25 milligrams (mg), 50 mg, and 100 mg. Cialis and tadalafil doses are 5 mg, 10 mg, and 20 mg. Cialis also has a lower dose of 2.5 mg that you can take daily.

• Cialis's 36-hour duration might help reduce performance anxiety by allowing more spontaneity.
• Anxiety is a major contributor to arousal problems in both men and women.
• Reducing time pressure could theoretically benefit some couples.

The reasoning behind this is that over time, Cialis stays in your system and can help you get an erection as opposed to taking a pill a certain time before sexual activity. If you take Cialis, there’s a chance of limb pain, whereas Viagra side effects, or other oral ED drugs, do not have this risk. Otherwise, Cialis and Viagra are both PDE5 inhibitors, so they work the same way.

Do They Work?

Though HSDD is not a threat to physical wellbeing, both conditions can have significant impact on a person’s life. Like most medications, Addyi doesn’t work for everyone, but its availability gives women struggling with HSDD an option that otherwise doesn’t exist. Still, early research didn’t quite satisfy the FDA. “When the data first went up for review in 2010, the FDA did not feel that there was enough data to support Addyi’s effectiveness,” said Lee. The drug was originally tested in a clinical trial with over 2,000 premenopausal women either taking Addyi or a placebo pill.

Related medical questions

Participants taking Addyi were 10% more likely to report an increase in satisfying sexual events. A more recent study found that about half of women taking Addyi reported benefit to their sex life. Advocates for women’s health criticized the FDA’s early rejections and claimed gender bias, especially because Viagra was approved under an expedited priority review process, taking less than a year to achieve approval. Though the purposes of Addyi and Viagra are similar, Addyi corrects chemical imbalances of certain neurotransmitters in the brain that are responsible for sexual desire or excitement, which makes the drug approval process more complex. “Erectile dysfunction was seen as an unmet physical ailment,” said Lee.

Priapism warning

Because of that, Viagra was evaluated as treatment to address a physical need. HSDD was not considered an unmet physical ailment in the eyes of the FDA but rather an unmet psychological ailment, which “immediately triggers a higher standard of review and additional safety measures,” Lee adds. While the drugs had to be evaluated differently, supporters of Addyi claimed that stigma and overly cautious FDA warnings deterred patient use even after it was approved. For example, doctors and pharmacists had to take a test, known as a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy assessment, to prescribe and administer Addyi. The assessment included an online slide presentation followed by a comprehension test that proved the medical professionals knew and understood the drug’s risks of potential low blood pressure and fainting when combined with alcohol. You can also take both pills shortly before sexual activity *Prices are estimated through the Optum Perks pharmacy search Viagra and Cialis are in a class of medications called phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors. These drugs work by blocking the PDE5 enzyme. These medications boost a chemical in your body called nitric oxide, which encourages the muscles in your penis to relax. This allows blood to flow freely so you can get and maintain an erection when you’re aroused.

• Long-term safety data for women using PDE5 inhibitors like Cialis or Viagra is lacking.
• Most studies have been short-term, leaving unknown questions about prolonged use.
• This uncertainty influences the risk-benefit analysis for doctors and patients.

Do not take any of these medications more than once in a 24-hour period.

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