Viagra and Alcohol: What You Need to Know

Viagra and Alcohol: What You Need to Know

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One of the most common health conditions in men, affecting different age groups, is erectile dysfunction. This refers to the condition wherein a man fails to produce or has trouble getting a proper erection –which, fortunately, is a treatable condition. However, other components can affect the efficiency of the treatment, such as mixing Viagra and alcohol.

Many medications are available for enhancing sexual performance, which allows people with erectile dysfunction to increase their ability to get an erection and maintain it longer.

Viagra is a popular medication explicitly made for treating erectile dysfunction. This works by allowing better blood flow to the penis. As a result, a healthy erection is produced.

There aren’t too many restrictions when it comes to consuming this medication. Regardless, there are certain things that you need to keep in mind to prevent further health complications from occurring.

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What to Know Before Consuming Viagra

Before consuming Viagra, you need to note a few things, including health status, age, and current conditions.

  • If you are under 18, you need to be prescribed to intake Viagra by a doctor.
  • Do not take Viagra if you are allergic to Sildenafil.
  • You should not take Viagra while taking medication for chest pain and heart problems such as nitrates or other medicine used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension.
  • You must be healthy. If possible, get yourself checked by a professional beforehand to ensure you have no hidden health problems.
  • Take the medication only up to 4 hours before you engage in intercourse.
  • Consume only the dosage you were prescribed; otherwise, this will cause complications and fail to work as needed.
  • Viagra can be taken with or without meals, but this may affect how quickly it will take into effect. However, you should not consume this at the same time as alcohol.
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Is It Safe to Consume Viagra with Alcohol?

Taking Viagra and alcohol simultaneously won’t be posing any immediate health risks, mainly if it mixes only with small amounts of alcohol. Consuming alcohol with Viagra is generally safe as long as this is done in moderation.

Although, the medication and alcohol may still react with each other when they are combined. While the consumer’s health may be safe, the effects of the drug can potentially change. Most of the time, mixing alcohol with Viagra makes it harder for the medication to become effective properly.

What Makes the Consumption of Viagra and Alcohol Dangerous?

In small amounts, combining Viagra and alcohol won’t necessarily do much to the body. However, it may start to take its toll on the consumer’s health in the long run. One of the problems that may come up due to the long-term mixing of the two is the development of prostatitis or the inflammation of the prostate gland, which is linked to erectile dysfunction.

Alcoholism is excessive levels has been proven to have caused a decrease in testosterone levels, which causes the opposite of Viagra’s purpose. Similarly, it can also affect how the medication works. This turns into a significant issue, particularly for those who are aiming to treat erectile dysfunction. It’s also possible for alcohol to worsen the side effects of Viagra.

Regardless of whether consuming Viagra and alcohol is safe or not, most doctors prescribe patients taking Viagra to avoid alcohol as much as they can –especially when needing to consume the medication.

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The Interaction Between Viagra and Alcohol

When you consume Viagra along with something else, there is a chance that they will collide unless there is less of the other substance. A significant change that can happen in the body caused by consuming alcohol and Viagra is that it slows certain body functions.

The primary purpose of Viagra is to increase blood flow to produce an erection. Having alcohol mixed into this would cause it to react in a way that stops this from happening. Alcohol alone can lessen the blood flow around the body because it is a depressant –which are the types of medications that lower stimulation and arousal.

The function of Viagra is the complete opposite to this, therefore making the treatment less effective and possibly barely adequate to ultimately have no effect depending on the consumption level of alcohol.

How Alcohol Affects Erectile Dysfunction

Mixing a small amount of alcohol to Viagra isn’t exactly going to cause any severe health issues. However, it may cause the medication to become less effective, mainly if used as a treatment for ED.

Alcohol, like all other depressants, can reduce blood flow levels. Viagra functions specifically to increase the blood flow to the penis. Because of the nature of alcohol to the body, its medication is countered, making it harder for the medicine to get through and hindering it from providing good results.

A study shows that testosterone levels would drop a while after the consumption of alcohol. Since the hormones contribute to sexual interest and the ability to become erect, it would make Viagra less effective.

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It doesn’t only hinder certain body functions but also the Viagra itself. Once the alcohol is consumed, a specific component found in it can break down Sildenafil, a valuable ingredient found in Viagra. Because of this, less of the medication will be making its way through the body, reducing the efficiency of the tablet. This is one of the main reasons why Viagra and alcohol aren’t recommended to be taken together.