Cialis is an FDA-approved medication designed for the treatment of erectile dysfunction, and is the longest-acting medication on the market for treating erectile dysfunction, producing effects that could last up to 36 hours (Viagra, by comparison, typically lasts three to five hours).
Ask Like other erectile dysfunction medications, Cialis is a PDE5 inhibitor. It works by increasing blood flow to the erectile tissue of your penis when your sex drive is active, making it easier for you to get and keep an erection.
Cialis is an effective and safe medication; it has been prescribed to over a million men in the United States alone, with many more users worldwide.
However, like any other prescription medication, Cialis can cause side effects; most of these are minor, while Cialis and other PDE5 inhibitors may have a range of severe side effects in some cases.
Below, we have outlined the common and uncommon side effects of tadalafil, the active ingredient used in Cialis. For information on side effects, with studies conducted; we provide information on how frequently side effects might occur and what you can do to mitigate or prevent them.
The most common side effects of Cialis:
Cialis has many common side effects. Many of these side effects also occur when taking other erectile dysfunction medications. This means that if you experience any side effects when using Cialis, you could also experience them when using Viagra or Levitra.
Minor side effects from Cialis use are common. In a 2004 study of 2,102 men who used Cialis, 51 percent reported experiencing one or more common side effects from using the drug.
Headache
Headaches are common side effects of all ED medications, including Cialis; in fact, headaches are the most frequently reported side effect of Cialis use, having been noted in nearly all trials of the drug.
Cialis is a vasodilator; this allows it to improve blood flow to specific areas of your body, such as the erectile tissue of your penis. By causing blood vessels to dilate, Cialis can cause pressure on the nerves on the side of your head, increasing your risk of developing headaches.
Most of the time, Cialis headaches are very mild; they typically become less intense over time; also, Cialis is a half-life medication, meaning that a headache may last for a few hours after taking the medication.
According to a 2008 study of Tadalafil (the active ingredient in Cialis), 15 percent of men who used Cialis at the highest recommended dose of 20 mg experienced headaches. At a lower dose of 10 mg, headaches are still common, affecting 12 percent of Cialis users.
If you are prone to Cialis headaches, our ED medication headache guide may help. It lists some techniques for how to manage these side effects, such as lowering your Cialis dosage or using over-the-counter pain medications.
Indigestion / Upset stomach
Cialis may cause some stomach problems, including indigestion, heartburn. This is one of the most common side effects of Cialis; it affects about 8 percent of users at the 20 mg dose, and 7 percent of users at the lower 10 mg dose.
Indigestion and heartburn is a common side effect of all ED medications, not just Cialis. It occurs as a result of the action Cialis has on the soft tissue of your body's muscles, as well as targeting the soft tissue of your penis muscle directly. Cialis also affects other areas of your body.
When you take Cialis, it can cause your lower stomach, which controls the flow of stomach fluids, to relax. This can cause stomach upset when stomach acids travel up into your esophagus.
Most of the time, these side effects may improve with plenty of water and over-the-counter antacids. If you experience these side effects often, it is advisable to talk to your doctor about lowering your Cialis dosage.
Finally, it is recommended that you avoid consuming alcohol with Cialis, as the combination of alcohol and Cialis may increase the effect on the lower stomach.
Back Pain
Cialis can cause back pain, most common side effects occur with Viagra and Levitra, back pain appears to be significantly more common as a side effect of Cialis than with other ED medications.
Approximately 5 to 6 percent of Cialis users experience back pain caused by the drug about 12 to 24 hours after taking the medication. Most people who develop back pain from the drug reported that the back pain typically goes away on its own within about 48 hours.
Mild to moderate back pain caused by Cialis can be treated with over-the-counter pain medications. If you experience back or muscle pain that is severe, it is important to talk to your doctor about adjusting your dosage or switching to another medication to treat ED.
Muscle pain
When using Viagra and other medications to treat erectile dysfunction, a small percentage of men have experienced muscle aches. These aches are usually mild, and tend to last as long as Cialis is active in your system.
About 3 to 5 percent of men who used Cialis reported muscle aches as a side effect. If you experience pain after taking Cialis that is more than just discomfort, it is important to talk to your doctor about it.
Facial Redness
Since Cialis causes your blood vessels to dilate, it may cause a flushed appearance on your face, the redness typically affects the skin around the nose, cheeks, beard and forehead, but it may also occur on any other area of the body.
About 3 percent of people who have used Cialis experience facial flushing. This effect occurs equally well when you take high or moderate doses of the drug. Like other effects of Cialis, it is normal for it to go away when your body metabolizes the Tadalafil from Cialis within a few hours.
Since this is a common side effect of ED medications, switching to Viagra or Levitra may not be effective in preventing facial flushing - if you are prone to flushing, it is important to discuss this with your doctor.
Nasal Congestion
Like other medications used to treat erectile dysfunction, Cialis can cause nasal congestion. This side effect occurs in 2 to 3 percent of men who have used Cialis and occurs with both the 10 mg and 20 mg doses.
Nasal congestion occurs as a side effect of Viagra on the blood vessels. After you use Cialis, it can affect the levels of nitric oxide in the airways, including the nasal passages, this can cause a stuffy nose, which makes breathing through your nostrils difficult.
Like the other side effects of Cialis, nasal congestion goes away as soon as your body metabolizes the Tadalafil in Cialis.
Nasopharyngitis (cold)
Some men who used Cialis reported experiencing more than one cold, or nasopharyngitis, after taking the drug. Studies show that This side effect affects about 8 percent of men at the 10 mg dose and 2 percent of men at the higher dose of 20 mg: from the use of Tadalafil (the active ingredient in Cialis).
The common cold is a viral infection; it is not common for Cialis to be responsible for making people sick; however, the effects of the drug on the tissues of the nose and throat can cause some users to experience cold-like symptoms.
If you experience cold symptoms after taking Cialis, and if these symptoms are very bothersome, you should talk to your doctor about adjusting your dosage or switching to a short-acting medication to treat erectile dysfunction.
Dizziness
It is a very common side effect of Cialis, a small percentage of men who use Cialis, reported feeling dizzy after taking the drug. These cases are sometimes related to the use of other medications (legal or illegal) as can be seen in some of the side effects.
Other ED medications, such as Viagra and Levitra, can cause dizziness due to the high nitric oxide levels; as with other side effects of Cialis, this can be improved by adjusting the dosage of the medication.
Visual disturbances
Many erectile dysfunction medications, including Cialis, are linked to visual disturbances such as blue vision, blurred vision, and color bias; these side effects can occur due to the effects of PDE-6 enzymes, which are present in the retina.
Likewise, these effects are temporary; they have the potential to affect your vision while the medication is in your system; since Cialis is a long-acting medication for erectile dysfunction, you may also experience the side effect of blurred vision for a few hours.
If you experience blurred vision, difficulty seeing certain colors, or visual disturbances after taking Cialis; talk to your doctor. These effects may be treated by adjusting the dose to a lower dose or a short-term ED medication.
Reduced Blood Pressure
Like other PDE5 inhibitors, Cialis can cause a reduction in blood pressure, in healthy men who do not suffer from any cardiovascular condition, it does not cause any health problems.
This is a common side effect of all FDA-approved medications for treating erectile dysfunction; it occurs as a result of Cialis' effects as a vasodilator, which relaxes muscle tissue and dilates blood vessels.
It is low in blood pressure, which can be potentially dangerous if you take certain medications to treat hypertension such as nitrates: if you suffer from any cardiovascular problems, be sure to talk to your doctor about this before using Cialis or any other medication for erectile dysfunction.
Less common, more serious side effects from using Cialis.
Cialis can cause several serious side effects, however these are rare. Serious side effects of Cialis include Priapism - a type of painful erection that may last up to 4 hours or longer; this could be due to interaction with other medications used to treat high blood pressure.
Priapism
Priapism is almost always a painful erection. This is a very serious medical emergency that requires immediate attention or it could cause permanent damage to the erectile tissue of the penis.
However, you are likely to experience Priapism after using Cialis, this is an extremely rare side effect; in total there have only been 93 cases of Priapism related to all ED medications; these were from the year 2007; of which only 16 involved the use of Cialis.
Considering that over one million men in the United States use Cialis in the United States, the risk of developing Priapism from using the drug is considerably low.
If you have a persistent and painful erection after using Cialis, it is important that you seek emergency medical attention; a specialist can help you prevent damage to the erectile tissue of your penis that could be caused by Priapism.
Optic Nerve Damage
Cialis is one of the erectile dysfunction medications that has a potential link to causing some damage to the Optic Nerve, affecting vision; like Priapism, this is a very rare side effect that affects a small percentage of Cialis users.
The condition linked to Cialis is called Neuropathy
ischemic optic nerve, or ION. This occurs when blood flow is reduced in the optic nerve, which can have the potential for high or low visual field loss.
Although exact data is not available, in a study of Sildenafil (Viagra) and optic nerve damage, Tadalafil is one of several PDE5 inhibitors linked to rare cases of NAION.
This effect is primarily associated with individuals with a pre-existing risk of optic damage, associated with non-barbaric anterior ischemic optic neuropathy NAION.
Hearing problems
Cialis, like other drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction, such as Viagra and Levitra, can cause hearing loss. According to the FDA, cases of hearing loss, sometimes accompanied by tinnitus and dizziness, have been linked to the use of PDE5 inhibitors.
As well as Priapism and Optic Nerve Damage, cases of hearing loss caused by Cialis use are extremely rare. In some reported cases of hearing loss were also linked to Cialis use, and other PDE5 inhibitors contribute to this side effect.
If you use Cialis, and notice any hearing problems, the FDA recommends that you stop taking the medication and seek medical help immediately.
Interaction with blood pressure medications
Cialis should not interact with nitrates used to treat hypertension, angina and other heart conditions, as it may cause a sudden drop in blood pressure, with the risk of producing loss of consciousness and even cardiac arrest.
If you use nitrates such as nitroglycerin, dinitrate, isosorbide, mononitrate, isosorbide, or amyl nitrate to treat hypertension or angina; you should not take Cialis or any PDE5 inhibitors, such as Viagra (Sildenafil), Levitra (vardenafil), or Revatio (Sildenafil).
All of these medications interact with nitrates causing a significant drop in blood pressure; combined with nitrates used to treat cardiovascular conditions, these medications should not also interact with poppers containing Amyl Nitrate.
Do not use Cialis if you are using any nitrate medications; if you suffer from heart disease, hypertension or any other cardiovascular condition, you should inform your doctor before considering taking Cialis to treat erectile dysfunction.
Although it is quite normal to experience some minor side effects from using Cialis, serious side effects are not very common. Cialis is a safe medication that is used to treat erectile dysfunction by over a million men in the United States alone.
If you're interested in learning more about Cialis, our guide to what to expect from ED medications compares Cialis, Viagra, and Levitra, with information about the medication, how it works, how long it lasts, and how it affects your sexual performance.
This article is for informational purposes only; and does not constitute medical advice. The information contained herein is not a substitute for and should never be used as professional medical advice. Always speak with your doctor about the risks and benefits of any treatment.