›› Levitra
Levitra is the brand
name for the drug vardenafil. The pharmaceutical company
Bayer Pharmaceuticals primarily markets it today although it is also
marketed by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), under the brand name Vivanza, in
certain parts of the world. Levitra is designed to treat
erectile dysfunction, or ED. It comes in the form of a small
orange pill in 2.5mg, 5mg, 10mg, and 20mg dosages. It is
normally recommended to take Levitra 30-60 minutes prior to sexual
activity, and not more than once a day.
Erectile dysfunction is a very common disorder in men, and can develop
for a number of reasons. Most men experience some difficulty
getting or maintaining an erection at some point in their lives,
especially after the age of 40, even if they are otherwise
healthy. Many causes behind ED are psychological in origin,
and occur in men that are perfectly healthy. It is primarily
for these cases that drugs like Levitra are
prescribed. Some cases of ED can have more serious
disease as the source, such as diabetes, nerve damage, or hypogonadism,
and in these cases Levitra may not be effective.
The drug Levitra was designed as a follow up competitor to the popular
ED treatment Viagra. Viagra was first produced in the 1990s,
and patented in 1996 with the intention of development as a treatment
for ED. When Viagra was FDA approved and hit the markets in
1998 it was an enormous success. However, because of a number
of side effects associated with Viagra usage, including a small risk of
heart complications in patients with heart disease, many men were
quickly turned off to the drug. The risks associated with
Viagra are somewhat exaggerated, and many of the heart attacks that
occurred in users of the drug turned out to be due to other
factors. Nevertheless, research for a newer and better ED
treatment continued, and Levitra was patented in the early 2000s,
receiving its FDA approved in the beginning of 2004.
Levitra is lumped together with Viagra and Cialis as PDE5
inhibitors. PDE5 causes a compound called cyclic GMP or cGMP
to breakdown. Cyclic GMP causes the smooth muscles in
arteries of the penis to relax, allowing the penis to fill with blood
and become erect, therefore inhibiting the action of PDE5 will lead to
penile erections so long as the individual is otherwise healthy and is
stimulated sexually.
The most common side effect of Levitra is nausea. Much less
common side effects include upset stomach, flushing, back pain and eye
pain. Occasionally, users of Levitra experience blurred
vision, and in some rare cases have reported temporary lose of sight in
one or both eyes.
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