Healthdirect Free Australian health advice you can count on.
Medical problem? Call 1800 022 222. If you need urgent medical help, call triple zero immediately.
healthdirect Australia is a free service where you can talk to a nurse or doctor who can help you know what to do.
Home Health topics A-Z.
Cialis is an erectile dysfunction medicine.
What is Cialis?
Cialis is a medicine used to treat erectile dysfunction (ED) in men.
It works by helping to relax the blood vessels in the penis, allowing blood to flow into the penis causing an erection. If you plan to use Cialis, you should take it 20-30 minutes before planned sexual activity.
An erection is possible for up to 36 hours after taking it (although that doesn’t mean the erection will last 36 hours).
It can also be taken as a daily low dose pill.
It doesn’t cause erections on its own – sexual stimulation is still needed. Cialis does not cure ED, increase a man’s sexual desire, protect from sexually transmitted diseases or serve as a male form of birth control.
If you use Cialis, you should not take any more than one tablet in 24 hours and it should not be taken with other ED medicines.
Does Cialis have side effects?
The most common side effects with Cialis include:
These side effects usually go away after a few hours.
Very occasionally, Cialis can cause a painful erection or an erection that won’t go away. If this happens, and the erection lasts for more than four hours, you should go to the nearest emergency department. Prolonged erections can be dangerous.
Cialis may not be safe to take for men with certain medical conditions, including men who have had a stroke, have heart disease or retinitis pigmentosa (an eye disease).
It can also interact with many medicines, particularly nitrates and blood pressure medicines. Men who use nitrates in any form or are being treated for pulmonary hypertension should not take Cialis.
If you are thinking about using Cialis, please discuss it with your doctor.
Buying Cialis.
There are many ways to buy Cialis online, often without a prescription. However, you cannot be sure whether these pills contain the drug or are counterfeit. It’s important to buy ED medications from a store-based pharmacy or reputable online pharmacy that requires a prescription.
See healthdirect’s medicines section for more information about cialis.
Last reviewed: November 2016.
Related Pages.
Need more information?
These trusted information partners have more on this topic.
Cialis Tablets – myDr.com.au.
Cialis Tablets – Consumer Medicines Information leaflets of prescription and over-the-counter medicines.
Read more on myDr – Consumer Medicine Information website.
Erectile Dysfunction | myVMC.
Erectile dysfunction is the inability to develop or maintain an erection rigid enough to allow penetration of the vagina, and therefore functional sexual intercourse.
Read more on myVMC – Virtual Medical Centre website.
Duride Sustained release tablets – myDr.com.au.
Duride Sustained release tablets – Consumer Medicines Information leaflets of prescription and over-the-counter medicines.
Read more on myDr – Consumer Medicine Information website.
Isomonit Sustained release tablets – myDr.com.au.
Isomonit Sustained release tablets – Consumer Medicines Information leaflets of prescription and over-the-counter medicines.
Read more on myDr – Consumer Medicine Information website.
Sexual health.
Sexual health A healthy sexual relationship can be an important part of someone’s life.
Read more on Diabetes Australia website.
Impotence treatments – myDr.com.au.
If you have impotence (erectile dysfunction), the treatment your doctor recommends will depend on the severity of your symptoms and the underlying cause of your impotence.
Read more on myDr website.
Angina can affect people in different ways and the symptoms may vary at different times. It usually lasts only a few minutes and can be relieved by rest and/or medicines.
Read more on myDr website.
Terry White Chemists Isosorbide Mononitrate Sustained release tablets – myDr.com.au.
Terry White Chemists Isosorbide Mononitrate Sustained release tablets – Consumer Medicines Information leaflets of prescription and over-the-counter medicines.
Read more on myDr – Consumer Medicine Information website.
Sildenafil-DRx Tablets – myDr.com.au.
Sildenafil-DRx Tablets – Consumer Medicines Information leaflets of prescription and over-the-counter medicines.
Read more on myDr – Consumer Medicine Information website.
Monodur Durules Sustained Release Tablets – myDr.com.au.
Monodur Durules Sustained Release Tablets – Consumer Medicines Information leaflets of prescription and over-the-counter medicines.
Read more on myDr – Consumer Medicine Information website.
Phosphodiesterase inhibitors for erectile dysfunction in patients with diabetes mellitus | Cochrane.
Erectile dysfunction is a common multi-factorial complication of diabetes mellitus. Newer medications, like the so-called PDE-5 inhibitors result in enhancement of penile erection. The introduction of sildenafil (Viagra), vardenafil (Levitra) and tadalafil (Cialis), have altered the management of erectile dysfunction. In this review we assessed the effect of these agents on erectile dysfunction in diabetic people. Eight studies with 976 men randomised to PDE-5 inhibitor therapy and a duration of mainly 12 weeks were evaluated. Compared to placebo treatment, these agents showed favourable effects in scores estimating sexual life, with an increased rate of adverse effects like headache and flushing after PDE-inhibitor therapy. Mortality was not reported in any of the included trials. Quality of life, with the exception of scores for sexual life, was not relevantly affected. If taken as prescribed, PDE-5 inhibitors comprise a valuable treatment option for erectile dysfunction in men with diabetes.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website.
Strategies for managing sexual dysfunction caused by antidepressants | Cochrane.
Antidepressants can have numerous effects on sexual function including altered sexual desire, erection difficulties and orgasm problems. This systematic review investigated different ways to manage such sexual dysfunction. We included 23 randomised studies, with a total of 1886 participants who had developed their sexual problems while taking antidepressant medication. Twenty-two of these studies looked at the addition of further medication to the ongoing treatment for depression. For men with antidepressant-induced erectile dysfunction, the addition of sildenafil (Viagra; three studies, 255 participants) or tadalafil (Cialis; one study, 54 participants) appeared to improve the situation. For women with antidepressant-induced sexual dysfunction the addition of bupropion (Wellbutrin, Zyban; three studies, 482 participants) at higher doses appears to be the most promising approach studied so far, but further data from randomised trials are likely to be required before it can be recommended confidently. We did not find evidence that any intervention led to a worsening of psychiatric symptoms; however, we cannot be confident of this for many of the interventions studied, as only small numbers of participants have been studied so far.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website.
Disclaimer.
Healthdirect Australia is not responsible for the content and advertising on the external website you are now entering.
Related Pages.
Symptom checker.
Worried about your health?
Select a symptom, answer some questions, get advice.
Healthdirect 24hr 7 days a week hotline.
24 hour health advice and information you can count on.
Government Accredited with over 140 information partners.
We are a government-funded service, providing quality, approved health information.
You can trust us.
healthdirect’s content is developed using our content governance framework, which also includes quality assessments of selected information.