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What is the most important information I should know about
sildenafil?
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Do not take sildenafil if you are also using a nitrate drug
for chest pain or heart problems. This includes nitroglycerin (Nitrostat,
Nitrolingual, Nitro-Dur, Nitro-Bid, and others), isosorbide dinitrate (Dilatrate-SR,
Isordil, Sorbitrate), and isosorbide mononitrate (Imdur, ISMO, Monoket).
Nitrates are also found in some recreational drugs such as amyl nitrate
or nitrite ("poppers"). Taking sildenafil with a nitrate medicine can
cause a serious decrease in blood pressure, leading to fainting, stroke,
or heart attack. |
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If you become dizzy or nauseated, or have pain, numbness, or
tingling in your chest, arms, neck, or jaw during sexual activity, stop
and call your doctor right away. You could be having a serious side
effect of sildenafil. |
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Do not take sildenafil more than once a day. Allow 24 hours
to pass between doses. |
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Contact your doctor or seek emergency medical attention if
your erection is painful or lasts longer than 4 hours. A prolonged
erection (priapism) can damage the penis. |
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A small number of patients have had a sudden loss of eyesight
after taking sildenafil. This type of vision loss is caused by decreased
blood flow to the optic nerve of the eye. It is not clear whether
sildenafil is the actual cause of such vision loss. Sudden vision loss
with sildenafil use has occurred most often in people with heart disease,
diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or certain pre-existing
eye problems, and in those who smoke or are over 50 years old. |
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Stop using sildenafil and get emergency medical help if you
have sudden vision loss. |
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Sildenafil relaxes muscles and increases blood flow to
particular areas of the body. |
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Sildenafil under the name Viagra is used to treat erectile
dysfunction (impotence) in men. Another brand of sildenafil is Revatio,
which is used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension and improve
exercise capacity in men and women. |
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Sildenafil may also be used for purposes other than those
listed here. |
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What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking
sildenafil?
|
|
• |
Do not take sildenafil if you are also using a nitrate drug
for chest pain or heart problems. This includes nitroglycerin (Nitrostat,
Nitrolingual, Nitro-Dur, Nitro-Bid, and others), isosorbide dinitrate (Dilatrate-SR,
Isordil, Sorbitrate), and isosorbide mononitrate (Imdur, ISMO, Monoket).
Nitrates are also found in some recreational drugs such as amyl nitrate
or nitrite ("poppers"). Taking sildenafil with a nitrate medicine can
cause a serious decrease in blood pressure, leading to fainting, stroke,
or heart attack. |
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• |
A small number of patients have had a sudden loss of
eyesight after taking sildenafil. This type of vision loss is caused by
decreased blood flow to the optic nerve of the eye. It is not clear
whether sildenafil is the actual cause of such vision loss. Sudden
vision loss with sildenafil use has occurred most often in people with
heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or
certain pre-existing eye problems, and in those who smoke or are over 50
years old. |
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Before taking sildenafil, tell your doctor if you have: |
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heart disease or heart rhythm problems; |
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a recent history (in the past 6 months) of a heart attack,
stroke, or heart rhythm disorder; |
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congestive heart failure; |
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high or low blood pressure; |
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coronary artery disease; |
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a blood cell disorder such as sickle cell anemia, multiple
myeloma, or leukemia; |
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a bleeding disorder such as hemophilia; |
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retinitis pigmentosa (an inherited condition of the eye); |
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a physical deformity of the penis (such as Peyronie's
disease); or |
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if you have been told you should not have sexual intercourse
for health reasons. |
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If you have any of these conditions, you may not be able to
use sildenafil or you may need a dosage adjustment or special tests
during treatment. |
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FDA pregnancy category B: This medication is not expected to
be harmful to an unborn baby. Do not use sildenafil without telling your
doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment. |
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It is not known if sildenafil passes into breast milk or if
it could harm a nursing baby. Do not use this medication without telling
your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby. |
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How should I take sildenafil?
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Take sildenafil exactly as it was prescribed for you. Do not
take it in larger doses or for longer than recommended by your doctor. |
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Revatio is usually taken three times each day, about 4 to 6
hours apart. |
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Viagra is usually taken only when needed, 30 minutes to 1
hour before sexual activity. You may take it up to 4 hours before sexual
activity. Do not take Viagra more than once per day. |
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Viagra can help you have an erection when sexual stimulation
occurs. An erection will not occur just by taking a pill. Follow your
doctor's instructions. |
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If you become dizzy or nauseated, or have pain, numbness, or
tingling in your chest, arms, neck, or jaw during sexual activity, stop
and call your doctor right away. You could be having a serious side
effect of sildenafil. |
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Store this medication at room temperature away from moisture
and heat. |
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What happens if I miss a dose?
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Viagra is used as needed, so you are not likely to miss a
dose. |
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If you miss a dose of Revatio, take the missed dose as soon
as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the
missed dose and take the medicine at the next regularly scheduled time.
Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose. |
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What happens if I overdose?
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Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used
too much of this medicine. Symptoms of a sildenafil overdose may include
chest pain, nausea, irregular heartbeat, and feeling light-headed or
fainting. |
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What should I avoid while taking sildenafil?
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Avoid drinking alcohol, which can increase some of the side
effects of sildenafil. |
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Avoid using other medicines to treat impotence, such as
alprostadil (Caverject, Muse, Edex) or yohimbine (Yocon, Yodoxin, others),
without first talking to your doctor. |
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What are the possible side effects of sildenafil?
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• |
If you become dizzy or nauseated, or have pain, numbness, or
tingling in your chest, arms, neck, or jaw during sexual activity, stop
and call your doctor right away. You could be having a serious side
effect of sildenafil. |
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Stop using sildenafil and get emergency medical help if you
have sudden vision loss. |
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Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs
of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of
your face, lips, tongue, or throat. |
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Stop using sildenafil and call your doctor at once if you
have any of these serious side effects: |
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chest pain or heavy feeling, pain spreading to the arm or
shoulder, nausea, sweating, general ill feeling; |
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swelling in your hands, ankles, or feet; |
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feeling light-headed, fainting; or |
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penis erection that is painful or lasts 4 hours or longer. |
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Continue taking sildenafil and talk with your doctor if you
have any of these less serious side effects: |
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warmth or redness in your face, neck, or chest; |
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Side effects other than those listed here may also occur.
Talk to your doctor about any side effect that seems unusual or that is
especially bothersome. |
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What other drugs will affect sildenafil?
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Do not take sildenafil if you are also using a nitrate drug
for chest pain or heart problems, including nitroglycerin (Nitrostat,
Nitrolingual, Nitro-Dur, Nitro-Bid, Minitran, Deponit, Transderm-Nitro),
isosorbide dinitrate (Dilatrate-SR, Isordil, Sorbitrate), and isosorbide
mononitrate (Imdur, ISMO, Monoket), or recreational drugs such as amyl
nitrate or nitrite ("poppers"). |
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Before taking sildenafil, tell your doctor if you are using
any of the following medications: |
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cimetidine (Tagamet, Tagamet HB); |
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an antibiotic such as erythromycin (E-Mycin, Eryc, Ery-Tab)
or clarithromycin (Biaxin); |
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doxazosin (Cardura), prazosin (Minipress), Terazosin (Hytrin); |
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HIV medicines such as amprenavir (Agenerase), tipranavir (Aptivus),
darunavir (Prezista), efavirenz (Sustiva), nevirapine (Viramune),
indinavir (Crixivan), saquinavir (Invirase, Fortovase), lopinavir/
ritonavir (Kaletra), fosamprenavir (Lexiva), ritonavir (Norvir),
atazanavir (Reyataz), or nelfinavir (Viracept); |
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an antifungal medication such as itraconazole (Sporanox)
or ketoconazole (Nizoral); |
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carbamazepine (Tegretol), phenobarbital (Luminal), or
phenytoin (Dilantin); or |
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rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane) or rifabutin (Mycobutin). |
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If you are using any of these drugs, you may not be able to
take sildenafil, or you may need dosage adjustments or special tests
during treatment. |
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There may be other drugs not listed that can affect
sildenafil. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and
over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals,
herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start
using a new medication without telling your doctor. |
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Where can I get more information?
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Your pharmacist has additional information about sildenafil written
for health professionals that you may read. |
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Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of
children, never share your medicines with others, and use this
medication only for the indication prescribed. |
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Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided
by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete,
but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained
herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for
use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and
therefore Multum does not warrant that uses outside of the United States
are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug
information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend
therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed
to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients
and/ or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and
not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of
healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or
drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug
or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given
patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of
healthcare administered with the aid of information Multum provides. The
information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses,
directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions,
or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking,
check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist. |
Copyright 1996-2006 Cerner Multum, Inc. Version: 6.03. Revision date: 7/
10/ 06. |
