FDA-approved medicationSildenafil
Prescription — as needed
A well-established as-needed tablet for erectile dysfunction, prescribed only after your heart health and medications are reviewed.
Not sold here as a standalone treatment
We don't dispense the sildenafil tablet itself. Sildenafil is one of the active ingredients a provider can choose inside Compounded ED Treatment — a troche or tablet prepared for you by a licensed compounding pharmacy in our clinical partner's network, which is not the approved tablet and is described honestly on its own page. This page stays because the mechanism and the heart questions are worth understanding before any visit.
See the sexual health medications we offerHow it works
FDA-approved for erectile dysfunction. Prescribed by a licensed provider only if appropriate for you.
Sexual stimulation triggers a nitric oxide signal in the blood vessels of the penis, which raises cGMP — the messenger that relaxes smooth muscle so vessels widen and blood flows in. An enzyme called PDE5 breaks cGMP back down. Sildenafil inhibits PDE5 so cGMP persists. Arousal is still required: the medication acts on what happens after it, not instead of it.
The full mechanismEvidence
What was studied, in whom, for how long, and compared with what.
Improved erections reported by roughly 3 in 4 men
vs roughly 1 in 4 on placebo
Pooled across the manufacturer's controlled trials; response varies substantially with the underlying cause.
FDA prescribing information: sildenafil citrate, clinical studies section, label revised 2017
Trial averages describe a study population, not a prediction for you. Your provider will be direct about what is realistic given your history — and results depend on continuing treatment.
Who it’s for
A provider may consider it when
- You want an as-needed option rather than a daily one
- Your cardiovascular history has been reviewed and is clear for it
- You can plan around taking it roughly an hour beforehand
Reasons it may not be prescribed
- Anyone taking nitrates for chest pain — nitroglycerin and related medications. This combination can drop blood pressure to a life-threatening degree and is an absolute stop
- Recent heart attack, stroke, unstable angina or uncontrolled blood pressure — these need in-person care
- Anyone taking certain alpha-blockers or specific antivirals without a full medication review
These are the same checks your provider runs in the visit. If one applies, they will tell you plainly — and the medication portion of what you paid comes back automatically.
Important safety information
Headache, flushing, indigestion, nasal congestion and temporary changes to blue-green color vision are the common ones. Seek emergency care for an erection lasting more than four hours, or for sudden vision or hearing loss.
- FDA prescribing information: Viagra (sildenafil citrate) tablets — DailyMed, label revised 2017-12
- PDE5 Inhibitors — StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf, updated 2023 — nitrate co-administration contraindication
Complete safety information is provided during your visit and with every prescription. This page is a summary, not a substitute for your provider's advice.
Questions
Will I definitely be prescribed this?
Not this tablet — we don't dispense it. What a provider on this platform can prescribe is Compounded ED Treatment, which may contain sildenafil, and a consultation does not guarantee that either: your heart health and medications are reviewed first, and if it isn't safe the provider says so.
Why do you ask so much about my heart?
Because ED medication and certain heart conditions or medications — nitrates above all — are a dangerous combination. A provider who doesn't ask isn't protecting you. If it isn't safe, we won't prescribe it, and we'll tell you why.
Is ED a sign of something else?
It can be. Erectile function depends on blood vessels, and difficulty can be an early signal worth investigating rather than just treating. Your provider will raise it if your history warrants it.
Not sold here on its own.
A provider can talk through what we do offer, and be straight about what would actually help.