What is generic Cialis?
Generic Cialis is tadalafil — the active ingredient of the Cialis brand — made by a company other than the brand's owner. Cialis is Eli Lilly's brand of tadalafil, registered in Australia as 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg and 20 mg tablets (ARTG search). Generic tadalafil is supplied in Australia too: the PBS listing for tadalafil 10 mg names Cialis beside generic brands such as Apo-Tadalafil, Cipla Tadalafil and Tadalafil Sandoz (PBS item 4596X).
Tadalafil is a PDE5 inhibitor, one of four available in Australia with sildenafil, vardenafil and avanafil (healthdirect). After sexual stimulation it helps the blood vessels in the penis relax so that blood can flow in; it only works if you are sexually aroused. In Australia Cialis is used for erectile dysfunction and for the urinary symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia, the enlargement of the prostate that comes with age (Cialis consumer medicine information). It is not intended for women.
How much does generic Cialis cost?
The table at the top of this page is the current price, in Australian dollars, of every pack we sell: generic tadalafil 20 mg, 10 mg, 5 mg and 2.5 mg tablets. Prices are read live when the page loads, and the price per tablet falls as the pack gets bigger — compare the per-tablet column rather than the pack price. Which strength to compare depends on how you will take it:
- On demand — the 10 mg and 20 mg tablets. You take one before sex, no more than once a day.
- Once a day — the 5 mg and 2.5 mg tablets. You take one every day, so the per-tablet price of the larger packs is the number that matters.
Tadalafil is not subsidised for the general public on the PBS. Its only listing is tadalafil 10 mg on the Repatriation schedule for eligible veterans, and that listing is Authority Required (PBS).
Daily Cialis or on demand?
Take tadalafil on demand if you use it now and then; take the low daily dose if you expect to use it twice a week or more. These are the two ways it is approved to be used (EMA, Cialis CMI):
| On demand | Once a day | |
|---|---|---|
| Dose | 10 mg, which can be raised to 20 mg | 5 mg, which can be lowered to 2.5 mg |
| When you take it | At least 30 minutes before sex — allow 1 hour the first time | Every day, at about the same time of day |
| Who it is for | Men who use it less often | Men who expect to use it twice a week or more |
| How often | Once a day at most | One tablet a day |
| Strengths sold here | 10 mg and 20 mg | 5 mg and 2.5 mg |
On demand, one tablet can help for up to 36 hours, so you do not have to time it to the minute. On the daily dose you take a tablet at the same time each day rather than timing one around sex. Whichever way you use it, never take more than one tablet in a day.
Which dose of tadalafil?
The usual on-demand dose is 10 mg, and 20 mg is the maximum; the daily dose is 5 mg, lowered to 2.5 mg where needed (EMA). Your GP chooses the dose and the way you take it. Cialis is registered in Australia as 2.5, 5, 10 and 20 mg tablets, and the generic tadalafil sold here comes in the same four strengths. Tablets sold as 40 mg, 60 mg or 100 mg of tadalafil are not a registered strength — 20 mg is already the most the label allows.
How fast does tadalafil work, and how long does it last?
Take it at least 30 minutes before sex; after that, one tablet can help for up to 36 hours. Those are two different answers:
- Onset. Take an on-demand tablet at least 30 minutes before sex (EMA). The Australian leaflet says 30–60 minutes and recommends allowing 1 hour the first time you take it.
- The 36-hour window. Cialis has been shown to be effective for up to 36 hours: you can get an erection when sexually stimulated at any time in the 36 hours after the tablet (Cialis CMI). That does not mean an erection lasting 36 hours — without arousal nothing happens, and an erection that lasts longer than 4 hours needs medical help straight away.
How to take tadalafil
The Australian Cialis leaflet sets out the practical rules (Cialis CMI):
- Swallow one tablet whole with a full glass of water.
- Take it with or without food.
- It can be taken with alcohol, but drinking may affect your ability to get an erection — avoid drinking heavily.
- Take it no more than once a day; on the daily dose, at about the same time each day.
Do you need a prescription for tadalafil in Australia?
Yes. Tadalafil is a prescription-only medicine in Australia — the TGA states that it can only be supplied to Australians with a prescription (TGA, February 2024), and every erectile dysfunction medicine needs a prescription after a doctor has assessed you (healthdirect). It is not sold over the counter. A chemist can supply Cialis or a generic tadalafil once you have a script from your GP.
Products that are not on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods have not been reviewed by the TGA for safety or quality (TGA). Whatever you buy, the strength should be one of the four registered ones — 2.5, 5, 10 or 20 mg — and the safety rules below apply in full.
Who must not take tadalafil
Do not take tadalafil if any of these apply to you (EMA, Cialis CMI, healthdirect):
- you use nitrates — medicines for angina, including sprays or tablets for chest pain;
- you use a guanylate-cyclase stimulator such as riociguat;
- you have heart or blood-vessel problems that make sexual activity inadvisable, or sexual exertion could put you at risk.
Tell your GP about every medicine you take before your first dose — the nitrate rule covers a spray you keep for chest pain as much as a daily tablet.
Generic tadalafil vs Cialis: what is the difference?
The medicine is the same; the name, the maker, the look of the tablet and the price differ. Tadalafil is the active ingredient of Cialis, so a 20 mg tadalafil tablet and a 20 mg Cialis tablet contain the same dose of the same medicine.
| Cialis | Generic tadalafil | |
|---|---|---|
| Active ingredient | tadalafil | tadalafil |
| Who makes it | Eli Lilly | Several makers — in Australia, brands from Apotex, Cipla and Sandoz among others |
| Strengths | 2.5, 5, 10 and 20 mg on the ARTG | Sold here as 2.5, 5, 10 and 20 mg |
| What the tablet looks like | Yellow or light yellow, almond-shaped, marked C5, C10 or C20 | Depends on the maker |
Sources: PBS (makers), ARTG (strengths), Cialis CMI (tablet markings). The dose rules are the same whatever the name on the pack: once a day at most, and never with nitrates.
Cialis side effects
The common side effects are headache, facial flushing, a blocked nose, and indigestion or reflux (healthdirect). The Australian Cialis leaflet also lists back pain and muscle pain among its less serious side effects (Cialis CMI).
Get medical help straight away if you have chest pain, changes in your vision, sudden hearing loss, dizziness or fainting, signs of an allergic reaction, or an erection that lasts longer than 4 hours.
Cialis vs Viagra and the other ED tablets
Cialis and Viagra work the same way; the difference is timing. Sildenafil, the medicine in Viagra, is taken about an hour before sex, and taking it with food may delay the effect (EMA). A single tadalafil tablet can help for up to 36 hours, it can be taken with or without food, and there is a low daily dose.
| Medicine | Active ingredient | On the ARTG? | When to take it | How long it can work |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cialis / generic tadalafil | tadalafil | Yes — Cialis 2.5, 5, 10 and 20 mg | At least 30 minutes before sex (1 hour the first time), or a low dose daily | Up to 36 hours |
| Viagra / generic sildenafil | sildenafil | Yes — Viagra 25, 50 and 100 mg | About 1 hour before sex, once a day at most | — |
| Generic vardenafil | vardenafil | Yes — 5, 10 and 20 mg (the Levitra brand is not) | As prescribed | — |
| Kamagra | sildenafil | No | As sildenafil | — |
Every one of them is prescription-only in Australia, and none may be taken with nitrates. There is no single best tablet: our comparison of ED tablets sets out which suits which kind of use, and the erectile dysfunction guide covers the causes and the treatments beyond tablets. If your concern is how soon you ejaculate rather than your erection, that has its own treatments, compared in our guide to lasting longer in bed.
Delivery in Australia
Orders ship from India or Hong Kong — there is no Australian warehouse and no shop to walk into, in Sydney or any other city. Express delivery takes 5–9 days and regular delivery 10–14 days, and shipping is free on orders from A$320. The details are on our delivery page.
Sources
- TGA — Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (search: Cialis, Viagra, vardenafil, Kamagra), read 25 September 2026
- TGA — NSW individual fined for alleged offences relating to unapproved erectile dysfunction medicines (20 February 2024)
- Cialis (tadalafil) Consumer Medicine Information, Australia (prepared October 2024)
- European Medicines Agency — Cialis (tadalafil): EPAR medicine overview
- European Medicines Agency — Viagra (sildenafil): EPAR medicine overview
- healthdirect — Erectile dysfunction medicines
- Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme — Tadalafil 10 mg, item 4596X, read 25 September 2026
