What colour are Viagra pills? Blue. The Australian leaflet describes every strength of Viagra as "blue, rounded diamond shaped film coated tablets", debossed "VGR 25", "VGR 50" or "VGR 100" on one side and "VIAGRA" on the other (Viagra CMI). Generic sildenafil tablets do not have to look like that, and no colour or shape proves on its own that a tablet is what its pack says.

What does a Viagra tablet look like?

A blue, rounded diamond with writing pressed into both faces. The Australian Viagra, distributed by Viatris, comes in three strengths, and the leaflet describes them the same way apart from the number:

  • 25 mg: blue, rounded diamond, "VGR 25" on one side, "VIAGRA" on the other;
  • 50 mg: blue, rounded diamond, "VGR 50" on one side, "VIAGRA" on the other;
  • 100 mg: blue, rounded diamond, "VGR 100" on one side, "VIAGRA" on the other.

So the colour and shape do not tell the strengths apart; the number does. Each strength comes in a box of 4 tablets, and the 100 mg also in a box of 12 (Viagra CMI) — more in how many tablets are in a pack of Viagra? The Australian tablet carries the product name, not a company name, and the older story that it is engraved "Pfizer" does not match the leaflet. The same question, asked as a search for pictures, is on what does a Viagra pill look like?

Why is Viagra blue?

Because of its film coating. Both Australian documents describe blue "film coated tablets"; the product information lists "Opadry OY-LS-20921 Blue UK" among the ingredients (Viagra PI), and the leaflet's list of inactive ingredients includes indigo carmine (Viagra CMI), which the European product information places in the film coat as "Indigo carmine aluminium lake (E132)" (EMA — Viagra product information). Neither label says why blue was chosen, and the marketing stories told about it have no source we could find. The full ingredient list is on what are the ingredients in Viagra?

What colour is generic sildenafil?

It depends on the brand. A generic has to deliver the same active ingredient in the same way, but it does not have to look the same: "Generic tablets or capsules can also be a different size or shape from the original medicine", and their inactive ingredients "are often different" (TGA). Generic medicines may differ in colour, shape, size, taste and packaging, often because of trademark rules (healthdirect). Not every form is a tablet either: the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods lists 78 sildenafil products, among them sublingual wafers, which are taken under the tongue (ARTG). Check the leaflet for the brand in your pack rather than Viagra's. What else differs between the brand and a generic is on what is the difference between generic sildenafil and Viagra?

Does a blue diamond prove a tablet is real Viagra?

No. A copy can be made in any colour or shape. healthdirect warns that when people buy sildenafil online without a prescription, "you can't be sure whether these pills contain the medicine or are counterfeit" (healthdirect — Sildenafil). Nor does the look of a tablet say whether it is approved here. Kamagra contains sildenafil but has no entry on the ARTG, and products that are not on it "are not approved for supply in Australia, have not been reviewed for safety or quality" (TGA, February 2024). The leaflet itself says not to take the tablets if the packaging "does not look quite right even if the tablets may look alright" (Viagra CMI); what else to look for is on how to tell real Viagra from a fake.

Can Viagra make you see blue?

Sometimes, briefly. In testing, "Mild and transient differences in colour discrimination (blue/green) were detected in some subjects" one hour after a 100 mg dose, "with no effects evident after 2 hours post dose" (Viagra PI). The leaflet puts changes to colour vision among the more serious side effects: call your doctor straight away or go to the emergency department. If you lose sight in one or both eyes, or notice "a blue colour to your vision or a greater awareness of light", the leaflet says to seek medical attention urgently (Viagra CMI). Vision changes are among the rarer, serious side effects of all erectile dysfunction medicines (healthdirect — ED medicines).

The short answer

Viagra tablets are blue, rounded diamonds marked "VGR" with their strength on one side and "VIAGRA" on the other. Generic sildenafil can look quite different and work the same, and a tablet's colour proves nothing about what is in it. What Viagra is and how it works are covered in our guide to Viagra basics, and its medical name and drug class in what is Viagra's medical name?