Is there medication to last longer in bed? Yes, and which one depends on what you want to last. To delay ejaculation, the tablet approved for premature ejaculation in Australia is dapoxetine (Priligy) (RACGP), which needs a prescription (TGA), and a numbing spray can be bought at a pharmacy without one (healthdirect). To get and keep an erection, the medicines are ED tablets such as sildenafil (Viagra) and tadalafil (Cialis), and on their own they do not delay ejaculation (RACGP).

Is it the erection or the climax you want to last?

They are different problems with different medicines. Premature ejaculation is when ejaculation "happens too fast and feels uncontrollable", usually defined as ejaculating within one minute of penetration (healthdirect). Erectile dysfunction is difficulty getting or keeping an erection, and the medicines for it help you "get and keep an erection" (healthdirect — ED medicines). The two often come together: about 1 in 3 to 1 in 4 men with premature ejaculation also have erectile dysfunction (Healthy Male).

Which medicines delay ejaculation?

Three kinds, with different status in Australia:

  • Dapoxetine (Priligy), a short-acting SSRI and the one tablet approved for premature ejaculation here, since 2010 (RACGP). One 30 mg tablet is taken 1 to 3 hours before sex, and it is "not intended for continuous daily use" (Priligy product information). We do not sell it.
  • Numbing (local anaesthetic) spray, sold in pharmacies without a prescription and sprayed on the head of the penis 10 minutes before sex; it can rub off on your partner (healthdirect). A lignocaine and prilocaine cream is prescribed off-label (RACGP).
  • Antidepressants used off-label: paroxetine, sertraline, fluoxetine and clomipramine are not licensed for premature ejaculation, and are usually taken every day; the delay builds over a few days to two weeks (RACGP). Tramadol, an opioid, is kept for cases where other treatment has failed (RACGP).

Every option, ranked by its status here with its warnings, is in our guide to lasting longer in bed.

How much longer do they make you last?

Minutes, not hours. In two large dapoxetine trials the average time from penetration to ejaculation rose from 0.9 minutes to 2.78 minutes on dapoxetine 30 mg, and to 1.75 minutes on placebo; Australian Prescriber called the improvements "modest" (Australian Prescriber, 2013). In one trial of daily treatment, paroxetine did better than dapoxetine, though it was unclear when the tablets were taken in relation to sex (Australian Prescriber). Numbing products can lengthen the time to ejaculation and improve sexual satisfaction (RACGP). Overall, treatment of premature ejaculation is successful in 30–70% of cases (Healthy Male).

Do Viagra or Cialis make you last longer?

Only when erection problems are part of it. On their own, PDE5 inhibitors have "no effect" on the time to ejaculation and are "Not established monotherapy for PE"; with erection problems they may help "by providing a perception of greater control over ejaculation" (RACGP), and treating the erection problem "might solve the ejaculation problem" (Healthy Male). If what you want is a longer window for an erection, Cialis works for up to 36 hours (Cialis CMI) and Viagra up to 4 (healthdirect — Sildenafil): Cialis vs Viagra. Each case has its own page: does Viagra make you last longer in bed?, does Cialis make you last longer in bed? and treating premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction together.

Can you take a delay tablet with Viagra or Cialis?

Not according to the Australian label for Priligy, which "should not be used in men with erectile dysfunction (ED) who are using PDE5 inhibitors" (Priligy product information). The details are in can you take Viagra and Priligy together?; daily use and single tablets containing both medicines have their own answers: dapoxetine with sildenafil every day and sildenafil and dapoxetine combination tablets.

What helps without medicine?

Techniques and counselling. healthdirect suggests masturbating an hour or 2 before sex, using a condom to decrease sensation, taking a deep breath, and trying positions you find less arousing; exercise that strengthens the pelvic floor may improve control, and a psychologist or sex therapist can help. The stop-start and squeeze techniques "are effective for some people" (Healthy Male). Herbal cures are another matter: "complementary and alternative medicine is not a recommended form of treatment for premature ejaculation" (RACGP).

Where should you start?

With your GP, if you regularly come earlier than you would like: "They can help work out the cause and offer you treatment options", and treatment depends on the cause (healthdirect). Dapoxetine, the off-label medicines and ED tablets all need a prescription.

The short answer

Yes. Dapoxetine is the tablet approved for premature ejaculation in Australia, numbing sprays are sold in pharmacies, and some antidepressants are prescribed off-label; dapoxetine's gain is measured in minutes. ED tablets make an erection last, not the time to climax, unless erection problems are the cause. Other medicines are compared in our comparisons of ED medicines.