What is the usual dose of Viagra?

50 mg, taken as needed about one hour before sex. Depending on how well it works and on side effects, the dose may be increased to a maximum of 100 mg or decreased to 25 mg (EMA). Those are the three Viagra strengths on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG), and the doctor who prescribes it chooses among them. The label dose in more detail: what is the recommended dosage of sildenafil for ED? and how to take Viagra 50 mg or 100 mg.

Sildenafil (Viagra) on the labelWhat the label says
Starting dose50 mg, as needed
Range25 mg to 100 mg, by effect and side effects; 100 mg is the maximum
WhenAbout one hour before sex; it normally starts working in half an hour to an hour
How oftenNo more than one tablet in 24 hours
HowSwallowed whole with a full glass of water
FoodA heavy meal can delay it
NeedsSexual arousal — it does not cause an erection on its own
Never withNitrates (angina medicines) or riociguat

Sources: EMA, healthdirect, Viagra CMI.

Is 100 mg better than 50 mg? In the fixed-dose studies, 74% of men on 50 mg and 82% on 100 mg reported better erections, against 25% on placebo (EMA product information); the trade-off with side effects is set out in what is the difference between 50 mg and 100 mg Viagra?

How do you take Viagra?

Swallow the tablet whole with a full glass of water, about an hour before sex. It works only with arousal — "VIAGRA will work only if you are sexually excited" — and it normally takes "between half an hour and one hour" to start working (Viagra CMI). Never take it if you use nitrates, medicines often prescribed for angina: the combination can cause a sudden drop in blood pressure that is hard to treat (healthdirect).

The leaflet names water and nothing else; whether milk changes anything is answered in taking Viagra with water or milk. What a first dose is like — the wait, the need for arousal, common side effects such as headache and flushing — is in what to expect when taking Viagra for the first time. The routine that gets the most from each tablet is in how to take sildenafil citrate for best results, and the safety side — nitrates, other medicines, storage — in best practices for safe and effective use of Viagra. Why arousal matters at all is explained in how PDE5 inhibitors treat erectile dysfunction.

Can you take Viagra twice in one day?

No: one dose in 24 hours is the limit. "You should not take any more than one sildenafil tablet in 24 hours" (healthdirect); "Do not take more than one dose of VIAGRA a day" (Viagra CMI). What that limit means for a dose on two days running, and what to do when the first tablet disappoints (tell your doctor, who can change the dose or the medicine), is in can I take Viagra twice in one day or two days in a row? The same rule, stated as a frequency, is in what is the safe frequency of taking Viagra? and, together with the maximum dose, in the recommended frequency and maximum safe dose of Viagra.

Cialis has the same ceiling — "You should not take CIALIS more than once a day" (Cialis CMI) — although tadalafil can also be prescribed as a low daily dose for men who expect to use it twice a week or more (EMA). See can I take several doses of Cialis in a day or on consecutive days?

Is 100 mg of Viagra too much, and is 200 mg safe?

100 mg is the maximum recommended dose; 200 mg is above it. 100 mg is not a starting dose: the label starts at 50 mg and moves to 100 mg only on effect and tolerability (EMA). Who may need less is covered in is 100 mg of sildenafil or Viagra too much? Above 100 mg the product information is plain: "Doses of 200 mg did not result in increased efficacy but the incidence of adverse reactions (headache, flushing, dizziness, dyspepsia, nasal congestion, altered vision) was increased" (EMA product information). More in is it safe to take 200 mg of Viagra?

Should you take Viagra on an empty stomach or after eating?

It works either way, but food can slow it down. Taken with food, the onset may be delayed (EMA); in the pharmacology studies, food delayed the peak level in the blood by 60 minutes on average and lowered it by 29% (EMA product information). The Australian leaflet puts it plainly: "You may find VIAGRA takes longer to work if you take it with a heavy meal." The before-or-after question itself is answered in is it best to take Viagra on an empty stomach or after eating?, and the timing of meals in the effect of food on Viagra absorption.

Two drinks matter. Grapefruit juice "may give rise to modest increases in plasma levels of sildenafil" (EMA product information), and "Drinking alcohol can temporarily impair the ability to get an erection" (Viagra CMI). The rest of the menu is in foods to avoid or eat with Viagra.

Can you split, crush, chew or dissolve Viagra?

The label way is to swallow the tablet whole. The Australian leaflet says "Swallow the tablet whole with a full glass of water" and gives no instructions for splitting, crushing, chewing or dissolving it (Viagra CMI). If a smaller dose suits you, a 25 mg tablet exists — ask the doctor who prescribes it. What happens when people do otherwise is covered question by question: can Viagra pills be split in half?, does chewing or crushing Viagra make it work faster?, can I dissolve Viagra in water? and can Viagra be absorbed under the tongue?

A form made to dissolve in the mouth is registered in Australia: sildenafil sublingual wafers (Wafesil, 25 and 50 mg, prescription-only), placed under the tongue (ARTG). In Europe, Viagra also comes as 50 mg orodispersible tablets, placed on the tongue and left to disintegrate before swallowing (EMA); those are not among the three Viagra entries on the ARTG.

How long does Viagra stay in your system?

Sildenafil's half-life is 3 to 5 hours (EMA product information): every 3 to 5 hours, the amount in your blood halves. Its effect can last up to 4 hours (healthdirect). What the half-life means in practice is in what is the half-life of Viagra and sildenafil?; how well and how long it works is on our Viagra effectiveness page.

Getting a prescription, and storing your tablets

In Australia you need a prescription for Viagra, and a doctor assesses you first (healthdirect); sildenafil "can only be supplied to Australians with a prescription" (TGA). What that assessment covers is in how to get a prescription for Viagra.

Store the tablets below 30°C in a cool, dry place away from moisture, heat or sunlight, and do not take them after the expiry date (Viagra CMI); the product information adds: in the original package, to protect them from moisture (EMA product information). More in how should sildenafil be stored?; pack sizes are in how many pills are in a pack of Viagra?

Your dose, your GP's call

The doctor who prescribes sildenafil chooses between 25, 50 and 100 mg. Kamagra is sildenafil in the 50 and 100 mg strengths, sold here as tablets and oral jelly with live prices on its page; it is not on the ARTG, and that page explains what this means before you order. Generic sildenafil and tadalafil are on our product list. If you take any heart or blood-pressure medicine, talk to your GP before your first dose.

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