How should sildenafil be stored? Below 30°C, in its pack, somewhere cool and dry, and out of children's reach. The Australian leaflet for Viagra says to keep the tablets in their pack until it is time to take one, away from moisture, heat and sunlight, and names the wrong places: "in the bathroom or near a sink, or in the car or on window sills" (Viagra CMI). Heat and damp are the enemies, because "Heat and dampness can destroy some medicines".
What temperature should Viagra be kept at?
Below 30°C. "Store below 30°C" is the instruction on the Australian leaflet (Viagra CMI), and the European product information says the same for the tablets: "Do not store above 30 °C" (EMA product information). The leaflet does not ask for a fridge. Whatever the brand of sildenafil, "Follow the instructions in the carton on how to take care of your medicine properly" (Viagra CMI).
Why keep the tablets in the pack?
Because the pack protects them from moisture. "Keep the tablets in their pack until it is time to take them. If you take your tablets out of the pack, they will not keep as well" (Viagra CMI); the European label gives the reason: "Store in the original package in order to protect from moisture" (EMA product information). So a weekly pill box, a loose tablet in a wallet or a jar of tablets without their blister is not what the leaflet has in mind. If you want a tablet with you, carry the pack. How many tablets a pack holds is in how many pills are in a pack of Viagra? A half tablet kept for later sits outside the pack too, and the leaflet says to swallow the tablet whole; see can Viagra pills be split in half?
Where in the house is best?
A cool, dry cupboard away from the bathroom, the kitchen sink and the windows. The leaflet's own suggestion: "A locked cupboard at least one-and-a-half metres above the ground is a good place to store medicines" (Viagra CMI). A bedside drawer is convenient, but only if it stays cool and dry and no child can reach it.
Can you leave Viagra in the car, or take it on holiday?
Not in the car: the leaflet names it as a place not to store the tablets (Viagra CMI). On a trip, the same rules travel with you: in the pack, below 30°C, away from direct sun and damp, so not on the dashboard or in the glovebox. If the pack is torn or "does not look quite right even if the tablets may look alright", the leaflet says not to take them: "If it has expired or is damaged, return it to your pharmacist for disposal" (Viagra CMI).
How do you keep it away from children?
Keep it where young children cannot reach it (Viagra CMI), ideally locked away. If a child, or anyone else, may have swallowed a tablet, phone the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26, contact a doctor or go to the nearest emergency department, "even if there are no signs of discomfort or poisoning" (Viagra CMI). The same leaflet asks you not to share your tablets: "Do not give VIAGRA to anyone else, even if they have the same condition as you."
Is Cialis stored the same way?
Almost: the difference is the temperature.
| On the Australian leaflet | Viagra (sildenafil) | Cialis (tadalafil) |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | Below 30°C | Below 25°C |
| Pack | Keep the tablets in their pack until you take one | Keep the tablets in the original pack until you take one |
| Not in | The bathroom, near a sink, the car, on window sills | The bathroom, near a sink, the car, on window sills |
| Children | Where young children cannot reach it | Where young children cannot reach it |
| Unwanted or out of date | Take it to any pharmacy for safe disposal | Take it to any pharmacy for safe disposal |
Sources: Viagra CMI, Cialis CMI.
What about the expiry date?
Good storage does not stretch it. "Do not take this medicine after the expiry date" (Viagra CMI), and "The expiry date refers to the last day of that month" (EMA package leaflet). If you no longer need the tablets or they are out of date, "take it to any pharmacy for safe disposal" (Viagra CMI), not the bin or the toilet: "Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste" (EMA package leaflet). What an old tablet can and cannot do is answered in what happens if you take expired Viagra? and, for tadalafil, in can expired Cialis still work?
The short answer
Keep sildenafil below 30°C, in its pack, in a cool, dry place such as a high or locked cupboard: not in the bathroom, near a sink, in the car or on a window sill, and out of children's reach. Take damaged or out-of-date tablets to a pharmacy. More on taking it is in our dosage guide.
