Personal testimonials are the least reliable evidence there is about a prescription drug, and invented ones are worse than useless. So this page does not carry any. What follows is what the large, public sources actually report about sildenafil — where the numbers come from, and how to read them.
Drugs.com user ratings
Users rate sildenafil highly for effect and for predictability: it does what it says, in the window it says. The recurring complaints are headache, facial flushing and nasal congestion, which is exactly what the label predicts, and a blue tint to vision at the 100 mg dose.
Manufacturer trial data
Around 8 in 10 men reported improved erections on sildenafil against roughly 2 in 10 on placebo. The mirror image of that number matters more than the headline: about 3 in 10 men get no useful response at all, usually because the underlying cause is vascular, hormonal or psychological rather than mechanical.
What the complaints cluster around
Three themes come up again and again. Men who ate a heavy meal first say it “did not work”; fat delays absorption rather than cancelling the effect. Men who tried it once and gave up: the label suggests at least four separate attempts before deciding a dose is wrong for you. And men who drank alongside it, which flattens the response and worsens the headache.
Reviews that should make you close the tab
Named strengths that do not exist — there is no 200 mg Viagra and no 40 mg Levitra. “Women’s Viagra”, which is not an approved product in the US. Five-star stories with a brand name in the first sentence. Effects lasting “more than 13 hours” from a drug with a four-hour window. Every one of those is a marketing invention, and a site that runs them is not a site to buy medicine from.
The honest summary
Sildenafil is one of the better-evidenced drugs in common use, its side effects are mostly mild and short, and the serious ones — an erection lasting over four hours, sudden loss of vision or hearing — are rare but need immediate medical attention. It does not work for everyone and it is not a libido drug. If it fails at 100 mg after several genuine attempts, that is a reason to see a doctor, not a reason to take more.
Prices
If you decide to try it
Start at the dose a clinician gives you, not the one with the best reviews. The pharmacy price list is here if you want to see what each strength costs.
Check pharmacy pricesAffiliate link. We may earn a commission from this pharmacy; it does not change what we write. Check any online pharmacy against FDA BeSafeRx before you buy.
Read next
- Viagra 50mg: Dosage, How To Buy Online, ReviewsThe standard starting dose, in detail.
- What is the most effective pill for ED?Four drugs compared side by side.