Your healthcare provider may prescribe Viagra as one tablet once a day, about 1 hour before sexual activity. However, Viagra may be taken anywhere from 30 minutes to 4 hours before sexual activity. Viagra is generally well tolerated. If any side effects are experienced, they are usually mild and temporary. It is the first oral medication for this purpose.
Impotence is a consistent inability to sustain an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse.
Impotence can be a total inability to achieve erection, an inconsistent ability to do so, or a tendency to sustain only brief erections. Yet, it is not an inevitable part of aging. Impotence and erectile dysfunction should be distinguished from other conditions that interfere with sexual intercourse, such as lack of sexual desire and problems with ejaculation and orgasm. Damage to arteries, smooth muscles, and nerves of the penis can lead to impotence. One common cause of impotence is blood vessel and nerve damage due to diabetes mellitus.