Patients who suffer from erectile dysfunction or premature ejaculation need treatment they can depend on. This guide breaks down what vardenafil does, how it works, who it’s for and how to use it safely.

Why is vardenafil prescribed?

Vardenafil (generic Levitra®) is used to treat erectile dysfunction (impotence or an inability to get or keep an erection) in men.¹ Vardenafil can also be used to treat premature ejaculation.^2,3

How does vardenafil work?

Vardenafil is in a class of medications called phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitors and treats erectile dysfunction by increasing blood flow to the penis during sexual stimulation.⁴ It may also be effective for treating premature ejaculation, particularly when paired with an SSRI such as citalopram (Celexa®), escitalopram (Lexapro®) and Sertraline (Zoloft®).^5,6

How long does it take for vardenafil to work?

Vardenafil takes around 30 to 60 minutes to reach full effect and should be taken 60 minutes before sexual activity for best results.⁷

How long does vardenafil last?

Vardenafil is designed to be taken only once within a 24-hour period. The effects can last around four hours.⁸

How long does vardenafil stay in your system?

Vardenafil remains in your system for around five hours before it leaves your bloodstream through sweat and urine.⁹

How often can I take vardenafil?

Vardenafil usually should not be taken more often than once every 24 hours.¹⁰

How should vardenafil be used?

Vardenafil comes as a tablet and a rapidly disintegrating (dissolves in the mouth and is swallowed without water) tablet to take by mouth. It is usually taken as needed, with or without food, 60 minutes before sexual activity. Vardenafil usually should not be taken more often than once every 24 hours. If you have certain health conditions or are taking certain medications, your doctor may tell you to take vardenafil less often. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take vardenafil exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor.

If you are taking the rapidly disintegrating tablet, check the blister pack before you take your first dose. Do not use any medication from the pack if any blisters are torn, broken or do not contain tablets. Follow the package directions to remove the tablet from the blister package. Do not try to push the tablet through the foil. After you remove the tablet from the blister packet, immediately place it on your tongue and close your mouth. The tablet will quickly dissolve. Do not take the rapidly disintegrating tablet with water or other liquids.

Your doctor will probably start you on an average dose of vardenafil tablets and increase or decrease your dose depending on your response to the medication. If you are taking the rapidly disintegrating tablets, your doctor will not be able to adjust your dose because the rapidly disintegrating tablets are only available in one strength. If you need a higher or lower dose, your doctor may prescribe regular tablets instead. Tell your doctor if vardenafil is not working well or if you are experiencing side effects.

Vardenafil rapidly disintegrating tablets cannot be substituted for vardenafil tablets. Be sure you receive only the type of vardenafil that was prescribed by your doctor. Ask your pharmacist if you have any questions about the type of vardenafil you were given.¹¹

What dosages are prescribed for vardenafil?

Vardenafil is prescribed in 5 mg, 10 mg and 20 mg doses, meant to be taken once a day, as needed.¹²

How much does vardenafil cost without insurance?

A prescription for vardenafil is as low as $3 per tablet without insurance if you use RedBox Rx.

Where can I buy vardenafil? Is it available over the counter?

Vardenafil is not available over the counter and requires a prescription. You can get vardenafil online, if prescribed, from RedBox Rx.

Can both men and women take vardenafil?

Vardenafil is not FDA approved for women. It may be prescribed in certain situations, but more research is needed to determine the medication’s full effect.¹³

What’s the difference between vardenafil and other PDE⁵ inhibitors like sildenafil, tadalafil and avanafil?

PDE5 inhibitors such as sildenafil, tadalafil, avanafil and vardenafil all work in the same basic way by relaxing blood vessels to increase blood flow to the penis. They are all effective for treating erectile dysfunction, but they differ mainly in how quickly they start working and how long their effects last.¹⁴

Read our Complete Guide to Compare ED Medications to learn more.

Does vardenafil expire?

Yes. Check your medication’s bottle for a specific date and always dispose of expired medication.¹⁵

What special precautions should I follow when taking vardenafil?

Before taking vardenafil:

• Tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to vardenafil, any other medications or any of the ingredients in vardenafil tablets. Ask your pharmacist for a list of the ingredients.

• Do not take vardenafil if you are taking or have recently taken riociguat (Adempas) or nitrates such as isosorbide dinitrate (dilatrate-SR, Isordil, in BiDil), isosorbide mononitrate (Monoket) or nitroglycerin (Minitran, Nitro-Dur, NitroMist, Nitrostat, others). Nitrates come as tablets, sublingual (under the tongue) tablets, sprays, patches, pastes and ointments. Ask your doctor if you are not sure if any of your medications contain nitrates.

• Do not take street drugs containing nitrates such as amyl nitrate or butyl nitrate (“poppers”) while taking vardenafil.

• Tell your doctor and pharmacist what other prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins and nutritional supplements you are taking or plan to take. Be sure to mention any of the following: alpha blockers such as alfuzosin (Uroxatral), doxazosin (Cardura), prazosin (Minipress), tamsulosin (Flomax, in Jalyn) or terazosin; amiodarone (Cordarone, Pacerone); antifungals such as fluconazole (Diflucan), itraconazole (Onmel, Sporanox) or ketoconazole (Nizoral); clarithromycin (Biaxin, in Prevpac); disopyramide (Norpace); erythromycin (E.E.S., E-Mycin, Erythrocin); haloperidol (Haldol); HIV protease inhibitors, including atazanavir (Reyataz, in Evotaz), indinavir (Crixivan), ritonavir (Norvir, in Kaletra) or saquinavir (Invirase); medications for high blood pressure or irregular heartbeat; other medications or treatments for erectile dysfunction; methadone (Dolophine, Methadose); moxifloxacin (Avelox); pimozide (Orap); procainamide; quinidine (in Nuedexta); sotalol (Betapace, Sorine, Sotylize); thioridazine; or verapamil (Calan, COVERA-HA, Verelan, others). Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you carefully for side effects. Many other medications may interact with vardenafil, so be sure to tell your doctor about all the medications you are taking, even those that do not appear on this list.

• Tell your doctor what herbal products you are taking, especially St. John's wort.

• Tell your doctor if you smoke and if you have ever had an erection that lasted more than four hours. Also tell your doctor if you have or have ever had a condition that affects the shape of the penis, such as angulation, cavernosal fibrosis or Peyronie's disease; diabetes; high cholesterol; high or low blood pressure; irregular heartbeat; a heart attack; angina (chest pain); a stroke; ulcers in the stomach or intestine; a bleeding disorder; blood cell problems such as sickle cell anemia (a disease of the red blood cells), multiple myeloma (cancer of the plasma cells) or leukemia (cancer of the white blood cells); seizures; or liver, kidney or heart disease. Also tell your doctor if you or any of your family members have or have ever had long QT syndrome (a heart condition) or retinitis pigmentosa (an eye disease), or if you have ever had severe vision loss, especially if you were toldthe vision loss was caused by a blockage of blood flow to the nerves that help you see. Tell your doctor if you have ever been advised by a healthcare professional to avoid sexual activity for medical reasons.

• You should know that vardenafil is only for use in males. Women should not take vardenafil, especially if they are or could become pregnant, or are breastfeeding. If a pregnant woman takes vardenafil, she should call her doctor.

• If you are having surgery, including dental surgery or any dental procedure, tell the doctor or dentist that you are taking vardenafil.

• You should know that sexual activity may be a strain on your heart, especially if you have heart disease. If you have chest pain during sexual activity, call your doctor immediately and avoid sexual activity until your doctor tells you otherwise.

• Tell all your healthcare providers that you are taking vardenafil. If you ever need emergency medical treatment for a heart problem, the healthcare providers who treat you will need to know when you last took vardenafil.

• If you have phenylketonuria (PKU, an inherited condition in which a special diet must be followed to prevent damage to your brain that can cause severe intellectual disability), you should know that the rapidly disintegrating tablets are sweetened with aspartame, a source of phenylalanine.

If you have fructose intolerance (an inherited condition in which the body lacks the protein needed to break down fructose) you should know that the rapidly disintegrating tablets are sweetened with the fruit sugar sorbitol. Tell your doctor if you have fructose intolerance.¹⁶

What special dietary instructions should I follow when taking vardenafil?

Talk to your doctor about eating grapefruit and drinking grapefruit juice while taking this medicine. Grapefruit can raise the levels of vardenafil in your body and increase the risk of side effects.¹⁷

What are the side effects of vardenafil?

Vardenafil may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:

• Headache

• Upset stomach

• Heartburn

• Flushing

• Stuffy or runny nose

• Flu-like symptoms

Some side effects can be serious. If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately:

• An erection lasting longer than four hours

• Sudden severe loss of vision (see below for more information)

• Blurred vision

• Changes in color vision such as seeing blue tinge on objects, difficulty telling the difference between blue and green, or difficulty seeing at night

• Dizziness

• Sudden decrease or loss of hearing

• Ringing in ears

• Swelling of the face, throat, tongue, lips, eyes, hands, feet, ankles or lower legs

• Hoarseness

• Difficulty breathing or swallowing

• Fainting

• Hives or rash

Vardenafil may cause other side effects. Call your doctor if you have any unusual problems while taking this medication.

Some patients experienced a sudden loss of some or all their vision after they took vardenafil or other medications that are similar to vardenafil. The vision loss was permanent in some cases. It is not known if the vision loss was caused by the medication. If you experience a sudden loss of vision while you are taking vardenafil, call your doctor immediately. Do not take any more doses of vardenafil or similar medications such as sildenafil (Viagra) or tadalafil (Cialis) until you talk to your doctor.

Some patients experienced a sudden decrease or loss of hearing after they took vardenafil or other medications that are similar to vardenafil. The hearing loss usually involved only one ear and may not get better. It is not known if the hearing loss was caused by the medication. If you experience a sudden loss of hearing, sometimes with ringing in the ears or dizziness, while you are taking vardenafil, call your doctor immediately. Do not take any more doses of vardenafil or similar medications such as sildenafil (Viagra) or tadalafil (Cialis) until you talk to your doctor.

If you experience a serious side effect, you or your doctor may send a report to the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online (http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch) or by phone (1-800-332-1088).¹⁸

What should I know about storage and disposal of vardenafil?

Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly closed and out of reach of children. Store the tablets at room temperature and away from excess heat and moisture (not in the bathroom). Store the suspension at room temperature or in a refrigerator, but do not freeze it. Dispose of any unused suspension after 60 days.

It is important to keep all medication out of sight and reach of children, as many containers (such as weekly pill minders and those for eye drops, creams, patches and inhalers) are not child-resistant and young children can open them easily. To protect young children from poisoning, always lock safety caps and immediately place the medication in a safe location — out of their sight and reach.

Unneeded medications should be disposed of in special ways to ensure that pets, children and other people cannot consume them. However, you should not flush this medication down the toilet. Instead, the best way to dispose of your medication is through a medicine take-back program. Talk to your pharmacist or contact your local garbage/recycling department to learn about take-back programs in your community. See the FDA's Safe Disposal of Medicines website for more information if you do not have access to a take-back program.¹⁹

What should I do in case of an emergency or overdose of vardenafil?

In case of overdose, call the poison control helpline at 1-800-222-1222. Information is also available online at https://www.poisonhelp.org/help. If the victim has collapsed, had a seizure, has trouble breathing or can't be awakened, immediately call emergency services at 911.

Symptoms of overdose may include blurred vision and back or muscle pain.²⁰

What other information should I know about vardenafil?

Do not let anyone else take your medication. Ask your pharmacist any questions you have about refilling your prescription.

It is important for you to keep a written list of all the prescription and nonprescription (over-the-counter) medicines you are taking, as well as any products such as vitamins, minerals or other dietary supplements. You should bring this list with you each time you visit a doctor or if you are admitted to a hospital. It is also important information to carry with you in case of emergencies.²¹

What are the brand names for vardenafil?

Vardenafil is the generic version of the brand name Levitra^® or Staxyn®.²²

How RedBox Rx can help

RedBox Rx makes obtaining ED treatment or PE treatment, like vardenafil, easy and affordable.

Benefits of RedBox Rx include:

• Low-cost telehealth consult.

• Vardenafil starting at $3 per tablet.

• No membership fees

• FSA and HSA eligible.

• Free standard shipping or expedited/overnight available.

Start an online doctor consult for erectile dysfunction or premature ejaculation through RedBox Rx today.