Daily Tadalafil
Ready any time, with one tablet a day. Tadalafil at a low dose, taken every day, keeps a steady level in your body, so you don’t have to plan around a pill before sex. It’s FDA-approved for erectile dysfunction and for urinary symptoms from an enlarged prostate. A licensed pharmacy dispenses FDA-approved generic tadalafil; it isn’t compounded.
- FDA-approved generic, not compounded
- One tablet a day, no planning around sex
- Also eases urinary symptoms from an enlarged prostate
Daily tablet · from $29/mo. Prices are preliminary.
How to use it
- Take one tablet a day at about the same time, with or without food. Don’t take more than one a day.
- You still need to be aroused: it makes an erection easier, it doesn’t cause one on its own.
- Get emergency help for an erection that lasts more than 4 hours, sudden loss of vision or hearing, or chest pain during sex.
- Form
- Tablet, 30 per bottle
- Strength
- 2.5 or 5 mg; your provider sets the dose
- Typical use
- One tablet a day, at about the same time, with or without food
- Dispensed as
- FDA-approved generic from a licensed pharmacy, not compounded
- Who it’s for
- Men with erectile dysfunction, urinary symptoms from an enlarged prostate, or both, if a provider decides it’s right for them
One active, an FDA-approved generic.
- Tadalafil (2.5 or 5 mg tablet): A PDE5 inhibitor. It relaxes the smooth muscle in the blood vessels of the penis, so blood flows in more easily when you’re aroused, and in the prostate and bladder, which eases urinary symptoms. It lasts long enough that one low dose a day keeps a steady level.
What the research does and doesn’t show
Erections: in a 12-week trial of 268 men with erectile dysfunction, 85% of those taking 5 mg a day reported better erections, against 28% on placebo, and about half reported no erection problems by the end, against 8%.
Enlarged prostate: in a 12-week trial of men with both erectile dysfunction and urinary symptoms from an enlarged prostate, 5 mg a day improved both; 2.5 mg helped erections but not urinary symptoms.
What it doesn’t do: it doesn’t raise desire, cause an erection without arousal, or treat premature ejaculation.
So daily tadalafil works for most men with erectile dysfunction, with or without an enlarged prostate, without planning a dose around sex.
Studies: Porst et al., Eur Urol 2006 (268 men, tadalafil 5 or 10 mg once daily for 12 weeks; improved erections 84.5% on 5 mg vs 28.3% placebo; “no ED” 51.5% vs 8.3%; PMID 16766116); Egerdie et al., J Sex Med 2012 (606 men with ED and BPH symptoms, tadalafil 2.5 or 5 mg once daily for 12 weeks; PMID 21981682); Roehrborn et al., J Urol 2008 (BPH dose finding; PMID 18722631); tadalafil tablets prescribing information (DailyMed).
What to expect
- The first week
- Levels build over about 5 days of daily doses. Headache, indigestion, back or muscle aches and a stuffy nose are the most common side effects, and often ease.
- Weeks 2–12
- In a 12-week trial, 85% of men taking 5 mg a day reported better erections, against 28% on placebo. Urinary symptoms, if you have them, often ease within a few weeks.
- Ongoing
- Your provider checks in and adjusts your dose. Refills ship monthly, or order once.
Important safety information
Before you start
Your provider reviews your health history, medicines and allergies before prescribing, and prescribes only if it’s right for you. Tell your care team about any side effect, and get emergency care for chest pain, trouble breathing, or swelling of the face, lips or throat.
Side effects, and when to get help
The most common are headache, indigestion, back pain, muscle aches, a stuffy nose, flushing and aching arms or legs, and they often ease after the first weeks. Get emergency help for an erection lasting more than 4 hours, sudden loss of vision in one or both eyes, sudden loss of hearing or ringing in the ears, chest pain, fainting, or swelling of the face, lips or throat.
Rules that keep it safe
Never take it with nitrates (such as nitroglycerin or isosorbide), “poppers” or riociguat: blood pressure can drop dangerously. If chest pain comes on during sex, stop and get emergency help, and tell the team you take tadalafil. Take one tablet a day at most, and don’t add another ED medicine. Tell your clinician about alpha-blockers and other blood pressure medicines, and about ritonavir, ketoconazole or itraconazole, which keep the daily dose at 2.5 mg. Daily tadalafil isn’t used with severe kidney or liver disease. Heavy drinking with it can make you dizzy or faint.
Is it FDA-approved?
Yes. Daily tadalafil is an FDA-approved generic, dispensed by a licensed pharmacy as the manufacturer makes it; it isn’t compounded. Taken once a day, it’s approved for erectile dysfunction, for urinary symptoms from an enlarged prostate, and for both together.
About Daily Tadalafil
How is daily tadalafil different from taking it as needed?
Taken as needed, tadalafil is a higher dose (10 or 20 mg) taken before sex. Daily tadalafil is a low dose (2.5 or 5 mg) every day, so there’s always some in your body and you don’t need to plan. It suits men who have sex often, or who also have urinary symptoms from an enlarged prostate.
Is it the same medicine as Cialis?
Yes, the same active ingredient. Your prescription is filled with FDA-approved generic tadalafil by a licensed pharmacy; it isn’t compounded.
What if I miss a dose?
Take it when you remember that day, but never take two in one day.
Can I drink alcohol?
A drink or two is generally fine. Heavy drinking with tadalafil can make you dizzy or faint, especially when you stand up.