How to Take Viagra for Best Results

Viagra is great as a treatment for erectile dysfunction (ED), but doing certain things to support it can make it even more effective. 

Like other prescription medicines, Viagra and its generic form, sildenafil, work best when they’re taken under the right conditions. From your mental state to your eating habits, a range of factors all influence the effectiveness of Viagra (and medications like it).

Understanding these factors — and using them to your advantage — can help you enjoy better sex and more reliable erections from the “little blue pill,” all while reducing your risk of having to deal with side effects.

Below, we’ve covered how you can take Viagra or generic sildenafil for optimal results, from the best time to take Viagra before sexual intercourse to drug interactions and adverse effects that you should be aware of before using this medication for sexual dysfunction. 

How to Use Viagra for Best Results

Viagra is great as an erectile dysfunction treatment, but taking it in particular conditions can make it even more effective. To get the best results from Viagra when treating sexual dysfunction, you’ll want to keep the following things in mind:

• Viagra works best when it’s taken at least 30 to 60 minutes before sex (and no more than four hours before).

• Eating food that’s high in fat can slow absorption and make Viagra work slightly slower.

• Viagra may not work if you're not also getting sexual stimulation or if you’re anxious about sex.

• Some drug interactions with other medications can undermine Viagra.

• Viagra side effects may affect your ability to perform, though most are mild and temporary.

• All erectile dysfunction (ED) medications work best when you’re maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

That’s the 30-thousand-foot view, so let’s zoom in closer.

When to Take Viagra: 30-60 Minutes Before Sex, Not Earlier

If you’re planning to have sex, it’s best to take your recommended dose of Viagra ahead of time. Viagra doesn’t start working the moment you swallow it — instead, it needs time to make its way into your blood vessels and start increasing blood flow to your penis.

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it usually takes 30 to 60 minutes for Viagra or generic sildenafil to start producing a noticeable improvement in your erection quality.

However, you shouldn’t take your Viagra tablet more than three or four hours before the time you plan to have sex.

On average, Viagra lasts for about four hours, after which it may no longer help you get and maintain an erection. For better confidence in bed (and better sex), take Viagra 30-60 minutes ahead of time — and no earlier.

Viagra with Food: Avoid Heavy, High-Fat Meals Before Taking Viagra

There aren’t any safe ways to speed up Viagra’s effects, and it’s not something you should try to do. However, there are some things to avoid if you don’t want to slow down the effects, like heavy meals with fatty proteins.

You can take Viagra on an empty stomach or with food. However, you’ll want to avoid foods high in fat because fat can interfere with the absorption of sildenafil citrate, the active ingredient in Viagra.

By slowing down your body’s ability to absorb sildenafil, Viagra may take longer to work and produce less noticeable results than usual if taken after a fat-heavy meal.

In other words, you might want to reconsider the double cheeseburger and switch it out for a light meal. Once you get used to how long it takes for the medication to start working, you can adjust your eating habits accordingly.

Don’t Drink Grapefruit Juice

While grapefruit juice may be a favorite ingredient in cocktails or morning beverages, avoid it when taking any prescription ED medication.

Grapefruit juice can impact how your body metabolizes PDE5 inhibitor medications like Viagra, which could put you at risk of low blood pressure and serious complications if you take other medications that affect your blood pressure. If you absolutely cannot give up your favorite citrus juice, talk to your healthcare provider about a lower dose of meds.

Viagra May Not Work the First Time, But Don’t Panic

Does Viagra work the first time? For most guys, yes. But that’s not the case for everyone. It’s pretty common to deal with weak or unreliable erections the first few times you take Viagra — something that may cause you to panic, even though it shouldn’t.

If you’re prescribed Viagra and still get ED, one or several things could be responsible:

• You might not be prescribed the correct dose of Viagra. Viagra comes in a range of different doses and requires a prescription for a reason. If you still get ED after using Viagra, consider talking to your healthcare provider about adjusting your dose.

• You might be dealing with medical conditions that cause Viagra to perform less effectively. People with heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, and other health conditions are at higher risk of ED and sometimes require a higher dose of medication. If you want a higher dose, seek medical advice and talk to your healthcare provider about lifestyle changes and other ways to address health problems.

• You could have sexual performance anxiety or other psychologically induced causes of ED. Feeling anxious, nervous or guilty about sex may cause erectile dysfunction that doesn’t improve with medication like Viagra. Other causes of psychological ED include major depressive disorder, , and low self-esteem. A mental health professional can help you with these issues.

• You might not feel attracted or in the mood for sex. Viagra works by improving blood flow to your penis, not by changing your mood. It may not work if you don’t feel attracted to your partner or don’t feel interested in sex.

If Viagra doesn’t work for you the first time you use it, don’t panic. Try taking Viagra the next time you plan to have sex and see if you’re more relaxed and able to stay erect.

You can also try taking Viagra for the first time when you don’t plan to have sex to see if you can get an erection when you don’t feel any pressure.

If nothing seems to work, reach out to your healthcare provider and let them know. They might recommend changing your Viagra dosage or switching to a different type of ED pill — topics we discuss more in our guide to what to do when Viagra isn’t working.

Be Aware of the Side Effects of Viagra

Viagra can cause adverse effects. Most of these are mild and rarely stick around for longer than a few hours, but it’s still important to be aware of them.

Common side effects of Viagra include:

• Headaches

• Flushing

• Dyspepsia (indigestion)

• Abnormal vision (blurred vision and/or changes in color vision)

• Increased sensitivity to light

• Myalgia (muscle pain)

• Nasal congestion

• Back pain

• Dizziness

• Rash

Although rare, Viagra and sildenafil can cause more severe side effects, including:

• Sudden vision loss

• Hearing loss

• Priapism (a prolonged, painful erection)

Priapism is a serious issue that can cause tissue damage to your penis when left untreated. So, it’s essential to get emergency medical attention if you develop a painful erection after taking Viagra.

Although these issues might sound alarming, it’s important to remember that they only occur in a tiny percentage of men who take Viagra.

Our list of Viagra FAQs goes into more detail about common worries related to Viagra, as well as how you can use this medication while putting safety first.

Drug Interactions: What to Know Before You Take Viagra

Viagra is safe and effective, but it can cause potentially dangerous interactions when it’s taken with other drugs, including common prescription medications like nitrates and alpha-blockers used to treat hypertension (high blood pressure).

When used with nitrates, Viagra can trigger a sudden decrease in blood pressure that may be harmful. In some cases, this drop in blood pressure may result in dizziness, fainting, or serious cardiovascular events such as heart attack or stroke.

You should also avoid nitrites, including those found in recreational "poppers."

Other medications that may interact with Viagra include certain antibiotics and antifungal medications. Our guide to sildenafil interactions goes into more detail about medication interactions that you should be aware of before using Viagra.

If you currently take any over-the-counter or prescription medications or any supplements, it’s important to let your healthcare provider know before you use Viagra, sildenafil, or similar ED treatments.

Viagra and Other PDE5 Inhibitors

Viagra isn’t the only PDE5 inhibitor on the market. In fact, the FDA has approved three other PDE5 inhibitors to help treat the symptoms of erectile dysfunction:

• Cialis® (tadalafil)

• Levitra® (vardenafil)

• Stendra® (avanafil)

It’s important not to mix PDE5 inhibitors without the supervision of your healthcare provider. When used together at their full doses, these medications can interact in some pretty dangerous ways, causing dizziness, chest pain, and other side effects.

However, healthcare providers sometimes prescribe multiple PDE5 inhibitors at once to help optimize the effects of each medication for an individual case — usually as a compounded medication with reduced dosages.

For example, we offer compounded chewable ED medications that combine generic sildenafil and tadalafil at lower dosages to help you get harder erections and last longer.

Combine Viagra with A Healthy Lifestyle

Pairing Viagra with healthy habits can make it much more effective than using the medication alone. Sometimes, even a small improvement in your weight, overall fitness levels, or diet can noticeably affect your health and sexual performance.

Great lifestyle changes to make and habits to keep include:

• Keeping yourself physically active

• Eating a healthy, nutritious diet

• Getting plenty of sleep

• Doing pelvic floor exercises

• Quitting smoking

• Maintaining a healthy body weight

Our guide to naturally maintaining your erection shares numerous healthy habits that you can use for better erections, sexual function, and cardiovascular well-being.

The Bottom Line on Taking Viagra for the Best Results

If you’re one of the tens of millions of adult men affected by ED, using Viagra can make getting and maintaining an erection much easier, allowing you to enjoy a more satisfying sex life.

To get the best results from Viagra:

• Take it at least 30 to 60 minutes (and no more than four hours) before sexual activity.

• Limit your intake of high-fat foods that can slow down Viagra absorption.

• Don’t panic if it doesn’t work the first time. Instead, try using it on your own to see if it’s effective, or talk to your healthcare provider about adjusting your dosage.

• Check that you’re not taking any medications that can interact with Viagra and make it less effective or more likely to cause side effects.

• Combine Viagra with healthy habits, including regular physical activity, a balanced diet, lots of sleep, and pelvic floor exercises.

Interested in trying Viagra or similar ED medication? Consider an ED consultation with a Hims’ healthcare professional to learn more about your options for treating and preventing erectile dysfunction.