01Once-daily tadalafil at 2.5 mg
| Locked mark | Labelled job on this page |
|---|---|
| Cialis 2.5 mg daily | Once-daily ED start; may rise to 5 mg daily |
| Viagra 100 mg | As-needed ceiling; usual start 50 mg; once per day |
| Levitra 2.5 mg | Usual labelled start 10 mg; 2.5 mg is a lower film-coated tablet |
CIALIS for once daily use in erectile dysfunction starts at 2.5 mg, taken at approximately the same time every day. The once daily dose may be increased to 5 mg based on individual efficacy and tolerability. Once daily tadalafil is taken without regard to the timing of sexual activity.
Sexual stimulation is needed. Tadalafil may be taken with or without food. Do not split tadalafil tablets; the entire dose should be taken. The mean terminal half-life is 17.5 hours in healthy subjects. Tadalafil is not indicated for use in females.
Tadalafil is contraindicated in patients using any form of organic nitrate, either regularly or intermittently. Do not combine CIALIS with other PDE5 inhibitors or other ED therapies.
5 mg once-daily start.
02Levitra 2.5 mg about 60 minutes before sexual activity
LEVITRA is taken orally, as needed, approximately 60 minutes before sexual activity. The recommended starting dose of LEVITRA is 10 mg. This contrast features 2.5 mg. LEVITRA is available as 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg, and 20 mg film-coated tablets.
The dose may be increased to a maximum recommended dose of 20 mg or decreased to 5 mg based on efficacy and side effects. The maximum recommended dosing frequency is once per day. Sexual stimulation is required. LEVITRA is not indicated for use in women.
LEVITRA may be taken with or without food. A high-fat meal may delay the time to peak concentration.
Vardenafil is contraindicated in patients using any form of organic nitrate, either regularly or intermittently. Do not combine LEVITRA with other PDE5 inhibitors.5 mg.
03The 100 mg sildenafil ceiling
The maximum recommended dose of sildenafil is 100 mg. The maximum recommended dosing frequency is once per day. For most patients the recommended starting dose is 50 mg, used as needed about 1 hour before sexual activity.
VIAGRA may be taken anywhere from 30 minutes to 4 hours before sexual activity. Most studies assessed the efficacy of VIAGRA approximately 60 minutes post dose. Sexual stimulation is required. Viagra is not indicated for women.
Both sildenafil and the metabolite have terminal half lives of about 4 hours. A high-fat meal can delay how fast sildenafil works.
Sildenafil is contraindicated in patients using any form of organic nitrate, either regularly or intermittently. Do not combine with other PDE5 inhibitors.
How to cite this page - Vancouver style
Halo Medix Medicines Reference. Each contrast chapter follows one labelled tablet [Internet]. Montreal: Halo Medix; 21 August 2026 [cited 2026 Aug 21]. Available from: https://halomedix.com/contrast/pde5/
Sources and how this page was reviewed
- DailyMed - CIALIS (tadalafil) tablets
- DailyMed - VIAGRA (sildenafil citrate) tablets
- DailyMed - LEVITRA (vardenafil hydrochloride) tablets
Numbers come from the cited labels. Dr. Camille Rousseau, MD reads the draft, then the page is dated. See the method page and editorial standards.
