Is Viagra Dependency a Thing?
If you’re one of the tens of millions of men affected by erectile dysfunction (ED), a common type of sexual dysfunction, you’ve no doubt heard of the medication Viagra®. If you’ve thought of using Viagra — or sildenafil, its active ingredient that’s also sold as a generic version of this medication — you may have worried about long-term dangers of dependency.
Viagra is a PDE5 inhibitor that works by increasing blood flow to the soft erectile tissue found inside your penis. It’s a quick, convenient option for treating ED that’s used by men of all ages, but one of the most common concerns many men have about Viagra is whether or not it’s addictive or habit-forming.
Put simply, if you start using Viagra to treat ED, is it possible that you could become dependent on it as time goes on? And how much Viagra should you take for safe sexual fun without the risk of forming an addiction?
Below, we’ve answered these questions about whether Viagra is addictive or creates dependency. We’ve also discussed Viagra tolerance and how to avoid problems with it down the road.
Is Viagra Physically Addictive?
Let’s make this clear: Viagra is not an addictive or habit-forming medication. The vast majority of men who use Viagra for ED do so without developing any type of physical or psychological dependence.
Many medications, prescription or not, can cause or contribute to physical dependence and addiction. For example, more than two million people have some level of opioid use disorder — a type of drug addiction that’s often caused by the use of opioid medications prescribed to provide relief from pain.
Viagra is not an opioid. Sildenafil (the active ingredient in Viagra) isn’t linked to physical addiction, meaning you won’t develop a physical dependence on it or develop withdrawal symptoms if you stop using it suddenly.
This is also true of other medications for ED, such as tadalafil (the active ingredient in Cialis®), vardenafil (the active ingredient in Levitra®) and avanafil (sold as Stendra®).
These erectile dysfunction medications all work in the same general way — by inhibiting the enzyme phosphodiesterase-5, or PDE5, which restricts blood flow into the soft erectile tissue of your penis. This can prevent you from getting an erection.
A variety of different factors can affect your blood flow, including medical conditions. You may be more likely to experience ED if you have cardiovascular disease, hypertension (high blood pressure), diabetes, atherosclerosis (clogged arteries) or another health condition that affects your blood vessels.
By improving blood flow to your penis, medications like Viagra make it easier to get and keep an erection when you’re in the mood for sex. Men who use drugs like Viagra, Cialis and Levitra usually find that their erections are firmer and last longer than without medication.
Currently, there is no scientific evidence that sildenafil, tadalafil or any other medications used to treat erectile dysfunction are physically addictive.
Unlike some medications that cause physical dependence, Viagra doesn’t have any direct effect on the reward pathways inside your brain that can potentially trigger physical addiction or cause withdrawal symptoms.
Put simply, although Viagra can cause side effects, there’s no reason to worry about becoming physically addicted to it or suffering from withdrawal if you suddenly decide to stop using it.
Can You Become Psychologically Dependent on Viagra?
While Viagra isn’t physically addictive, people who use it improperly may become psychologically dependent on it for optimal sexual performance. Improper use includes using Viagra at an overly high dose or without a prescription.
Whenused incorrectly as a recreational drug, Viagra and other erectile dysfunction medicines have the potential to lead to negative side effects. But psychological Viagra dependence isn’t common in men who are prescribed the medication to treat erectile dysfunction. After all, this is the intended purpose of Viagra, and people using it this way have a legitimate, clearly defined reason for seeking it out in the first place.
Instead, psychological dependency may occur in younger men without ED who use Viagra and other PDE5 inhibitors to boost sexual performance — the wrong way, in other words.
Viagra and other ED medications can have benefits even for men who don’t suffer from erectile dysfunction. They can shorten the refractory period and result in firmer erections, making them an appealing option for those looking to improve their sexual performance.
These users may buy and use Viagra without a prescription, possibly at a dose that exceeds the typical 25mg, 50mg or 100mg dosage for erectile dysfunction.
Using Viagra without a prescription to boost sexual performance isn’t the same as using Viagra as intended. Instead, it’s abusing the medication by using it in a way that isn’t recommended or endorsed by the drug’s developers, the FDA or healthcare providers.
Not only can this potentially contribute to psychological dependence or the formation of unhealthy habits, but it may also result in a higher risk of developing adverse effects from Viagra.
Common side effects of Viagra and other ED medications include headaches, muscle pain, back pain, facial flushing, dyspepsia (indigestion), abnormal vision, nasal congestion, dizziness, rash and nausea.
And why risk experiencing those because you want to boost your sex life with a power-up?
Can Viagra Cause ED?
Because Viagra only works by increasing blood flow, it doesn’t have any harmful effects on your penis— it can’t actually cause ED if you use it incorrectly. Using Viagra won’t damage your penis or vascular system, or cause any “depletion” of your ability to function in bed naturally (aside from that whole four-hour erection thing).
However, using Viagra without a prescription as a sexual performance enhancer may have an impact on your attitude about sex by increasing your sexual confidence with medication, but reducing your confidence without medication.
Some researchers believe that this type of Viagra use may lead to psychological dependence, which could potentially turn into psychological erectile dysfunction. Conceptually, this may mirror a type of performance anxiety, where you feel like you’ll be incapable or disappointing if you’re not using medication.
But that’s a series of steps that one would have to take in the wrong direction for a period of time — not a consequence of appropriate use or single uses.
So, using Viagra recreationally to enhance your sexual performance is not going to cause ED itself. But it could turn into a crutch, leading to stress, anxiety and potentially ED when Viagra isn’t available. And that’s not exactly any better.
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Can You Build a Tolerance to Viagra?
The question of Viagra tolerance is one that doesn’t get a lot of attention, and in our opinion that’s because there isn’t much danger — at least not when compared with illicit drugs.
The only case we were able to find of serious sildenafil abuse reported that the individual in question (who was self-prescribing) had low levels of side effects until they started taking seriously high doses of the medication, exceeding safe dosages. But even then, there did not seem to be any long-term effects of that Viagra tolerance, aside from increased risk of side effects like hearing loss when taking too much of the Pfizer little blue pill.
More generally, however, Viagra is known to have a slow and gradual progression of tolerance — once a user finds the right dose, they often don’t need a dosage increase for as many as four years.
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How to Avoid Viagra Dependency
The most effective way to avoid Viagra dependency is to follow the instructions provided by your healthcare provider and use Viagra or similar medications as recommended. Follow instructions and things will go fine, because when it’s used as prescribed, Viagra is a safe, effective and reliable medication.
If you have a prescription for Viagra and use it as your healthcare provider recommends, there’s no need to feel worried about dependence.
Here are some general guidelines for ensuring you don’t misuse Viagra (please don’t use this for tips on how to do it wrong):
Only use Viagra at the prescribed dose. Viagra comes in several different dosages, from 25mg to 100mg. The recommended starting dose is 50mg. Make sure to use the medication as prescribed by your healthcare provider. If you don’t experience any improvements from Viagra, or if you develop side effects at your prescribed dosage, talk to your healthcare provider about adjusting your dose.
Set realistic sexual performance expectations. You may be more at risk of becoming psychologically dependent on Viagra if you create unrealistic expectations for yourself in bed, such as being able to always get a firm, lasting erection. It’s always best to communicate clearly with your partner so that both of you are on the same page, without any pressure or anxiety.
Only use Viagra if you think you need it. If you’re prescribed Viagra, you don’t need to take it every time you have sex. Try only taking Viagra or other ED drugs when you feel anxious or concerned about your sexual performance.
Limit the amount of porn you watch. Watching porn may negatively affect your sexual performance and affect your expectations from sex. In some cases, it may even result in a form of ED referred to as porn-induced erectile dysfunction. If you find it difficult to get and maintain an erection with your partner when you’re able to get hard while watching porn, try to limit the amount of pornography you watch.
Consider other treatments for ED. Viagra is a highly effective treatment for ED, but it’s not the only option available. Other options for treating ED include psychotherapy, pelvic floor exercises, vacuum constriction devices and surgical procedures. Used on their own or in combination with Viagra, other treatments can help you improve your erections and avoid relying solely on medication.
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Is Viagra Addictive? The Verdict
Overall, Viagra is not an addictive medication. When it’s used with a prescription at a normal dose, Viagra dependence isn’t something that you’ll generally need to worry about. Instead, keep the following takeaways in mind as you navigate through the world of safe Viagra use:
Erectile dysfunction is a very common issue that can affect men of all ages.
Viagra and similar medications treat ED by increasing blood flow to your penis.
There’s also no scientific evidence that Viagra and other ED medications can cause withdrawal symptoms if stopped abruptly.
Although they may become psychologically addictive if misused, there’s no evidence that using Viagra can lead to physical dependence or addiction.
If you think you have erectile dysfunction, help is available. We offer several FDA-approved ED medications online, including Viagra and generic sildenafil, and chewable ed medication, all of which are available following a consultation with a healthcare provider who will determine if a prescription is appropriate.
You can also learn more about treating ED in our guide to the most common erectile dysfunction treatments and drugs.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information contained herein is not a substitute for and should never be relied upon for professional medical advice. Always talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of any treatment or medication.
