To give a short answer: no, Cialis is not the same as Viagra. These are two different medications used for the same purpose and this purpose is the treatment of erectile dysfunction. There are certain similarities between the two, that is a fact, but there are also some very important differences that make one of these medications a clear winner. In this article, you are going to learn a bit more about these similarities but also about the said differences that are definitely important.

Viagra is the first ED medication that got approved by the regulatory agencies including MHRA. For 5 years between 1998 and 2003 it had no competition. As a result of this, people started using the name Viagra as a synonym for ED medications. However, in 2003, two other ED medications got their approval and one of them was Cialis.

It was preceded only by a few months by Levitra and people thought that it would soon fall prey to it becoming the last one. However, over the years, it became obvious that it has certain advantages that make it a superior drug to the Viagra and Levitra.

It is similar to Viagra as it has pretty much the same effects. It inhibits an enzyme known as PDE5 and thus allows healthy erections. This is the same way in which Viagra works and as far as the mechanism of action is concerned, there is not much difference between the two. The contraindications are also the same, as well the conditions that will require special care when prescribing.

The pricing is also similar and there are very slight differences there.

However, there are certain differences that are much more visible and important. For one, Cialis start working faster. It starts having effect in 25 minutes, while Viagra will take about 30 minutes to start working.

Also, there are differences in the likelihood of certain side effects occurring. Both these medications are unlikely to cause any side effects, but with Viagra, headaches are more probable, while with Cialis back pain is the more probable side effect.

However, the most important difference and the characteristic that makes Cialis an obviously superior medication is how long these two medications work. Namely, Viagra’s effects can be felt for 4 to 5 hours at the most, while Cialis’ can be felt for 36 hours. Effectively, this means that with Cialis you can be ready whenever necessary, while with Viagra you need to plan ahead. Obviously, it is much better when you do not need to plan.