Viagra and Exercise – Its Effects on the Body and What to Do

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Posted by Prescription Hope - See Editorial Guidelines (Last Updated On: Mon Jul 10 2023)

Is there is an issue around Viagra and exercise? It might seem like a harmless combination, but there are arguments for and against it and aspects to consider.

So in this article, we’ll highlight the negatives and positives of exercising while taking Viagra and provide some essential information. Here’s the quick summary to get us started.

Viagra and Exercise – Generally speaking, combining Viagra and exercise is considered safe. Viagra is known to cause a drop in blood pressure, whereas exercise will most likely increase blood pressure. However, there is a chance that Viagra and exercise can cause your blood pressure to drop too low. This may also result in priapism, headaches, and abnormal heart rates.

There are various aspects to consider here, so let’s explain more on this subject.

Firstly, before beginning the topic of discussion, it’s important to reiterate that Viagra is a prescription medication. So, ordinarily, Viagra is only available through a prescription, and you cannot and should not get this medication over the counter.

Therefore, it’s also important to state that this information does not constitute medical advice, and you should always consult your doctor before taking any of the following guidelines.

Tips for exercising on Viagra

Viagra and exercise together have both positive and negative views. So, we’ve broken down all of them in this article for you.

However, the conclusion as to what happens with Viagra and exercise remains unanswered.

Also, putting the side effects of Viagra to one side for the moment, the effects of exercise and Viagra tend to vary with each individual and their accompanying medical conditions.

As such, only your doctor will be able to advise you on the following more accurately:

• Exercising while taking Viagra depending on your ED condition and other medical conditions
• Exercising before taking Viagra or afterward
• The timing of your Viagra dose if you follow a workout routine
• Any specific meal routine you should follow when exercising on Viagra
• The intensity of the workout that will be safe for you while exercising on Viagra

Because everyone has a unique system that responds differently to how exercise and medications affect your body, the approach your doctor takes will likely vary.

Is it safe to exercise on Viagra?

Since Viagra came onto the market, doctors have been concerned that this prescription medication can potentially cause a sharp drop in blood pressure levels.

When it comes to exercising, though, an individual’s blood pressure will most likely increase while working out, as your heart is beating faster and harder. However, this may not be true for everyone.

Certain factors may cause your blood pressure to drop during exercise. Some individuals may also experience post exercise hypotension (PEH).

This where the combination of Viagra and exercise can be harmful, as both together can cause extreme hypotension. In worse case scenarios, this could result in a heart attack because of decreased blood pressure.

Aside from this, Viagra and exercise are also believed to increase the risk of priapism. Priapism is an erection that lasts for more than 4 hours. Moreover, Viagra and exercise can cause side effects such as headaches and abnormal heart rates.

Viagra and exercise for users with heart conditions

The risks of exercising while on Viagra is even more relevant for those with heart conditions.

The reasons for more heightened concern come with how the combination of heart medications, Viagra, and exercise interact and respond within the body.

The greater risks of danger for exercising on Viagra in those with heart conditions firstly comes with the effects of Viagra on the arteries.

When you take Viagra, all arteries release nitric oxide. As a result, arteries can widen as a response, causing blood pressure to drop temporarily by at least 5-8mmHg.

Organic Nitrates

On the other hand, organic nitrates are medications that widen arteries by increasing their nitric oxide supply. Organic nitrates open the partially blocked coronary arteries in patients with angina.

In general, nitrates are medications used to treat or prevent heart pain (angina, chest pain) caused by heart conditions, usually of the arteries in the heart.

Both Viagra and ED pills act on nitric oxide and do not mix. This means Viagra will expand arteries, supporting low blood pressure, and so will nitrates. This will result in lowering blood pressure to extremely dangerous levels.

Read our practical tips to keeping your heart healthy.

Viagra and exercise study

According to one study, healthy volunteers were given Viagra followed by nitroglycerin after one hour. This resulted in their blood pressure dropping by 25–51 mm Hg, a potentially dangerous amount.

In fact, most experts will recommend that men who take nitrates for a specific heart condition should not use Viagra or any other erectile dysfunction medications.

This includes all types of nitrates such as nitroglycerin (short-acting, under-the-tongue tablets, or sprays), long-acting nitrates (isosorbide dinitrate or Isordil, Sorbitrate, isosorbide mononitrate, Imdur, ISMO, and others), amyl nitrite or amyl nitrate, and nitroglycerin patches and pastes.

Because of the potentially low blood pressure levels caused by Viagra and heart medications, the FDA has urged caution in the following patients:

• Patients who have suffered heart attacks, strokes, or serious disturbances of the heart’s pumping rhythm in the previous six months
• Men with a history of congestive heart failure or unstable angina
• Men with low blood pressure or uncontrolled high blood pressure (above 170/110 mm Hg)

Therefore, there is a lot of caution concerning Viagra, heart conditions, and related medications inducing lower blood pressure. The severity if you include exercise on Viagra may increase further – to potentially fatal conditions.

As evident, Viagra and heart medications, such as nitrates, lower blood pressure to potentially dangerous levels, and exercise is another physical activity that can lower blood pressure levels.

As such, the combination of these blood pressure lowering effects from Viagra, Nitrates, and exercise can be severe.

Viagra prescription dosage

When it comes to Viagra and nitrates for heart conditions, doctors can prescribe doses that will not bring about any severe reduction in blood pressure levels.

But when these are also combined with exercise, the results can be unpredictable.

Or can they? The flip side of this view is thought to be that Viagra has no effect at all.

Studies that support Viagra and exercise

While doctors favor not using Viagra with exercise, especially for patients with heart conditions, an independent study shows otherwise.

One study from SFGate, and another study funded by the American Heart Association, took successive ultrasound images of the hearts of 105 men averaging 66 years of age and with known or probable heart disease.

The men exercised for a short period over two consecutive days on a reclining bicycle. They were given a standard dose of Viagra and were monitored one hour afterward.

The next day they took a placebo instead of Viagra and went through the same bicycle exercise. This study was “blind,” and no one knew whether they were taking Viagra or the placebo.

The men who were using nitrates for their heart conditions waited to undergo the test for three days after stopping the nitrate completely. At the end of the study, it was concluded that these men developed some degree of ischemia – a diminished flow of blood to the heart.

However, surprisingly, there was no discernable difference between the men who took Viagra and those who took the placebo.

Subsequently, none of these men suffered from any significant change in the heart rhythm or encountered a heart attack within one month after the experiment was over.

Study conclusion

This study concluded that there are no negative results of Viagra and exercise for patients with heart conditions and agreed that it’s not unsafe for a healthy individual to exercise on Viagra.

However, it’s important to remember the distinction here is that this study focused on heart conditions and exercising on Viagra, and not the impact heart medications such as nitrates will have when exercising on Viagra.

So, heart medications such as nitrates could still have a potentially negative impact when exercising on Viagra.

Also, note that this is only a small sample of individual studies supporting Viagra and exercise, especially on users with heart conditions. So, regardless of what the study determines, you should consult your doctor regarding Viagra and exercise.

Closing thoughts

We hope this has provided you some answers regarding the combination of Viagra and exercise. As mentioned above, the effects can vary from one person to the other.

So, as always, consult your doctor so that you know your potential risks and benefits. This article

For more questions regarding your specific condition, always consult your healthcare provider.

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