Sildenafil Citrate is a prescription drug that was developed originally as a means to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension. What the manufacturers discovered was that it also seemed to be a suitable remedy for erectile dysfunction. Discovered and manufactured by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer under the brand name Viagra, this unanticipated turn of events obviously had an impact on the marketing side of their product.

Through further study and testing this product became the go to treatment for erectile dysfunction in 1998. It works by reducing an enzyme [cGMP] found in the penis tissue that controls the blood flow. Since it hit the market a decade ago, sildenafil citrate has caused quite a stir. The discovery has even given way to an underground market for the drug, friends selling their prescriptions to friends! It also caused a flurry of activity among other drug manufacturers to develop competing brands. Tadalafil and Vardenafil are two competitors that are sold under the brand name Cialis and Levitra respectively

How does Sildenafil Citrate work?

Sildenafil citrate is a drug used to treat many Americans with various diseases such as, erectile dysfunction, altitude sickness, pulmonary hypertension and some athletes use it believing it will open their blood vessels to increase their performance.

How Sildenafil Citrate works in medical terms

Sildenafil citrate releases nitric oxide in the corpus cavernosum or the urethrae of the penis. The nitric oxide binds the receptors of the enzyme guanylate cyclase which then results in the increased levels of cyclic guanosine monophosphate that makes the muscle relax allowing increased blood flow and causes an erection.

Sildenafil Citrate effects in Laymen terms

The lay man sees it in the most casual and natural way. Slidenfil brings about a stronger and longer penis erection. To understand how Sildenafil works, you must first understand how the penis becomes erect. The easiest way to understand that is to think about a balloon. If a balloon has no air in it, it is limp. When you begin to inflate a limp balloon with just a little air, it becomes elongated and rigid.

The penis uses a similar method. Instead of using pressurized air to become rigid, the penis uses pressurized blood. Inside the penis, there is two long tubes shaped like cigars. The structures are called the corpora cavernosa and that is what it uses to become erect.

Arteries bring blood into these two tubes and the veins carry blood away from them. Depending on the flow of blood, the penis will be either limp or erect.

If the penis is not erect, the arteries that bring blood into the cigar like tubes are somewhat constricted while the veins that drain the blood are open. There is no way for blood to build into the penis; in this state the penis is limp.
When a man gets sexually excited, the arteries going to the penis open up so that the pressurized blood can enter the penis fast. The veins leaving the penis constrict, or close off. The blood then gets trapped in the cigar tubes and then the penis elongates and stiffens. That means the penis is erect.

What is the cause of erectile dysfunction?

If the arteries leading to the penis don’t open up properly, it is difficult or impossible for a man to become erect. This is the leading cause of erectile dysfunction or ED.

How do you fix ED?

Seeing a doctor and discussing your sexual habits with him will help your doctor determine the problem. The problem can either be mental or physical. To determine which of these problems it is, the patient is sometimes fitted with a penis sensor while he sleeps. Men get around 4-8 erections while they sleep usually during the REM cycle. If a man does not achieve an erection during sleep, then the problem is physical. If the man does get erections during the night, it is mental.
If the problem is physical, that means there is poor blood flow. To solve that, you need to open the arteries. Sildenafil citrate is taken to help do this. The nitric oxide enters the penis and relaxes the smooth muscle allowing blood to enter freely.









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