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Chewable erectile dysfunction medications, like chewable Viagra, use the same active ingredients as ED pills, but they aren’t FDA-approved. We review and compare the best options from Hims, Bluechew, and Ro.
Erectile dysfunction (ED) meds like Viagra have a long and storied history.
Sildenafil (Viagra), in particular, was first created in 1989 as a medication meant to treat hypertension. But it soon became clear that Viagra had a much more potent use as a treatment for sexual dysfunction in people with penises by the time it hit the market in the mid-1990s.
Now, ED medications are considered a first-line treatment for ED. And there are increasing numbers of ways to take sildenafil and other ED meds to help provide benefits when the timing’s right — including chewable tablets.
Read on to learn more about chewable ED medications, what brands produce this form of treatment, and how they stack up against traditional versions of ED medications like pills.
Quick summary of erectile dysfunction
Erectile dysfunction (ED) means that you have trouble getting or keeping an erection. It can also mean that your erections don’t stay hard enough for penetrative vaginal or anal sex.
But having ED for a long period of time — about 6 months or more — could be a symptom of an underlying problem. Treating the underlying cause is usually the best way to ensure your overall long-term sexual health.
There are a few reputable online subscription services that offer chewable ED medications. Here are some chewable ED tablets that you can consider.
Chewable ED medications are exactly what they sound like — chewable versions of the same trustworthy ED medications that are available in pill form.
Like their pill counterparts, chewable ED medications contain
Note: Chewable ED meds are generally not FDA approved
Chewable ED medications are considered compounded drugs. Compounded drugs are versions of medications that have been altered to meet a specific need. In this case, what’s generally consumed in pill form is being altered to a chewable medication instead, and additional ingredients are being added.
While the active ingredients in these medications — like generic sildenafil and avanafil — are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the chewable medications as a whole
Chewable
To know how PDE5 inhibitors work, it’s useful to know what happens when you get an erection.
First, nerve signals that occur when you’re aroused stimulate neurons in your brain to send molecules known as neurotransmitters to spongy tissue in your penis called the corpora cavernosa.
This triggers these tissues to produce a chemical known as nitric oxide that gets into the smooth muscle in your penis. This helps create a substance known as cGMP that opens blood vessels in your penis to let blood engorge the penis.
But the enzyme known as PDE5 can stop cGMP from forming properly and interrupt the final steps in the process of getting an erection. PDE5 inhibitors reduce how much PDE5 your body makes so that cGMP can help open your blood vessels and allow you to both get an erection and keep one long enough to have satisfying sex.
Chewable ED medications may be used in different ways, depending on the dosage and active ingredients.
While some chewable tablets and gummies are meant to be taken daily, others are designed to be taken on an as-needed basis.
A healthcare professional can help you decide what’s best for you. You can also consider how you want to be able to use the medication. If you prioritize spontaneity, a daily chewable may be a good fit so you can be ready for sex at any time. However, if you don’t mind planning ahead a bit, you may prefer a chewable that can be taken as needed.
Taking chewable ED medications is as simple or simpler than taking a pill. All you’ll do is chew and swallow.
Be sure to keep chewable ED medications out of reach of children. Children can mistake gummies and tablets for candy.
Staxyn is one of the brand names for the ED medication vardenafil. Staxyn was approved by the FDA in 2010 and has been offered as a regular pill for years now, but has more recently been offered as a chewable tablet, too.
Like sildenafil and tadalafil, Staxyn is a classic PDE5 inhibitor that helps improve the mechanisms that allow blood to flow into the penis to cause an erection. And like other chewable PDE5 inhibitors from Hims, BlueChew, and Ro, they’re a much more subtle and easy method for taking ED medication when you think you’ll need it.
Staxyn is also covered by most insurance plans. This means that you can receive a prescription from any qualified medical professional, whether in person or through a telemedicine provider. This also means that cost may vary depending on your insurance, ranging from $30 to $120 per pack.
There’s no evidence supporting the effectiveness of one or the other type of ED medication. There’s
Since chewable formulations aren’t regulated by the FDA, though, finding comparisons and research in general is limited. There’s no significant evidence to support the assertion that chewable tablets are superior to traditional tablets in this context and vice versa.
And if taking a chewable ED medication makes you feel more comfortable than taking a pill, then a chewable tablet may be a better fit for you.
As with any medication, chewable ED medications have some side effects that you may want to consider.
Some of the most common side effects can include:
- headaches
- pain and aches around your body
- diarrhea
- indigestion
- feeling dizzy
- blurry or reduced vision
- runny or stuffy nose
Some less common side effects that should prompt you to seek medical help include:
- having an erection that doesn’t go away after 4 hours (priapism)
- having trouble hearing
- losing vision completely
There’s no real difference in how effective pills and chewables are at addressing the symptoms of ED.
Here are some considerations that you can take when you’re wondering whether you should use a pill or a chewable tablet to take ED medications:
- Do you have trouble swallowing pills?
- Are you concerned that your sexual partner will notice that you’re taking ED medication?
- Do you want to keep your medication with you all the time in case you have sex unexpectedly?
- Do you have ready access to water when you’re about to have sex?
- Are you limiting sugar in your diet? Chewable tablets often have a sweetener to mask the bitterness that comes from the tablet being chewed. The taste may be something to consider.
There isn’t a cure for ED. But treating any underlying medical or psychological cause of ED can help you resolve many of its symptoms.
Contact a healthcare professional if you believe that your health is affecting your sexual performance, or consider seeing a mental health specialist if personal issues or relationship troubles might be the source of your ED.
There’s no specific evidence to support that chewable Viagra is any better than regular Viagra.
But research suggests that it’s just as good as regular Viagra for ED. A 2017 study of 60 male participants found that chewable forms of sildenafil appeared to be processed by the body very similarly to coated pills — and remain in the blood just as long.
BlueChew offers chewable forms of several common ED medications: sildenafil (Viagra), tadalafil (Cialis), and vardenafil (Levitra).
All three of these medications are PDE5 inhibitors that act as vasodilators, helping blood flow more effectively into the penis when you’re aroused.
BlueChew offers sildenafil in 30- or 45-milligram (mg) doses to provide similar effects as prescription Viagra.
It’s important to note that the doses sold by BlueChew are not the FDA-approved doses of sildenafil.
Yes, you’ll need a prescription for chewable ED meds.
But the good news is that most online providers of ED medications also offer telemedicine services that allow you to speak with a doctor and receive a prescription virtually without needing to visit a facility or doctor’s office.
Chewing ED medications doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ll work faster. There’s no compelling evidence that one works faster than the other.
But some factors can affect how quickly ED medications are metabolized in your digestive tract, such as:
- eating a heavy, fat-dense meal
- drinking a lot of water and diluting the tablet ingredients
- exercising regularly to improve blood flow
- being in a warm environment that promotes blood flow
None of the products from Hims have been specifically approved by the FDA.
But all of the PDE5 inhibitors that Hims sells through its platform are FDA approved and are backed by decades of evidence of their safety and effectiveness.
As with Hims, BlueChew products are not FDA approved and haven’t been tested for safety according to FDA standards.
The active ingredients in the medications that BlueChew sells are all considered safe and effective treatment of ED.
It’s important to note that the doses sold by BlueChew are not the FDA approved doses of sildenafil, tadalafil, and vardenafil.
Chewable ED medications, like chewable sildenafil, chewable tadalafil, and chewable vardenafil, can be a convenient alternative to ED pills. However, they’re considered compounded medications and aren’t FDA approved in this form.
If you want to try a chewable ED medication, you’ll need a prescription from a doctor. Be sure to talk with a healthcare professional about any symptoms and side effects.