Profile (History, Chemical Structure, Characteristics)

History 

When in 1988 the drug sildenafil, also known as Viagra, was created, it was perceived as the emergence of new powerful aphrodisiac. In medical practice, the drug was widely used to treat male impotence. Effect of Viagra is following: it increases nitric oxide amount in the penis, which is required for erection. Recent studies have shown that nitric oxide is required also for clitoral erection, so Viagra can be useful for women too. Some time later, the positive Viagra effect to bodybuilding was discovered, and it has become rather popular in this field.

Chemical structure

Many people believe that Viagra is a regular donator of nitrogen, but it’s not. It does not affect the level of NO, but it expands the muscle vessels. True nitric oxide donator increases the NO level, which increases cGMP cell concentration, and triggers a cascade of reactions that ultimately lead to relaxation of vascular walls. Viagra blocks the phosphodiesterase-5 enzyme, which destroys cGMP, so its concentration is also starting to increase and get the same end result.

Characteristics

  1. Substance activity: 36 hours
  2. Classification: Erectile dysfunction treatment, PDE5 inhibitor
  3. Dosing: tablets
  4. Dosage: Men 25-50mg / day, a maximum dose is 100 mg.
  5. Acne: No
  6. Water retention: not significant
  7. High blood pressure: not allowed to take
  8. Hepatotoxicity: not allowed to take during renal impairment
  9. Aromatization: Low
  10. DHT (dihydrotestosterone) conversion: None
  11. Detection time: 1 month

Effects

There is a number of advantages that make the use of Viagra the most promising in bodybuilding. The drug slightly lowers blood pressure, has a positive effect on the heart, effectively improves the blood flow in muscles and causes a minimum of side effects. At the same time, its very high price pushes customers away, but there are cheaper generics.

Side effects

The drug is well tolerated. In some cases, the following side effects occur:

  • Central nervous system (insomnia, dizziness, and increased muscle tone);
  • Cardiovascular system (flushing, headache, vasodilatation);
  • Musculoskeletal system (pains in joints and muscles);
  • Gastrointestinal tract (nausea, diarrhea, dyspepsia);
  • Skin (rash);
  • Sensory organs (conjunctivitis, blurred vision, increased light perception, a change of color perception);
  • Respiratory system (breathing disorders, pharyngitis, sinusitis, rhinitis, nasal congestion, respiratory tract infection);
  • Urogenital system (prostate impairment , urinary channels infections). 

Among other side effects have been noticed flu symptoms, pain in the back or stomach. Cases of priapism were rarely reported.

Dosages and Uses

Dosage: 25 mg is optimal, in exceptional cases - 50-100 mg.

Doses frequency: every day

You should carefully read the instructions in order to exclude all contraindications.

In bodybuilding the dose of 25 mg at a time is considered to be sufficient

The best time to take the drug is before the training and after the training. During the days without training you can skip taking the drug. Firstly, it would save you some money (during rest days the effect is significantly lower), and secondly — not to develop drug tolerance.

Course duration is 3-4 weeks with daily intake, or 4-6 weeks if you use it only during training.

There are a number of much cheaper Viagra generics that contain exactly the same active ingredient - Sildenafil.

Cycles (Courses)

These tablets are taken orally, about one hour before the workout. The optimal single dose for adults is 50 mg once a day. Considering the individual tolerance and efficacy, the dose may be reduced to 25 mg or increased to 100 mg. 100 mg per day is the maximum single dose.