Erectile Dysfuncеion Pills and Smoking

Smoking is a bad habit and this is something that many of us have heard or read about a thousand times before. Smoking kills, as many a public service ad has said but according to statistics, there are over 45 million people in the United States ages 18 years and older who smoke cigarettes 21.5% of this number are male smokers and 17.3% belong to the female population.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US says that cigarette smoking causes around 440, 000 deaths annually making the bad habit the most frequent cause of deaths that could be prevented in the United States. Smoking can also contribute to erectile dysfunction and this can appear when the man has reached his 40s. Because of this, these men will later on have to rely on erectile dysfunction drugs to be able to perform in bed. While experts say that quitting will help these men get their groove back in terms of their sexual performance, it is highly unlikely for the lot of them to quit smoking.

For smokers taking the erectile dysfunction medication Levitra (Vardenafil), this is a major concern. If you smoke you shouldn't fail to inform your doctor because there are major risks that should be taken into consideration.

Levitra of course is a safe medication for men with ED but like any other drug of this nature and other drugs in general, there are some contraindications that can either cause harm to the user or lessen the effects or benefits of the medication. Smoking for example will lessen the effectiveness of the drug because smoking works against the processes that the drug does.

The US Food and Drug Administration has warned users of the drugs for erectile dysfunction about possible side effects but the agency is most concerned about the possibility of losing one's vision because of using the drug. It has been found in a number of cases in the US that PDE5 inhibitors such as Vardenafil can cause vision loss. This particular condition is called non-arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) caused by blocked blood flow towards the eyes. The US FDA says that those who are at risk of experiencing NAION are men who smoke.

Those who have heart conditions, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and those with eye problems are advised to not take Levitra or any erectile dysfunction medication. Men who are age 50 and above should also refrain from taking the drug.

Like any prescription drug, Vardenafil should only be taken after a deep discussion with your doctor especially for men who belong to a high risk group. While vision loss is something that some people take lightly because they think that it comes with age, men taking any type of erectile dysfunction drug should see a doctor as soon as possible if they experience vision loss.