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Comment by elzbardico | Hacker News Reader

Well. too sad I can't take it. It gives me terrible heartburn (an acute stomach pain, not a heart related condition) that only partially responds to anti-acids such as Alka Seltzer.

Also, extremelly stuffy nose, to the point where basically I need to breath by the mouth. And the red eyes, eyes as red as if had just smoke the biggest and strongest joint ever.

Yes, I tried to use it recreationally a few times. It is not worth the pain for me.

And then the dosage in the study: 50mg 3X times a day? I am not sure I could even survive the first day.

Did I mention the headaches too?

EDIT: Before someone asks... At least the on-label effect works really well in a recreational setting for me. But it is kind of funny to have persistent carbon-steel erections when you're feeling miserable with stomach pain and can't breath well. Doing oral sex with a stuffy nose is... interesting.

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Were you taking authentic or internet genetics from China/India?

Ive gone through a decent amount of generics over the years, from several sources, and even though the label is the same, they almost all act differently on me. Some give me a flushed red face. Some cause a dull headache. Some don't cause anything negative thank God. They all work though.

I think the Indian/Chinese ones are laced with garbage and what I feel depends on what else was in there.

The one time I used it over a few weeks was a generic brand. The on-label effect worked, but I had one disturbing side effect: terrible nightmares.

Unscientific conclusion, but the nights I took it when with my new gf at the time, nightmares followed. Binned the remaining pills, nightmares vanished. Possibly the generic additives factor, or maybe the drug itself. Who knows, never tried it again after that.

From my experience taking it hundreds of times over 10+ years, from at least 10 different sources.. since almost every source had a distinctive side effect from the others, while entire packets of some sources had zero side effects for me... I'd blame the shady quality of the genetics more likely than the actual original drug.

I'm sure the real drug has some mild side effects too for some people, but the fact that I can distinctively tell the difference between sources makes me think a lot of other stuff is making it into the generics.

Sildenafil is fairly short acting, so that’s probably the reason for 3x/day (but a better choice if you don’t need a whole day of effects because of its side effects like sinus congestion).

Tadalafil (Cialis) would probably be a better choice, and is used at daily (but reduced) dosing for prostrate issues.

Having tried it recreationally and also getting the stuffy nose, NSAIDs counter that effectively for me. Of course if you also get acute heartburn you want to be careful with combining it with something that can be tough on the stomach...

Talk to your doctor about whether you can combine with a proton pump inhibitor like Omeprazole. There's are downsides (in particular, sustained use can mask other things, including serious issues) but I've not had a single episode of heartburn since I was out on it.

> Also, extremelly stuffy nose, to the point where basically I need to breath by the mouth. And the red eyes, eyes as red as if had just smoke the biggest and strongest joint ever.

Looks like an allergic reaction; it could be not so much in sildenafil itself, but what they use as filler for the pills.

Stuffy nose is a common side effect of sildenafil itself. UK NHS lists common side effects as anything affecting more than 1 in 100 patients.

Yeah I occasionally take it or tadalafil for BPH/prostatitis because they have less side effects than alpha blockers. I've got GERD and a hiatal hernia and, man, it really fires it up. Chewing gum sort of helps. I also only take half of a 25mg. I'll sometimes get the stuffy nose and rarely a headache but the stomach issues almost prevent me from using it. I've sort of grown used to tolerating extreme stomach pain though, so I still use it if I really need it.

Man. Based on personal experience at my family. I bet you're carefully keeping tabs on your stomach with a doctor, but if not, don't grow used to tolerate extreme stomach pain. I've seen stomach cancer in my family, and I would like to encourage you do whatever you can to minimize the risk for you.

Yeah, I know. I need to get another checkup but I've been through the cycle many times.. Get scoped.. Get told to take PPIs.. they make it worse.. At some point I just decided to manage it myself.

This may change your life:

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/4200-nissen...

Viagra is prn, you should not take it 3x/day. Cialis is a daily dose.

I was talking about the regime used in the study. If you read the article you'll find that

It sounds like you have at least a small allergy to something in the drug. The stuffy nose is something I get when I take trazodone.

Nope. You know that erectile tissue? Well, it's not just in the penis, it's also in the nose as well. Hence the stuffy nose. It's not allergies, it's the same sort of tissue having the same response.

That "pump" in your nose you may feel just prior to a good sneeze? That's those tissues swelling with blood.

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