Cialis Dosing & Side Effect mitigation

Intro

This article will discuss dosing Cialis and strategies to mitigate side effects that you may run into.

Check out my post discussing 5 hidden benefits of Cialis.

Cialis is typically dosed between 2.5mg to 20mg.

It is often dosed a little bit higher when taken sporadically, such as pre workout or pre sex, where up to 20mg can be used.

As with most compounds – the higher the dose, the more likely it is that you will run into issues.

90% of guys tolerate Cialis well when it is used reasonably.

Dosing

With Cialis, dosing really comes down to how you want to use the compound and your individual response to it.

What you want to be aiming for is maximum benefit with no or as few side effects as possible.

From personal experience, the highest I use is 10mg pre workout. This gives me the most performance enhancing benefits in the gym in terms of muscle pumps and blood flow before I run into issues.

I’ve tried 20mg before and it gave me almost unbearable nasal congestion, a mild headache and annoying acid reflux that lasted days every time I would eat a meal.

Whatever you decide to do, start at 2.5mg just to test your reaction to the compound.

With that being said dosing looks like this.

Daily use

2.5mg to 5mg.

This dosage is the most common and sustainable in order to use Cialis as a daily supplement to leverage the vast array of benefits that it can provide while also avoiding the side effects that are present at higher dosage.

Sporadic use

5mg to 20mg.

A higher dosage can be used more sporadically for increased benefits, for example you might want a really good pump a few times a week, that’s when you would use it in a pre-workout context at a higher dose.

Timing

It doesn’t matter if you take Cialis with food or not with food. This is because it’s lipophilic (fat-loving) – this means it dissolves well in fats regardless of food intake.

Sildenafil (Viagra) on the other hand is hydrophilic (water-loving) and is less fat soluble – this means when it’s taken with a meal the fat slows down absorption and delays onset.

So people should dose it 30-60 mins before they want peak serum concentration levels for the activity they want to use it for (sex, gym, etc).

The duration of the effects are prolonged due to Cialis having a 17.5 hour half-life.

For example if you took 10mg, 5mg would still be active in your system 17.5 hours later.

Side effects

All of the side effects are a result of the vasodilation Cialis causes. They can vary individual to individual based on how many PDE5 enzymes they have in the blood vessel walls of that particular tissue.

Common

These more common side effects may for some subside with daily usage. Anecdotally, for me the acid reflux persists as well as the nasal congestion albeit to a lesser extent with a smaller daily dosage (5mg).

Acid reflux

This is caused by the relaxation of LES or Lower Esophageal Sphincter, which is the soft tissues that separate your stomach and esophagus. Cialis being a PDE5 inhibitor, it relaxes this soft tissue causing it to open, resulting in acid reflux (heartburn).

This can impact digestion, and will reduce nutrient absorption. So if you’re a bodybuilder – definitely something worth considering.

It can be controlled with calcium carbonate to some degree, but it’s likely that if you are experiencing this side effect to a great extent then you are using too much Cialis, or are better off trying another PDE5 inhibitor.

Apple cider vinegar can raise the acidity of the stomach, aiding digestions and helping to prevent acid reflux.

Low stomach acidity can cause the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) to relax which allows stomach contents to flow back up resulting in acid reflux.

If you are experiencing acid reflux on minimal doses of Cialis, it’s worth experimenting with both calcium carbonate and apple cider vinegar.

Headaches

This is due to vasodilation. PDE5 receptors are found all over the body, not just in your dick and muscles but even in brain tissues and organ tissues. So when the blood vessels in the brain expand, they increase pressure inside the skull potentially leading to a headache.

Caffeine can help to offset headaches because its a vasoconstrictor, but at the end of the it begs the question – why even use Cialis at that point, because the caffeine vasoconstriction will counteract the positive vasodilation effects that you are looking for…

Therefore, if you do experience headaches with Cialis either lower the dosage or discontinue usage.

Nasal congestion

For me this is the most annoying side effect because I have nasal problems anyway.

Cialis can cause some annoying nasal congestion issues as a result of nasal blood vessels becoming relaxed and therefore swelling and expanding, narrowing the air passage.

This seems to be very dose depend and personally if I go beyond 10mg it becomes unbearable.

During the summer I have hayfever which causes more nasal congestion and irritation, this takes cialis off the table for me altogether.

I’ve found something that can alleviate it a little bit is a menthol inhaler.

The one I use is this.

Rare

These are more of the rare and more serious side effects of Cialis, if you experience these on higher doses then drop the dose and if you experience these on low doses of Cialis you should stop using it entirely.

Hypotension

Cialis can reduce blood pressure which may be troublesome for those with already low blood pressure.

If you have low blood pressure issues, I would avoid using cialis and other medications that can lower blood pressure as it could lead to hypotension and fainting.

Vertigo (dizziness)

Vertigo has been reported with Cialis use. This is due to the blood pressure decrease that it can cause resulting in dizziness.

This is particularly noticeable when you have been laying down for a while and then suddenly get up. There may be a rushing sensation.

Vision changes

Some users report a blue-green tint to their vision as a result of taking Cialis and other PDE5 inhibitors. This is usually accompanied with an increased sensitivity to light and persistent afterimages.

If you experience these side effects from Cialis, I’d advise discontinuing the drug. Especially if you drive at night time.

Chest pain or shortness of breath

This could be a sign of pre-existing heart problems that Cialis is exacerbating. It should go without saying, if you experience these with Cialis, discontinue its use immediately.