Levitra® (
vardenafil HCL) is a medication that has been licensed to treat
erectile dysfunction, which is the repeated inability to get or keep an erection firm enough for sexual intercourse.
Levitra is very effective at treating erectile dysfunction. The medication works by blocking a chemical that causes blood to flow out of the penis. More blood in the penis means an improved erection.
Understanding Erections and Erectile Dysfunction
To understand how Levitra works, it may be helpful to understand erections.
When a man is aroused, nerve signals are sent from the brain and around the penis. These nerve signals cause the release of chemicals that relax the muscles in the penis. Normally, these muscles are constricted so that blood cannot flow into the penis. When these muscles relax, large amounts of blood are able to enter the penis, causing an erection. An erection is reversed when another chemical (known as phosphodiesterase type 5 [PDE5]) breaks down the chemicals that caused the muscles to relax in the first place. This causes the muscles in the penis to constrict again, which in turn causes blood to leave the penis.
Levitra works by blocking a chemical called PDE5. When PDE5 is blocked, more of the chemicals responsible for the erection remain, so the muscles in the penis do not constrict. This allows blood to stay in the penis longer, thereby maintaining an erection.
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