Cialis and blindness

[Coming_to_terms]

I asked my GP for Cialis which he was happy to prescribe. Having looked into the possible side effects and discovering that blindness has been reported in rare instances I am reluctant to take the risk. Cialis and Viagra seem quite popular with a number of members on this forum yet I find it hard to believe given our experience with Propecia that this danger hasn’t been mentioned (with the exception of one post where it was brought up in passing). Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

[pax]

The incidence of blindness is, like you said, low. Any increased risk of blindness from using Cialis would likely be from sustained use. Even though some people experienced side effects from taking finasteride only once, finasteride is an irreversible 5arii inhibitor, while Cialis is a PDE-5 inhibitor, and I’m pretty sure it’s reversible, which is much different from irreversible. Irreversible inhibitors do not unbind from the enzyme, waiting for your body to produce more, while reversible inhibitors do unbind. Correct me if I’m wrong, please. Though this probably doesn’t have to do with the incidence of blindness, maybe it does, who knows… Nobody on the forum has reported it yet that I’m aware of. And a lot, and I mean a lot, of people have tried it, myself included. I’ve tried Viagra, Levitra, Cialis, and Stendra, a newer one, and as far as I can tell, the computer screen in front of my face is not a hallucination. HOWEVER, I am not a professional, so I can’t guarantee that you’ll maintain your sight after taking such a medication.

(though I think you’ll be okay)

Personally, PDE-5 inhibitors didn’t do much for me. Yeah, it pronounced my vasculature like hell, but otherwise, no dice. That’s just me. You might want to check out alpha adrenergics, more people have had success with those I think.

Good luck and Godspeed, Coming to Terms. We’re with you.

[The_Ruffneck]

like pax says try and take these drugs infrequently and in smaller doses they are powerful drugs

[tim1911]

I have used cialis consistently for two years and never had a sight issue.

[visionquest99]

Never had any issues but I concur: the possible side effects, though rare, are scary.

Visual Effects. About 2.5% of men who take these drugs develop vision problems that include seeing a blue haze, temporary increased brightness, and even temporary vision loss in a few cases. The effect is usually temporary, lasting a few minutes to several hours. Men at risk for eye problems who take PDE5 inhibitors regularly should have frequent eye examinations with an ophthalmologist. Men should also see an eye doctor if visual problems last more than a few hours.

In a few cases, these drugs have been associated with partial vision loss. The vision loss was caused by non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), a condition that occurs from poor blood flow to optic nerves. However, doctors note that erectile dysfunction is itself linked to the same vascular problems that cause NAION. Patients who suffer from diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease are at higher risk for erectile dysfunction as well as other vascular problems such as NAION. Information concerning vision loss has been added to the labels of these drugs, but the risk of blindness appears small. Still, patients who use this medication and experience a sudden loss of vision should immediately stop taking the drug and contact their doctor.

[bryce54]

propecia’s chanes of giving side effects are “low” also, but look at all of us…

[Rudyard]

I have had this strange side effect with Cialas or similar drugs. When I would take one, my vision becomes really sensitive to blue, like everything is kinda blue for about 45 minutes. Anyone experience this??

This is a consistant effect with me, although I have never experienced any loss of vision…