Unlike a decade ago, today we have a wide selection of ED drugs available in pharmacies. What was a true breakthrough in the lat 1990's has now become an ordinary matter, and it's hard to surprise anyone with different degrees of erectile issues by saying that there are drugs to cure the matter with. Partially due to the aggressive advertisements and partially due to the revolutionary nature these drugs had initially, erectile dysfunction medications are everywhere and it's easy to buy them both in a real world pharmacy and from an online drugstore. But with all this abundance and selection, is there any real difference between the most popular drugs people treat male impotence with?

Let's first take a look at what's available for purchase. We won't include countless drugs that are claimed to be ED medications, aphrodisiacs or penis growers all-in-one, since the effectiveness of such medications are disputable, despite their wide availability. There are currently three drugs approved for treating erectile dysfunction by the FDA and a dozen of their generic variations that are virtually identical to the originals in terms of effectiveness and chemical composition. Of course, we're talking about Viagra, Levitra and Cialis. All three have been extensively studied, tested and have millions of users all over the world, each with a camp of supporters advocating their superiority. But are these drugs really that different?

If comparing these drugs by their mechanism of action then it's hard to say about any significant differences. All three are based on the same principle and even make part of the same drug class - PDE-5 inhibitors. Sure, there are different active elements in each drug, but they all do the same job - block a specific enzyme, which in turn increases the blood inflow to the penis when the person is sexually aroused. These drugs even share the same potential side-effects and contradictions, so there's more in common between them than different.

However, there's one factor that really makes the difference - effectiveness. When Viagra was introduced back in 1998 it was a real achievement, since there were no other drugs that could provide the same effects. Five years later Levitra became a suitable option for those who didn't find Viagra really effective, but the new drug didn't push the ante much further, since it had pretty much the same effectiveness as its older peer. Both these drugs take about 30 minutes to start working and their effects are sustained for about 4-5 hours. Sure, it's quite enough taking the fact that you need only a single pill right before sexual activity.

Still, when Cialis followed it has shown a major improvement compared to its predecessors in terms of effectiveness. Just look at the figures: 15 minutes and up to 36 hours. The older drugs look quite pale in comparison and that has resulted in Cialis becoming quite popular among men with different degrees of ED who wanted to have a reliable and fast working drug. It was even nicknamed as The Weekend Pill because of its popularity among men looking forward to romantic weekends without the hassle of taking pills every time they wanted to have sex.