In short
Tadalafil, sold as Cialis and as generic tadalafil, is a tablet for erectile dysfunction that works for up to 36 hours after one dose, or continuously as a low daily dose of 5 mg. In a 12-week trial of daily tadalafil, 46 percent of intercourse attempts succeeded on 5 mg against 12.5 percent on placebo, almost 4 times as often. Tadalafil needs a prescription in Dubai and is never combined with nitrates.
Treatment Overview
What is tadalafil?
Tadalafil is a phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitor with the longest action of its class. Cialis is the original brand; generic tadalafil contains the same active ingredient. Tadalafil works as well as sildenafil and vardenafil, and differs in how long it lasts. All treatments for erectile dysfunction compared: erectile dysfunction treatment.
Should tadalafil be taken on demand or daily?
Tadalafil is used on demand before sex or as a low dose every day, and both approaches work about equally well. The table compares them.
| On demand | Daily | |
|---|---|---|
| Dose | 10 mg, adjusted to 5 or 20 mg | 5 mg, or 2.5 mg |
| Taken | About 1 hour before sex | Same time every day |
| Window | Up to 36 hours | Continuous |
| Suits | Occasional sex, planning a day ahead | Frequent sex, spontaneity, prostate symptoms as well |
Daily tadalafil suits men who do not respond well to on-demand tablets. Daily tadalafil is not used when kidney function is severely reduced (creatinine clearance below 30 mL per minute).
What dose of tadalafil is used?
On-demand tadalafil starts at 10 mg, lowered to 5 mg or raised to 20 mg depending on effect and tolerance. Daily tadalafil is 5 mg, which works better than 2.5 mg. A fatty meal does not delay tadalafil, unlike sildenafil.
How well does tadalafil work?
Daily tadalafil 5 mg made 46 percent of intercourse attempts successful against 12.5 percent on placebo after 12 weeks in 595 men, about half of whom had high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes, according to clinical guidance. In another trial of 268 men, daily tadalafil gave “no erectile dysfunction” in 50 percent against 8 percent on placebo (European Urology, 2006).
In a crossover trial, 66.3 percent of men, about 2 in 3, preferred tadalafil to sildenafil, and they had sex on average 5.5 hours after the dose against 2.2 hours with sildenafil. The detailed comparison: sildenafil vs tadalafil.
Does tadalafil also help prostate symptoms?
Yes, daily tadalafil 5 mg is also approved for urinary symptoms from an enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia, BPH), so men with both problems treat both with one tablet. Alpha blockers for the prostate need a stable dose before tadalafil starts, because the combination lowers blood pressure.
What are the side effects of tadalafil?
The most common side effects of tadalafil are headache, flushing, indigestion, nasal congestion and back or muscle pain, similar to sildenafil. Tadalafil does not tint vision blue. Rare serious effects are sudden loss of vision in one eye (NAION) and sudden hearing loss, which require stopping the medicine and seeking medical help immediately.
Never combine tadalafil with nitrates or riociguat. If a nitrate is considered essential in a life-threatening emergency, a clinician must decide and monitor its use; at least 48 hours after the last tadalafil dose is required. This is not permission to restart nitrates yourself. Tell emergency staff when you last took tadalafil.
Tadalafil in Dubai and the UAE
Is tadalafil available without a prescription in Dubai?
No, tadalafil is a prescription-only medicine in Dubai, dispensed by licensed pharmacies, according to the Dubai Health Authority classification. Cialis and generic tadalafil are both available on prescription.
Why not buy tadalafil online?
A regional survey of 1,008 men cited by the UAE expert panel on erectile dysfunction found that 84.1 percent of men using erection tablets had bought them without a prescription, more than 8 in 10, and only 38.1 percent of the users had erectile dysfunction at all (Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare, 2025). The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention has warned against sexual enhancement products that contain undeclared sildenafil, tadalafil or vardenafil, because of the risk of a severe fall in blood pressure (Khaleej Times).
Dr Felix treats within the scope of his Dubai Health Authority licence. When a case needs a specialist view, for example a penile curvature, an abnormal prostate finding or heart disease that limits exertion, the treatment decision is made together with a urologist or cardiologist.
Prefer a short-acting tablet? Sildenafil (Viagra). Not sure how severe the problem is? take the 1-minute erection check.
Who Is a Good Candidate?
- Men with erectile dysfunction who want a long window of up to 36 hours.
- Men who prefer spontaneity and a daily 5 mg tablet.
- Men with both erectile dysfunction and urinary symptoms from an enlarged prostate.
- Men who did not respond well to on-demand sildenafil.
- Nitrates for chest pain, in any form, including glyceryl trinitrate spray and isosorbide tablets: tadalafil is never combined with them.
- Heart disease that makes sexual activity unsafe, or a recent heart attack or stroke: cardiology assessment first.
- Severely reduced kidney function: daily tadalafil is not used.
- Previous sudden loss of vision (NAION): tadalafil is not used without specialist advice.
What Happens During the Consultation
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1
History
How the problem started, morning erections, desire, prostate symptoms, medicines including nitrates and alpha blockers, and the 5-question erection score.
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2
Heart, kidney and blood tests
Blood pressure, cardiovascular risk, kidney function, and blood sugar, lipids and morning testosterone where they fit.
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3
On demand or daily
The regimen that fits how often you have sex and whether prostate symptoms are present.
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4
Instruction and review
How to take it, what to expect, and a review after 4 to 8 attempts or 4 weeks of daily use.
Program Structure & Follow-Up
How is treatment with tadalafil followed up?
The first review follows 4 to 8 attempts on demand, or about 4 weeks of daily use. The review checks the effect, side effects, correct use and the regimen; the full effect of daily tadalafil takes longer than 4 weeks in some men. A change of 4 points or more on the erectile function score counts as a clinically important improvement.
Cardiovascular risk factors found at the first visit are followed on their own schedule. Ongoing care: Sexual Health Membership.
Benefits, Limits & Safety
What are the benefits of tadalafil?
Tadalafil gives the longest window of the erection tablets and allows spontaneity, is unaffected by food, and treats prostate symptoms as well when taken daily.
What are the limits of tadalafil?
Tadalafil needs sexual stimulation and stays in the body longer, so nitrates in an emergency are delayed for 48 hours. Back and muscle pain are more frequent than with sildenafil. Tadalafil does not raise desire and does not cure the cause.
When to seek urgent help
Do not combine tadalafil with nitrates, poppers or riociguat. An erection lasting more than four hours needs an emergency department immediately. Stop treatment and seek immediate help for sudden loss of vision or hearing. For current severe chest pain, marked breathlessness or collapse, call 998 in the UAE and tell staff when you last took tadalafil; do not wait for a callback.
What the evidence shows
Daily 5 mg: 46 percent successful intercourse against 12.5 percent on placebo after 12 weeks in 595 men.
How you are followed
Review after 4 to 8 attempts or 4 weeks daily: effect, side effects, correct use and regimen.
When tadalafil is not used
With nitrates in any form, with heart disease that makes sex unsafe, and daily with severely reduced kidney function.
Cost & Program Investment
What treatment with tadalafil costs depends on the brand, on-demand or daily use and the tests needed at the first visit. Dr Felix explains the figure before any prescription.
Frequently Asked Questions
Tadalafil works for up to 36 hours after one dose, which is why it is called the weekend pill. Daily 5 mg tadalafil works continuously.
Daily tadalafil 5 mg is continued long term in men who benefit, according to clinical guidance. It is not used with severely reduced kidney function or with nitrates.
Tadalafil and sildenafil work about equally well. Tadalafil lasts up to 36 hours and is unaffected by food; sildenafil lasts about 4 hours and has the longest safety record.
Yes, daily tadalafil 5 mg is approved for urinary symptoms from an enlarged prostate. Men with both erectile dysfunction and prostate symptoms treat both with one tablet.
The cost of tadalafil in Dubai depends on the brand, on-demand or daily use and the first-visit tests. Dr Felix explains the full cost in the consultation before anything is prescribed.
Evidence
Where this information comes from
Every figure on this page is taken from the sources below. All of them are free to read, so you can check them yourself.
- Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of once-a-day dosing of tadalafil 5 mg and 10 mg
- Cialis: European public assessment report
- Erectile Dysfunction: AUA Guideline
- Erectile Dysfunction: Expert Panel Recommendations for Evaluation and Management in the United Arab Emirates
- Don’t consume sexual enhancement pills, warns UAE health ministry
- Drug Control
This page is general medical information and does not replace a personal consultation. Trial results are averages across large groups, not a prediction for any one person.