Do Under-The-Tongue Dissolvable ED Tablets Work Better Than Pills?
The competition in the market for erectile dysfunction medication is heating up, with more online sellers devising creative ways to try to differentiate themselves from the traditional ED pills offered by urologists. This article will discuss the sublingual dissolvable/soluble tablets that some online providers sell. They claim these tabs facilitate erections faster and at a lower dose. We’ll examine whether these claims are valid and look at some of the considerations you should keep in mind.
Traditional ED Medications
When the “little blue pill” was introduced in 1998, it represented an industry-changing shift in the treatment of erectile dysfunction. Suddenly, patients did not have to live with mild to moderate erectile dysfunction. An easy-to-take pill with few side effects was all they needed to achieve a solid and virtually on-demand erection (for most patients). With that said, the drugs were costly, with patients paying upwards of $10 or even $20 per pill with spotty insurance coverage. The only competition came in other forms of PDE-5 inhibitors – brand names like Cialis, approved in 2003, which offered similar functions but had the added benefits of a longer half-life and, thus, extended function.
When these drugs eventually came off patent, as all drugs do, consumers were flooded with generic versions of Viagra sold as Sildenafil and Cialis sold as Tadalafil, and the price of these drugs dropped dramatically. Today, these generic drugs are inexpensive and continue to provide excellent results.
The Rise of Compounding
Generic forms of Sildenafil and Tadalafil are sold by pharmaceutical manufacturing companies overseen and regulated by the same administration. On the other hand, compounding pharmacies create their version of the drug, so you may often see unusual doses being sold. For example, you may see a 7.5 mg dose of Tadalafil, while the generic version only comes in 5, 10, and 20 mg doses.
With compounding, online medication sellers can get creative. You’ll now see chewable, under-the-tongue, mint, and gummy forms of these drugs, alongside combination versions that combine Sildenafil and Tadalafil.
Do Under-The-Tongue Dissolvable Ed Medications Offer Any Benefit?
Online medication providers claim that the time to action associated with under-the-tongue medication is shorter than that of traditional pills, and in this case, they would be right. A study showed that the average onset of benefit from the under-the-tongue soluble option was just over 15 minutes.1 The swallowable pill form or generic Sildenafil takes about 30 minutes. This makes sense because under-the-tongue options bypass the digestive tract and enter the bloodstream more quickly. Soluble under the tongue, Sildenafil is not affected by what a patient eats. Note: you may already know that traditional Sildenafil has reduced effectiveness when taken with, or after, fatty meals.
Thoughts and Considerations of Under-The-Tongue Ed Drugs
First, it’s important to remember that these under-the-tongue drugs are produced by compounding pharmacies that do not have the same FDA oversight as generic drug manufacturing companies. To that end, there is some risk that the quality and purity of the product being sold may not stand up to scrutiny. Unfortunately, there’s no easy way to verify this is the case, and as such, you must place a lot of trust in the seller and their compounding pharmacy.
Second, the cost of these sublingual soluble tablets can be relatively high because they are relatively unique to the market. Further, they are often sold through a subscription model.
What Are the Alternatives?
If the extra 15 minutes of wait time are a significant differentiator, patients can choose generic Tadalafil with a 36-hour window of function. This medication can be taken earlier in the day or even the day before while maintaining a good effect.
In addition, the sublingual tabs tend to come in relatively smaller doses, which means that as a patient’s ED progresses, they may have to take more than one pill, which can multiply their expense.
Generic Tadalafil, taken by mouth, is also impervious to what you eat and, therefore, nullifies the benefit of the under-the-tongue tablets in that regard as well.
Lastly, your urologist can prescribe higher doses of Sildenafil and Tadalafil, which can further reduce the cost per dose if you wish to cut the pill in half. Speak to your urologist about the best way to minimize the cost of your generic drugs.
The Bottom Line
Online ED medication sellers are trying to differentiate themselves in a crowded market and create products that can be sold at premium prices with seemingly unique selling points. With that said, the added cost and the marginal benefit can be overcome by carefully choosing which ED medication best suits your circumstances. In the case of sublingual tabs, generic Cialis, also known as Tadalafil, tends to check off all the boxes at a much-reduced cost. Furthermore, having the peace of mind that generic manufacturers are overseen by and regulated by the FDA ensures purity, quality, and accountability if there are ever issues.
1Deveci S, Peşkircioğlu L, Aygün C, Tekin MI, Dirim A, Ozkardeş H. Sublingual sildenafil in the treatment of erectile dysfunction: faster onset of action with less dose. Int J Urol. 2004 Nov;11(11):989-92. doi: 10.1111/j.1442-2042.2004.00933.x. PMID: 15509203.
