How to Get a Prescription for Viagra
A Viagra prescription needs a clinician's assessment, available from your GP, a urologist or a regulated online clinic, after which you can fill it as Viagra or cheaper generic sildenafil.
Getting a Viagra prescription is more straightforward than many men expect: you need an assessment by a licensed healthcare provider, who can be your own GP, a urologist, or a doctor working through a regulated online clinic. The conversation is routine for clinicians, and once you are cleared you can fill the prescription for Viagra or its cheaper generic, sildenafil.
How do you get a prescription for Viagra?
A Viagra prescription requires a clinician to check that the medicine is safe and suitable for you. They will ask about your erectile dysfunction, your general and sexual health, and any other medicines you take, because sildenafil is not appropriate for everyone — particularly men on nitrates or with certain heart conditions. This assessment is the reason Viagra is prescription-only rather than a barrier designed to be awkward. You have two main routes: in person, or online.
Seeing a doctor in person
Booking with your regular GP or a urologist lets you discuss ED face to face. It is the best route if your erectile dysfunction is new, getting worse, or accompanied by other symptoms, because the doctor can examine you and check for underlying causes such as diabetes, high blood pressure or low testosterone. Since ED can be an early sign of cardiovascular problems, this fuller check has value beyond the prescription itself — for the reasons set out in what causes erectile dysfunction. Be ready to talk openly about your symptoms and medical history — the more accurate the picture, the safer the prescription.
Many men feel awkward raising the subject, but doctors deal with erectile dysfunction routinely and there is no need for embarrassment. It can help to lead with the practical fact — that you would like to try treatment — rather than rehearsing the whole story. The clinician will guide the rest of the conversation and will already be familiar with the questions that need answering.
Using a regulated online clinic
Online and telehealth services have made getting sildenafil far more convenient. You complete a medical questionnaire, a prescriber reviews it, and if appropriate the medication is dispensed by a registered pharmacy and posted to you. The important word is regulated: a legitimate service always involves a real clinical assessment and a registered pharmacy. If you are considering this route, read buying Viagra online in the UK for how to tell a regulated pharmacy from an unsafe seller.
Dosage and what happens next
Viagra and sildenafil come in 25mg, 50mg and 100mg tablets, with 50mg the usual starting dose, adjusted up or down based on how you respond. It is taken roughly 30–60 minutes before sex and no more than once a day, and it only works with sexual stimulation. Many men are surprised by the price gap between brand Viagra and generic sildenafil — the same active ingredient at very different costs, explained in why Viagra is so expensive.
For more on accessing, paying for and safely using Viagra, return to our erectile dysfunction and Viagra hub.