Safety
No boxed warning. Never take it with nitrates (such as nitroglycerin or “poppers”) or riociguat: together they can cause a dangerous drop in blood pressure. Don’t combine it with another ED medicine. Get emergency care for an erection lasting more than 4 hours, and stop and call a clinician for sudden vision or hearing loss. Blood pressure can also drop with alpha-blockers, other blood pressure medicines or heavy drinking. Ask a clinician whether your heart is healthy enough for sex.
Legal status
Prescription only; FDA-approved. Cialis is FDA-approved. Compounded tadalafil chewables are not Cialis and not a generic of it, and they aren’t FDA-approved.
What Cialis is
Cialis contains tadalafil, made by Eli Lilly. Approved November 21, 2003. Generic tadalafil is also sold for as-needed and daily use.
FDA-approved for
- Erectile dysfunction, as needed or once daily
- Symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)
- ED with BPH
Dosing
Tablet (2.5 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg, 20 mg), as needed (at most once a day) or once daily. As needed: 10 mg, adjusted to 5 mg or 20 mg. Daily: 2.5 mg, raised to 5 mg; 5 mg daily for BPH. Food doesn’t change how it is absorbed. Your clinician sets the dose for you.
How well it works
In a trial of 348 men taking 20 mg, 61% had successful sex 22 to 26 hours after a dose and 64% at 33 to 39 hours, against 37% on placebo at both times. Individual results vary.
Cialis cost
Brand-name Cialis costs from $29 a dose at Rex MD, and $958 a month for daily use at Hims; daily generic tadalafil starts at $40 a month (Oct 18, 2026). For a full breakdown, read Where is generic Cialis cheapest online?. For the steps, read Where is generic Cialis cheapest online?.