PDE5 Inhibitors
Tadalafil
Tadalafil (generic Cialis) is a long-acting PDE5 inhibitor used as needed or as a low daily dose for erectile dysfunction, daily for enlarged prostate symptoms, and at a different strength for pulmonary arterial hypertension. It is a generic tablet.
This page is general information about a medication and how cash prices for it are set. It is not medical advice and does not replace the label, your prescriber or your pharmacist. How we handle medical information
All strengths are generic from many manufacturers.
About Tadalafil
Tadalafil works like sildenafil but lasts much longer, up to a day and a half, which allows a low-dose once-daily option for men who prefer not to time a tablet. The daily dose is also approved for the urinary symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia, and it is the only PDE5 inhibitor with that indication. A separate higher-strength product (Adcirca and generics) is used for pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Food has little effect on absorption, another practical difference from sildenafil. The same absolute rule about nitrates applies: combining tadalafil with nitroglycerin, isosorbide or poppers can cause a severe drop in blood pressure. Caution is needed with alpha-blockers used for prostate symptoms, and prescribers stagger those doses. Back and muscle ache, headache, flushing and indigestion are the common side effects.
Because it is now generic in every strength, tadalafil has become one of the most heavily marketed cash-pay drugs by online telehealth companies. The tablets they dispense are the same generic a local pharmacy sells.
Why the cash price for Tadalafil differs from pharmacy to pharmacy
Generic tadalafil is inexpensive for pharmacies to buy, but cash prices vary enormously because the market is dominated by embarrassment and subscription bundling rather than comparison. Two pharmacies in the same town can quote prices that differ by a large multiple for the same tablets.
Daily low-dose use means thirty tablets a month, so the per-tablet mark-up matters more than the dispensing fee; as-needed use means a small quantity where the dispensing fee dominates. The cheapest pharmacy for one pattern is not always the cheapest for the other.
Ways to pay less for Tadalafil without insurance
- Compare at least two pharmacies, including an independent, before accepting a cash price.
- If you use it daily, ask for a ninety-day prescription.
- If you use it as needed, ask the prescriber whether a scored higher-strength tablet could be split for your dose.
- Compare any telehealth subscription on a per-tablet basis against a pharmacy fill for the amount you actually use.
- Upload your prescription to Script Unlock so licensed pharmacies can quote their cash price. You pay the pharmacy directly.
How Script Unlock gets you a cash price for Tadalafil
Prices on this site come from pharmacies responding to a real prescription. We do not publish estimated, average or "typical" prices, because none of those would be your price.
- 1You upload your prescription
A photo of your Tadalafil prescription is enough. Nothing is sold on the site; you are asking pharmacies to quote.
- 2Licensed pharmacies respond
Pharmacies that Script Unlock has verified see the request and each can reply with its own cash price for your exact drug, strength and quantity.
- 3You choose and pay the pharmacy
You compare the responses, pick a pharmacy, and pay that pharmacy directly when you collect. Script Unlock never takes a patient payment and never sets the price.
Questions to ask your pharmacist about Tadalafil
- 1.Do any of my medicines contain nitrates or interact with tadalafil?
- 2.Should I take the daily dose at the same time each day?
- 3.Can I take it with my prostate medicine?
- 4.What side effects need urgent attention?
- 5.How is this different from sildenafil for my situation?
Related medications
Sources
Script Unlock is a marketplace that lets licensed pharmacies quote a cash price on your prescription. It does not prescribe, dispense or sell medication, does not process patient payments, and does not give medical advice. Always follow the instructions of your prescriber and pharmacist and read the medication guide supplied with your medicine.