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by
Chris
Shugart
The
Cialis
Experiment
Erection
drugs
do
what
they
claim,
but
do
they
have
other
health
benefits?
Let’s
find
out.
Talking
to
your
doc
about
sex
drugs
is
the
second
most
awkward
thing
that
happens
in
a
doctor’s
office.
(If
you’re
over
40,
you
know
what
the
number
one
most
awkward
situation
is.)
So,
when
I
decided
to
experiment
with
tadalafil
(Cialis),
I
didn’t
talk
to
my
doctor.
I
went
online
and
bought
some
off
the
gray
market.
The
only
drawback?
I
was
only
able
to
get
20
mg
tablets.
I
wanted
5
mg
tablets,
what’s
commonly
known
as
“daily”
Cialis.
So,
chop-chop-chop
went
the
pill-splitter.
I
turned
20
tablets
into
80
five-milligram
doses,
enough
to
last
me
almost
a
year
because
I
wasn’t
even
going
to
take
it
daily.
Here’s
the
fun
part:
tadalafil
is
a
drug
for
erectile
dysfunction.
I
do
not
have
ED.
Things
are
fine
down
there,
really.
No,
I
wanted
to
use
the
drug
for
its
potential
health
benefits.
How
Tadalafil
Works
Tadalafil/Cialis
is
a
cousin
to
sildenafil/Viagra.
Both
are
PDE5
inhibitors.
It
works
in
basically
the
same
way,
only
tadalafil’s
effects
kick
in
faster
and
last
longer.
Instead
of
lasting
about
4
hours,
tadalafil
lasts
36
hours,
maybe
longer.
Some
call
it
the
“weekender
pill”
because
you
can
pop
one
on
Friday
night
and
achieve
high-performance
erections
through
Sunday
afternoon.
It
works
like
this:
During
sexual
stimulation,
nitric
oxide
(NO)
is
released
in
the
corpus
cavernosum
of
the
penis.
NO
activates
the
enzyme
guanylate
cyclase,
which
increases
cGMP
levels.
cGMP
causes
the
smooth
muscles
in
the
corpus
cavernosum
to
relax,
which
allows
blood
to
flow
into
the
penis.
Scientists
call
this
a
“woody.”
Now,
here
comes
the
“villain”
–
PDE5.
That’s
an
enzyme
that
breaks
down
cGMP
and
kiboshes
the
erection
process.
That’s
supposed
to
happen
after
carnal
activities,
but
in
men
with
erectile
dysfunction,
PDE5
activity
may
be
too
high,
leading
to
excessive
cGMP.
In
other
cases,
reduced
NO
production
or
impaired
guanylate
cyclase
activation
causes
low
cGMP
levels:
not
enough
cGMP
to
counteract
PDE5’s
cockblocking
activity.
But
here
comes
tadalafil
to
save
the
day!
Our
hero
inhibits
the
action
of
PDE5,
preventing
the
breakdown
of
cGMP.
So,
cGMP
levels
stay
elevated
and
so
does
your
lap
rocket.
The
OTHER
Benefits
of
Low-Dose
Tadalafil
So
how
is
all
this
related
to
good
general
health?
Well,
despite
exercise
and
a
good
diet,
certain
health
issues
can
arise
as
you
age,
and
tadalafil
may
help.
Let’s
review
those
and
talk
about
some
“off
label”
benefits
of
tadalafil:
Benign
Prostatic
Hypertrophy:
Your
prostate
gland
keeps
growing
as
you
age.
BPH
isn’t
cancerous
but
it
makes
you
a
slow
urinator
due
to
the
prostate
pressing
against
the
urethra
and
affecting
pee-pee
flow.
Since
tadalafil
increases
cGMP
levels,
it
leads
to
smooth
muscle
relaxation
in
the
prostate
and
bladder
neck.
Tadalafil
helps
alleviate
BPH
symptoms
by
reducing
pressure
on
the
urethra,
which
passes
through
the
prostate.
The
standard
dose
of
tadalafil
for
BPH
is
5
mg,
the
same
low
daily
dosage
used
for
ED.
Blood
Pressure:
Since
tadalafil
relaxes
the
smooth
muscle
cells
in
the
walls
of
blood
vessels,
it
widens
them
(vasodilation)
which
might
help
keep
blood
pressure
in
check.
Estrogen
Control:
One
study
found
that
10
mg.
and
20
mg.
doses
of
tadalafil,
taken
about
ten
times
a
month,
significantly
reduced
estradiol
levels.
But
this
only
seemed
to
work
in
men
who
weren’t
fat.
(Fat
guys
have
higher
aromatase
levels
and
convert
testosterone
to
estradiol
easily.)
Lower
doses
might
help
keep
estrogen
under
control.
Workout
&
Sports
Performance:
There
aren’t
many
studies
on
this,
but
the
World
Anti-Doping
Agency
(WADA)
and
the
International
Olympic
Committee
(IOC)
consider
tadalafil
a
performance-enhancing
substance.
PDE-5
inhibitors
increase
the
“pump”
in
the
gym
and
may
mildly
boost
testosterone.
There
might
be
some
endurance-boosting
effects
as
well.
What
You
Should
Do
You
should
definitely
not
take
any
drug
without
a
doctor’s
order.
Tadalafil,
like
all
drugs,
has
potential
side
effects
and
contraindications,
and
I’ll
let
you
Google
them.
Personally,
I’m
going
to
experiment
with
taking
5mg
every
two
to
three
days.
Some
progressive
experts
think
doctors
may
someday
recommend
tadalafil
for
general
health
benefits.
I
don’t
want
to
wait.
By
the
way,
I
threw
all
this
evidence
at
my
doctor
and
told
him
I
was
already
self-prescribing.
He
said
he’d
like
to
see
larger
studies…
but
he
wrote
the
script
anyway.
So,
no
more
gray
market
for
me.
Other
Things
to
Consider
First,
if
you
have
any
conditions
requiring
serious
treatment,
get
that
treatment.
Second,
tadalafil
doesn’t
cure
BPH;
it
only
treats
the
symptoms.
We
need
to
show
our
prostates
some
daily
love
by
taking
P-Well
(Buy
at
Amazon).
Its
ingredients
help
protect
prostate
cells
from
oxidative
stress
and
inflammation.
It
also
boosts
NO
for
stronger
erections.
Think
of
it
as
a
“multivitamin”
for
overall
male
sexual
health.
Third,
if
you’re
going
to
use
a
natural
T
booster,
choose
one
that
doesn’t
enlarge
the
prostate.
Longjack
is
shown
in
studies
to
boost
T
without
prostate
enlargement
(or
testicular
shrinkage).
It
also
improves
erectile
harness.
Omega-Man
(Buy
at
Amazon)
contains
the
high-absorption
version
of
Longjack.
Finally,
remember
that
the
most
important
thing
you
can
do
to
prevent
all
the
problems
that
tadalafil
may
be
able
to
help
is
to
exercise,
eat
well,
not
be
fat,
and
supplement
wisely.
If
you’re
already
doing
all
of
that,
but
you
can’t
seem
to
stop
aging,
consider
tadalafil.
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