What’s the Difference between Levitra and Staxyn?
Levitra and Staxyn both contain Vardenafil, a drug used for treating erectile dysfunction (impotence). Even though these medicines contain the same ingredient, they are not the same and must be used differently. The difference between Levitra and Staxyn lies in how it is taken.
Levitra was first launched onto the market in 2003. It comes as a pill which must be swallowed. Once swallowed, the active ingredient Vardenafil gets absorbed into the bloodstream where it starts to take effect. Levitra will help improve blood flow to the penis, but only if sexual stimulation occurs. It usually takes about 30 minutes to get the best results from Levitra, though it is recommended you take it about 60 minutes before sexual activity.
Staxyn was approved by the FDA in 2010 for treating erectile dysfunction. It contains the exact same drug as Levitra and works in the exact same way. It is even made by the same company as Levitra, which is Bayer. Staxyn also has the exact same risks, potential side effects, and interactions and Levitra. The only difference is that Staxyn is an orally disintegrating tablet. You must not swallow Staxyn. The tablet must be dissolved on your tongue without drinking water. However, you can drink water before or after taking Staxyn. Like with Levitra, you can take Staxyn with or without food.
Because Staxyn gets dissolved rather than swallowed, it starts working a bit faster. It is also more convenient to take because you don’t have to swallow a pill, for which many men need a glass of water. The dissolving form of Staxyn means that you get a higher exposure to the medicine than with Levitra so a 10mg tablet of Staxyn is stronger than a 10mg Levitra pill. You can NOT use dosages of Staxyn and Levitra interchangeably!
The Hype and the Reality
Bayer has done a good job of hyping up Staxyn as a new, improved version of Levitra. But, as any man who has taken both drugs will tell you, there isn’t much of a difference. Staxyn may work a few minutes faster, which could be important if you want to have sex in 10 minutes instead of 15 minutes. If you really hate swallowing pills, then Staxyn may also be better.
Aside from these slight differences, you are getting the exact same drug and exact same effectiveness with both Staxyn and Levitra. The reason that Bayer bothered to release a dissolving form of Vardenafil is purely for profit reasons. They are worried because their patent rights on Vardenafil pills will run out in a few years. But, since dissolving tablets of Vardenafil are considered a “new” drug by the FDA, they get new patent rights on this drug. When the Levitra patent runs out and cheap generic companies start making it, Bayer will still hold the exclusive rights to Staxyn.
So which one is better for you? If you are happy with Levitra, then you will be happy with Staxyn too. Just decide how much you like or hate taking pills because that is the only real difference!