Kamagra vs. Viagra: What You Need to Know
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In men who have erectile dysfunction, that is the partial or full inability to obtain or maintain an erection long enough for satisfactory sexual intercourse (1), medications like Viagra or Kamagra are routinely taken.
While these medications do not cure the underlying cause of erectile dysfunction, they do allow men to achieve stronger and longer-lasting erections for pleasurable sexual experiences.
With Viagra being on the market for the past 20 years (2), other brands have had time to come along and develop generic versions of it. These generic versions are chemically identical to the original but may vary in non-medicinal ingredients or color, taste, and shape.
Kamagra vs. Viagra: Do They Work the Same?
You will find that Viagra and Kamagra have the same active ingredient, sildenafil citrate.
Theoretically, Kamagra should work the same as Viagra, permitting that the Kamagra medicine that you receive has the proper listed dose of sildenafil in it.
Both erectile dysfunction medications belong to the same medicinal class, that of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) specific phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitor as the result of having the same active ingredient (3).
How Long Does It Take Kamagra vs. Viagra to Activate?
The sildenafil citrate in Viagra has a bioavailability of 40%, and when taken in the recommended dosage of 50mg, it can take anywhere between 30 and 120 minutes for complete absorption to occur (4). In men who take it in a fasted state, the median time it takes to activate is 60-minutes.
For Kamagra, since it is using the same active ingredient, the activation time should be similar. Keep in mind that these time frames do vary from man to man.
What Dosages Are Available for Viagra & Kamagra?
Viagra is available in 3 doses of 25, 50, and 100mg doses or as single packet doses (5).
Whereas, Kamagra comes in doses of 50 or 100mg for the tablet variant. Kamagra also has an oral jelly variant, which only comes in 100mg sachets. Typically, your first prescription would be for 50mg tablets and is changed depending on how potent the dosage is for you.
A dosage point to take into consideration is that scientific studies with pure sildenafil citrate show that starting men off with the 100mg dosage leads to reduced anxiety before, during, and after sexual intercourse and improved treatment satisfaction (6).
*No prescription available for Kamagra in the United States, Canada, and the European Union.
Why Is Kamagra a Popular Choice Over Viagra?
There is no hiding the fact that the price of Kamagra is significantly lower than that of Viagra. This is the biggest mitigating factor as to why many men choose it over Viagra.
Beyond this, Kamagra can be ordered from numerous sources online, making the decision to purchase it that much easier. Men who may feel a lot of shame with erectile dysfunction or men who do not want to or cannot go to a healthcare provider are more likely to lean towards purchasing Kamagra vs. Viagra.
What Are the Main Differences Between the Two Medicines?
The main difference in Kamagra vs. Viagra is in the manufacturing, licensing, and procuring of the two erectile dysfunction medications.
In the European Union, Canada, and the United States, Kamagra is not considered a licensed treatment and, therefore, cannot be bought with a prescription through a verified and accredited healthcare provider. This means that if you want to purchase Kamagra, you must go through illegal, back channels, which have risks of their own.
Kamagra is manufactured by Ajanta Pharma Limited, headquartered in Mumbai, India. While Ajanta Pharma does have subsidiaries in the United States and is a multinational company, it does not have licenses to sell Kamagra in the United States, Canada, or the European Union.
Viagra, on the other hand, is manufactured by Pfizer, which is an American multinational pharmaceutical corporation that is headquartered in New York.
Unlike Ajanta Pharma Limited, Pfizer does have partnerships and licensing in the European Union and Canada.
Since Viagra is manufactured in the United States, it must meet strict guidelines, pass human trials, and manufacturing processes, to ensure its safety. This can give you the confidence that you are purchasing medicine that will a) work for you and b) contain safe ingredients to consume.
Other than where Kamagra vs. Viagra originates from, the other difference is in the medicine’s form factor. While Viagra is taken orally through a tablet, Kamagra does have oral jellies that are absorbed directly into the bloodstream and require a smaller dose.
Wrapping It Up
While you may be tempted to purchase Kamagra online, because it is an unlicensed medicine, there is no way to tell if it contains pure sildenafil citrate or safe non-medicinal ingredients.
Unfortunately, counterfeit drugs are easy to distribute through online pharmacies, and many men are tempted to purchase online due to lower costs and embarrassment (7).
If you are looking for a safe, fully-tested, and well-regulated erectile dysfunction medication, ordering Viagra (vs. Kamagra) would be the best route despite the higher cost of the product.