If you’re experiencing any ED symptoms, you likely know about different pills to buy and how many options there are. Here, we take a closer look at some of the best online services that offer ED pills.
ED is more common than you think
It affects up to 76.5% of men* worldwide
ED happens for many reasons
Physical, psychological, and emotional factors can affect ED
You may not need ED pills
Lifestyle changes, diet changes, and therapy could help
*ED is often associated with older men, but it affects between
| Pills available | Location availability | Our score | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hims | • generic and branded Viagra • generic and branded Cialis • chewable sildenafil | United States | 4.3 out of 5 |
| Ro | • generic and branded Viagra • generic and branded Cialis • chewable compound drugs | United States, except North Dakota | 4 out of 5 |
| REX MD | • generic and branded Viagra • generic and branded Cialis | United States, | 3.9 out of 5 |
| Lemonaid | • generic Viagra • generic Cialis • generic Stendra | United States | 3.9 out of 5 |
While investigating online services and pharmacies to build our list of the best online services for ED pills, we looked at how each company met or fell short of our priorities and standards.
After finishing our investigation, we awarded each company an average score out of 5 based on a number of different factors that could influence a user’s experience with each telehealth service. For a more in-depth explanation of our scoring rubric, you can read more at Healthline Scores: How We Evaluate Men’s Telehealth Platforms.
Our Medical Standards and Insights team has carefully researched and vetted over 11,000 products and services. We evaluate services for consistency with standards of care and best practices, and we look into each brand’s reputation before sharing products and services on Healthline.
To choose the services on this page, we considered all the ED treatment services that passed our vetting process. Then, we scored each service to narrow down our list even further.
Four main types of ED pills are available online:
- Viagra: This pill contains the active ingredient sildenafil. It will start working within 1 hour after you take it. Your doctor will prescribe this medication in either 25, 50, or 100 mg strengths. We review how easy it is to get Viagra online.
- Cialis: This pill contains the active ingredient tadalafil, and it works within 30 minutes of taking it. Unlike other medications, you can take Cialis daily in 2.5 mg doses. Otherwise, your doctor will prescribe it in 5, 10, or 20 mg doses. We tested the best places to buy Cialis online.
- Levitra: This pill contains the active ingredient vardenafil. You should take this drug at least one hour before sex. Doctors prescribe it in 2.5, 5, 10, or 25 mg doses.
- Stendra: This pill contains the active ingredient avanafil. It is the fastest-acting ED pill, taking effect around 15 minutes after taking it. Doctors will prescribe it in 50, 100, or 200 mg strengths.
Almost all ED pills on the market, including Viagra, Cialis, Levitra, and Stendra, are PDE5 inhibitors.
When too much PDE5 is present in your system, you might not be able to have as efficient blood flow to your penis as you might have had in the past. This can stop you from being able to get an erection or maintain enough blood flow to keep an erection to the point of ejaculation when you have sex or masturbate.
PDE5 inhibitors also make a natural chemical called nitric oxide that works more effectively in relaxing your penis muscles and allowing blood to flow more efficiently into your penis tissues for a harder and longer-lasting erection.
Discuss your medical history and medications!
ED medications like Viagra can have very serious — even life fatal — side effects if combined with certain medications. Specifically heart medications. Make sure you speak with a healthcare professional before starting any new pills or ED meds!
Make sure that any site you shop for ED pills only offers ED medications that are approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA). Medications like sildenafil and tadalafil have been FDA-approved for many years and are generally considered safe to take in both brand-name and generic forms.
Do not buy any ED pills online that are not FDA approved or that are made from ingredients that are not FDA approved.
Many of the
Also, it’s worthwhile to look into whether an online service has experienced any data breaches in the past that exposed users’ personal information and what steps it took to prevent another breach from occurring.
Some platforms, including Ro, make compounded drugs, like Ro Sparks, that combine two or more medications to make a product that isn’t FDA approved. For this reason, we don’t recommend taking compounded drugs, especially if they’re combined with additional vitamins, minerals, or supplements.
Ro Sparks failed our vetting because the drug combines two active ingredients, sildenafil and tadalafil, to create a stronger pill that isn’t FDA approved and doesn’t undergo an FDA review for its safety, effectiveness, or manufacturing.
Consider talking with a doctor if you’re concerned about any long-term sexual dysfunction or underlying health conditions that might be contributing to your ED symptoms.
You may also want to consider asking your doctor about any conditions you may have that can increase your risk of side effects from taking ED pills, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, depression, anxiety, or overweight or obesity.
Also, it’s important to get medical attention if you notice any side effects of ED pills that you buy online, including:
- significant body pains and aches
- changes in your digestive system, such as constipation or diarrhea
- changes in your vision or hearing
- erections that last longer than 4 hours (priapism)
No, you cannot get legitimate ED medication without seeing a doctor.
It’s safe to buy ED pills online that are FDA approved or contain FDA approved ingredients.
ED pills that are not FDA approved or pills that contain unapproved or unlabeled ingredients can be ineffective or dangerous.
ED pills may be unsafe if you have an underlying condition, such as diabetes, that can increase your risk of side effects from ED treatments. It is always best to talk with your doctor about any conditions you may have.
Changes to your diet or lifestyle might be able to help you get hard without ED pills.
Reducing how much you smoke, drink alcohol, or take recreational drugs if you engage in these behaviors can help you have better erections. If applicable, getting in more physical activity and sleeping regularly can also help.
Anxiety and depression can also contribute to ED symptoms. Taking advantage of mental health resources like therapy can help you treat these conditions and improve your ED symptoms.
Using an online service is the easiest way to get safe, FDA-approved ED pills.
However, it is important to keep in mind that legitmate ED medications are only available by prescription so meeting with a doctor online or in-person will be your first step. Any website offering easy access medication without a prescription is likely selling fraudulent or unsafe pills.
You may also want to visit a primary care professional (PCP) if you have any other health conditions before you use an online service to get ED pills. This can make it easier for you to understand what side effects or interactions you might experience when you take ED medication.
You cannot buy ED pills over the counter.
All FDA-approved ED pills must be prescribed by a licensed medical professional in person or through an online service and sent to a pharmacy licensed to dispense medications in the state where you receive the prescription.
It’s not safe to buy ED pills without a prescription.
ED pills can have dangerous side effects or interactions with other medications or substances. That’s why you’re required to contact a medical professional and receive a prescription before you’re legally allowed to purchase ED pills.
There’s nothing you can buy over the counter that can replicate the effects of sildenafil (Viagra) or other FDA-approved ED medications.
But there are a few alternative options that you can try, such as red ginseng, yohimbe, and L-arginine, but research into the effectiveness of these alternatives is extremely limited, so there is a good chance that they will not be able to treat your ED symptoms as effectively.
Contact a doctor before you try any alternative treatments for ED to understand what side effects or interactions are possible.
It’s easy to buy ED pills online under the supervision of licensed medical professionals through a number of telemedicine platforms.
Hims, Roman, Lemonaid, and Rex MD are all trustworthy, legitimate providers of ED pills and other treatments for hair loss, weight loss, and mental health conditions that can contribute to your ED symptoms.