For decades men taking medication for high blood pressure and high cholesterol simply accepted the fact that the loss of their ability to attain or sustain an erection was just a fact of life. Even when the first drug to help men with erectile dysfunction hit the market, the fear of its interaction with other cardiac medications made many men, as well as doctors, shy away from its use for fear of exacerbating medical conditions.

There are physical as well as psychological issues that can cause erectile dysfunction in men and with over 29 million men suffering from high blood pressure, there is continued awareness of many drugs takes taken for its treatment adding to their problems in attaining or maintaining an erection. Beta blockers, often used in the treatment of high blood pressure and diuretics used to help lower cholesterol are responsible for many men's erectile dysfunction.

Many of the drugs used in the treatment of diabetes are also blamed on the inability to achieve erection and when added to drugs used to treat high blood pressure and cholesterol, it can have devastating effects on the man's sexual activity.

Levitra Works Safely With Other Drugs

Since the first drugs for erectile dysfunction were introduced, finding a way for a man to continue to enjoy sexual activity while taking other medications was the focus on continued research. Recent testing of vardenafil, a PDE5 inhibitor as found effective in treating men with erectile dysfunction while taking one or more medications for high blood pressure. Sold under the trade name of Levitra, about 83 percent of the men involved in the testing were able to achieve an erection with no adverse side effects or interactions with other drugs.

Headaches and flushing were the most common side effects reported by those participating in the study. Additionally, during testing the effectiveness of the drug was considerably higher than in those receiving a placebo by about 30 percent. There also was no significant increase in heart rate or the systolic blood pressure rate. Available in different doses, only the patient's physician can determine the amount of the drug that will work for individual patients.

While Levitra is not the first drug released for erectile dysfunction, it is one of the first to be tested for men also taking beta blockers and diuretics for other health issues. How safe it is for individual patients can only be determined by the medical caregiver and should never be taken without a complete consultation.