Compound · tadalafil
T1Pharmaceutical

Tadalafil

Selective phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5) inhibitor. Prevents degradation of cyclic GMP in vascular smooth muscle, promoting vasodilation in the corpus cavernosum and pulmonary vasculature. The 17.5-hour half-life enables daily low-dose use for continuous endothelial function support beyond erectile applications.

Half-life
17.5 hours
Bioavailability
~80% (oral, food-independent)
Route
oral
Evidence tier
T1 — Multiple RCTs
Optimization pillars
recovery · cellular-health
References
3 peer-reviewed
Dose ranges

Three tiers ordered by aggressiveness. Tier chips on every OPTIMIZE intervention let you filter the catalog by your evidence tolerance.

conservative
2.5–5 mg/day
Daily vascular health and BPH
moderate
5–10 mg/day
Daily erectile function
aggressive
10–20 mg PRN
On-demand use
Monitoring
  • lipid-panel
  • hs-crp
  • creatinine
  • egfr
Contraindications
  • nitrate-therapy
  • severe-hepatic-impairment
  • severe-renal-impairment
  • recent-stroke-or-mi
  • hypotension
References
  • PMID:16422829Tadalafil administered once daily for lower urinary tract symptoms secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasiaJ Urol, 2006
  • PMID:15163652Tadalafil: a review of its use in erectile dysfunctionDrugs, 2004
  • PMID:29178387Chronic PDE5 inhibition and cardiovascular outcomesBMC Med, 2017
Notes

Tadalafil at 5mg daily is arguably the most underappreciated compound in the optimization toolkit. Marketed for erectile dysfunction. Used by informed practitioners for systemic vascular health. The 17.5-hour half-life means daily dosing produces steady-state PDE5 inhibition, which translates to improved endothelial function, lower pulmonary artery pressure, and reduced prostate symptoms simultaneously. Three clinical benefits from one mechanism. The pharmacology is elegant because it solves the right problem. PDE5 overactivity is not just a penile issue. It is a systemic vascular issue that happens to manifest most noticeably in erectile tissue.

This is not medical advice

Discuss with a licensed clinician before starting, stopping, or changing any compound. This page documents what the research literature describes — it is not a prescription.

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