Description
Avana (Avanafil) 100 mg
Avana is presented here as a medicine containing the active ingredient avanafil, an oral treatment used for erectile dysfunction. The verified strength in this listing is 100 mg. Avanafil belongs to the phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitor class and is intended to support erectile function in adult men when sexual stimulation occurs.
Active Ingredient and Medicine Class
The active ingredient is avanafil. It is a selective PDE5 inhibitor, a medicine class also used for erectile dysfunction. PDE5 inhibitors are prescribed because they can improve the erectile response by enhancing blood flow to the penis during sexual arousal.
Established Medical Uses
Avanafil is an established treatment for erectile dysfunction. Official prescribing information identifies this as its approved use. Erectile dysfunction is the persistent difficulty in achieving or maintaining an erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual activity. Avanafil is not a hormone therapy and is not intended to increase sexual desire.
How It Works
Avanafil works by inhibiting the enzyme PDE5, which helps preserve levels of cyclic guanosine monophosphate in penile tissue. This supports relaxation of smooth muscle and increased blood flow in response to sexual stimulation. The medicine does not create an erection on its own; sexual stimulation is still required for an effect.
Important Safety Information
Avanafil should not be used with any form of nitrates, because the combination can cause a dangerous fall in blood pressure. It is also contraindicated in people taking strong CYP3A4 inhibitors, because these drugs can markedly increase avanafil exposure. Caution is needed with alpha-blockers and other medicines that lower blood pressure, as the combined effect may lead to symptomatic hypotension such as dizziness or fainting.
People with cardiovascular disease require special consideration, because sexual activity itself can place strain on the heart. Avanafil is generally not appropriate when sexual activity is inadvisable due to cardiac status. Important warnings also include prolonged erection, sudden vision loss that may reflect a serious eye disorder, and sudden hearing decrease or loss. Alcohol can increase the risk of low blood pressure symptoms, dizziness and headache. Combining avanafil with other PDE5 inhibitors or other erectile dysfunction therapies is not recommended.
Possible Side Effects
The most commonly reported adverse effects include headache, flushing, nasal congestion or a runny nose, sore throat, and back pain. Less common but clinically important reactions include dizziness, changes in vision, hearing symptoms, and priapism, which is an erection lasting too long and requiring urgent medical attention. As with other PDE5 inhibitors, serious cardiovascular or blood-pressure-related problems are uncommon but can occur in susceptible individuals.
Scientific Evidence
Clinical trials and systematic reviews have found that avanafil improves erectile-function outcomes compared with placebo in men with erectile dysfunction. Published meta-analyses have reported beneficial effects on erectile function scores and on measures of successful sexual encounters, while also showing a higher rate of treatment-emergent adverse events than placebo. Review literature also describes avanafil as a rapid-onset PDE5 inhibitor with a safety profile broadly consistent with its drug class. These findings support its established role, while reminding readers that individual response and tolerability vary.
Medical Information Notice
This page is an educational summary based on sources available at the time of review. It does not replace the official patient leaflet, full prescribing information, or assessment by a qualified healthcare professional.
Medical Sources
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. STENDRA (avanafil) tablets, for oral use: Prescribing Information. View official prescribing information
- DailyMed / National Library of Medicine. Avanafil tablets: Full Prescribing Information. View official drug label
- Mark Sanford. Avanafil: a review of its use in patients with erectile dysfunction. Drugs & Aging, 2013. View scientific article
- Y. M. Liu et al. Avanafil for male erectile dysfunction: a systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Impotence Research, 2014. View scientific article
