Possible food and drug interactions when taking Vardenafil

Consumer Information (PDR)

Be sure to check with your doctor about the medications that should never be taken with Levitra, including:

Alpha-blocking drugs prescribed for high blood pressure or prostate problems, including doxazosin (Cardura), tamsulosin (Flomax), terazosin (Hytrin), prazosin (Minipress), and alfuzosin (Uroxatral)
Nitrate-based drugs prescribed for chest pain, such as nitroglycerin patches (Nitro-Dur, Transderm-Nitro), nitroglycerin ointment (Nitro-Bid, Nitrol), nitroglycerin pills (Nitro-Bid, Nitrostat), and isosorbide pills (Dilatrate-SR, Isordil, Sorbitrate)
Street drugs known as "poppers," including amyl nitrate and butyl nitrate

If Levitra is taken with certain other drugs, the effects of either could be increased, decreased, or altered. It is especially important to check with your doctor before combining Levitra with the following:

Other impotence drugs including alprostadil (Caverject), sildenafil (Viagra), and tadalafil (Cialis)
Amiodarone (Pacerone)
Erythromycin (E-Mycin, Ery-Tab, PCE)
Indinavir (Crixivan)
Itraconazole (Sporanox)
Ketoconazole (Nizoral)
Nifedipine (Procardia)
Procainamide (Procanbid)
Quinidine (Quinidex)
Ritonavir (Norvir)
Sotalol (Betapace)

Consumer Information (Cerner Multum)

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For vardenafil, the following should be considered:

Allergies—Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to vardenafil. Also tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.

Pregnancy—Vardenafil is not indicated for use in women. Vardenafil has not been studied in pregnant women. However, vardenafil has not been shown to cause birth defects or other problems in animal studies.

Breast-feeding—It is not known whether vardenafil passes into breast milk. Vardenafil is not indicated for use in women.

Older adults—Elderly people are especially sensitive to the effects of vardenafil, which may increase their chance of having side effects. Patients 65 years of age and older are started on a lower dose than younger adults. The dose may be increased by a doctor as needed and tolerated.

Other medicines—Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking vardenafil, it is especially important that your doctor and pharmacist know if you are taking any of the following:

• Medicine for irregular heart beats, such as
• Amiodarone (e.g., Cordarone) or
• Procainamide (e.g., Procan SR, Promine, Pronestyl, Pronestyl-SR) or
• Quinidine (e.g., Cardioquin, Quinaglute Dura-tabs, Quinidex Extentabs, Quin-Release) or
• Sotalol (e.g., Betapace, Sotacor)—These medicines should not be used together with vardenafil

• Alpha blockers (medicine for high blood pressure) such as
• Alfuzosin (e.g., Uroxatral) or
• Doxazosin (e.g., Cardura) or
• Prazosin (e.g., Minipress) or
• Tamsulosin (e.g., Flomax) or
• Terazosin (e.g., Hytrin)—These medicines should be used with caution because together with vardenafil they can cause low blood pressure. Your doctor may want to adjust your dose of vardenafil.

• Erythromycin (medicine used to treat infection)—This medicine may cause there to be more vardenafil in your body; your doctor may want to adjust your dose of vardenafil.

• Ketoconazole (e.g., Nizoral)—These medicines may cause there to be more vardenafil in your body; your doctor may want to adjust your dose of vardenafil.

• Indinavir (e.g., Crixivan) or
• Ritonavir (e.g., Norvir, Kaletra)—These medicines may cause there to be more vardenafil in your body; your doctor may want to adjust your dose of vardenafil.

• Nitrates, such as nitroglycerin (e.g., Nitrostat or Transderm-Nitro)—Vardenafil increases the chance of very low blood pressure and using these medicines together is not recommended

Other medical problems—The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of vardenafil. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

• Age greater than 50 years or
• Coronary artery disease or
• Diabetes or
• Hyperlipidemia (excess of lipids in the blood) or
• Hypertension (high blood pressure) or
• Low cup to disc ratio (“crowded disc”) or
• Smoking—These conditions may increase risk for a serious eye problem called NAION.

• Angina (reoccurring chest pain) or
• Arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) or
• Heart attack (within the last 6 months) or
• Heart failure or
• Hypertension (high blood pressure) or
• Hypotension (low blood pressure) or
• Liver disease (severe) or
• Kidney disease (severe) or
• Retinal disorders (rare hereditary eye problem) or
• Stroke (recent history of)—Vardenafil has not been studied in patients with these medical conditions and should not be used.
• Abnormal penis, including curved penis and birth defects of the penis—Chance of problems occurring may be increased and should be used with caution in these patients

• Bleeding disorders or
• Stomach ulcers—Chance of problems occurring may be increased; it is not known if the medicine is safe for use in these patients.

• Bone marrow cancer
• Leukemia
• Sickle-cell anemia—Vardenafil should be used with caution in these patients.

• Heart disease, underlying—Chance of low blood pressure occurring is greater; vardenafil should be used carefully in these patients.

• Liver disease, moderate—This condition may cause there to be more vardenafil in your body; your doctor may want to start these patients on a lower dose.

• Heart blood flow problems—These conditions may cause you to be more sensitive to vardenafil.

• NAION (serious eye condition) in one or both eyes, previously—May increase your chance of getting NAION again.

• QT prolongation (rare heart condition)—Vardenafil may cause this condition to become worse.