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Posted 12/25/2009 6:50 AM (GMT 0)
I want to try takin a daily dose- 2.5 mg- of cialis.  The pills are available in my health plan only in 20 mg size.  They seem to have some coating.  Can I break this into quarters?
Posted 12/25/2009 7:07 AM (GMT 0)
hi i have never heard of this what is it for barry
Posted 12/25/2009 10:03 AM (GMT 0)
It's certainly common to cut these pills in half, and they cut quite easily. Quarters should also be doable, but I haven't tried that. Pill cutters are available from pharmacists, or you can improvise something.

Barry: Cialis is a common ED drug along with Viagra and Levitra. It is said that they give you erections, but that may be a myth turn A low dose like 5mg will not give an erection, but is supposed to enhance blood flow to the area and so aid recovery. However opinions are divided as to how effective it really it.
Posted 12/26/2009 12:11 AM (GMT 0)
If you are looking for data points, 5 mg daily did not do me any good. I did not notice a thing. Bumpoed it up to 20 and still nothing. Oh well...
Jeff
Posted 12/26/2009 5:14 AM (GMT 0)
I wouldn't self-treat. Rather, I'd sit down with my urologist to develop a plan.
Posted 12/26/2009 2:52 PM (GMT 0)
You can buy a pill splitter for a few dollars and it works well to cut them in quarters
Posted 12/26/2009 4:58 PM (GMT 0)
Philz,

If CIalis 20 is available, perhaps daily is available with your health plan but, not on the list? Make a call to find out about any up coming / changes. Couldn't hurt. Ours has had a couple of changes that didn't hit the annual list...maybe yours too :>)

PS: Daily Cialis isn't a bad way to go really. Quite a few post prostatectomy men have mentioned, the low daily dose makes an on demand, short acting ( viagra or levitra) dose work more effectively.
Posted 12/27/2009 1:51 AM (GMT 0)
Philz,

If your plan only covers 20mg size, consider yourself lucky! Godless BeanCounting Medco only specifies in 5mg x 15 for me. So if you get more than 4 x 20mg a month consider yourself lucky again.

But getting more out of an insurance company could a mixed blessing. For instance, in my case they charge (to me) about $1 per 5mg. If i somehow were to get enough for, say 20mg every other day the cost would probably go up by 4 times.

But, no worries mate. Just look into off-shoring some from a place like All Day Chemist. about a dollar each for full dose 'generics'. (and use your local coverage as a supplemental (but meager) addition to the main stash

(also like Worried, even 20mg does nothing for me yet .. can't say for 'blood flow' -- since i have not shriveled up to nothing I guess it is helping there!)
Posted 12/28/2009 1:21 AM (GMT 0)
perhaps the 2.5mg would be ok for a person just experiencing limited ED without having a prostate removed

My Dr told me to not bother with anything less than the 20mg dose, that a full dose would be required to jump start an erection after prostate removal. But even a 20 did not work ( so far)

Cutting a 20mg in half by hand is simple, getting it into 4's may be a bit harder , the pill is tear drop shaped and would be difficult to gauge accurately the dosage
Posted 12/28/2009 1:32 AM (GMT 0)

Hi Phil,

Welcome.

Do you have prostate cancer and have you had treatment or looking at treatment? Can you post your details?

Cialis, Levitra and Viagra didn't do much for me except for a headache and stuffy nose. Trimix  looks like it will for me.

I did try cutting pills in the past. Not too bad with the pill cutter...except pill shape can make it harder as already mentioned (cutting the pill, that is).

Posted 12/28/2009 4:50 PM (GMT 0)
Oral meds aren't reliable in the first 9-12 months postoperatively. Taking them daily isn't about the erection but rather, the cellular action :>)
Posted 12/28/2009 6:31 PM (GMT 0)
I heard quite the opposite, oral meds taken at bedtime promote nocturnal erections which help to restore normal sized erections is extremely important post op until erections sufficient to have intercourse are regained.

Penis atrophy is a major issue that can be avoided by getting nocturnal erections asap after surgery.

Injections, VED or other means can be substituted, the key thing is to get a fully erect penis however you can as often as you can, even if intercourse is not involved in order to restore full function later
Posted 12/29/2009 6:04 AM (GMT 0)
I have found Cialis to be very effective, please see my history below. They cut well most of the time. I score mine with a razor blade before cutting. I have not tried cutting the 5mg only the 20mg. Sometimes they will crumble some. I agree, start with ED meds asap and get it up and running again.
Posted 12/30/2009 4:50 PM (GMT 0)
Cialis used to work fine for me prior to the RRP. My PCP always prescribed the largest dosage because I was on Medco and got only 5 pills a month. Anyway, I would cut them into thirds and every third would last for 24 hours. But you always need that "sexual stimulation" aspect.

I continued using it after the RRP but with not much luck, so my urologist switched me to Levitra. It works like Cialis did before and I use both pills from CVS and from India via ADC.  I can't tell any difference between the pills.

Btw, I have two pill cutters 

Posted 12/31/2009 10:12 PM (GMT 0)
First post here and it seems like a great place to compare notes. After reading other experiences about ED after DaVinci, I requested that my surgeon put me on Cialis as a rehabilitative measure about 3 weeks ago. He prescribed six 20mg pills that I split and take one (10 mg) every three days. At this point I'm only six weeks past my surgery date, but do feel like life will eventually be restored to that part of my anatomy. I feel a bit more of a resurgence on that third day but still have the dreaded ED to contend with that was not an issue at all previously. Trying to be patient here and I'm really counting my blessings that 1) the cancer did not spread and my prostate is no longer 2) the recovery hasn't been too bad and 3) my incontinence is not an issue unless I sneeze or watch the Daily Show (insert smiley face here). Happy New Year to all!
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