ED Pills and Alcohol: What to Know

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Short answer: On tadalafil and alcohol, the prescribing information for tadalafil and sildenafil reports different findings. The Cialis (tadalafil) prescribing information says “substantial consumption of alcohol (e.g., 5 units or greater)” with Cialis “can increase the potential for orthostatic signs and symptoms,” including a faster heart rate, lower standing blood pressure, dizziness and headache (Cialis 5.9). The Viagra (sildenafil) prescribing information reports that sildenafil 50 mg “did not potentiate the hypotensive effect of alcohol” in healthy volunteers, in a study that did not test the 100 mg dose (Viagra 7.5; Viagra 12.2). Talk to a licensed provider about how much you drink and every medicine you take.

Below, “Cialis 5.9” means that section of the Cialis prescribing information (revised 3/2026) on DailyMed, and “leaflet” means the patient information printed with it. Viagra citations refer to its prescribing information revised 11/2023. For tadalafil side effects in general, see tadalafil side effects.

What does the Cialis and Viagra prescribing information say about alcohol?

The two documents report different findings, from studies that used different amounts of alcohol. This table lines them up. Quoted wording is the document’s own.

	Cialis (tadalafil) prescribing information	Viagra (sildenafil) prescribing information
Warning section	5.9 Alcohol: “substantial consumption of alcohol (e.g., 5 units or greater) in combination with CIALIS can increase the potential for orthostatic signs and symptoms” (source)	No alcohol warning section. Alcohol appears under Drug Interactions, 7.5 (source)
Alcohol doses studied	0.7 g/kg in two studies (with tadalafil 10 mg and 20 mg) and 0.6 g/kg in a third (with 20 mg) (12.2)	0.5 g/kg, reaching a mean maximum blood alcohol level of 0.08%, with sildenafil 50 mg (7.5)
Reported finding	At 0.7 g/kg, “more patients had clinically significant decreases in blood pressure on the combination of tadalafil and alcohol as compared to alcohol alone” (12.2)	Sildenafil “did not potentiate the hypotensive effect of alcohol in healthy volunteers”; 100 mg “was not evaluated in this study” (12.2)
Patient leaflet	“Do not drink too much alcohol when taking CIALIS (for example, 5 glasses of wine or 5 shots of whiskey)” (leaflet)	The patient information does not mention alcohol (leaflet)

Can you drink alcohol with tadalafil (Cialis)?

The Cialis prescribing information’s alcohol warning is about “substantial” amounts, with “5 units or greater” as its example (Cialis 5.9). Its summary at the top says use of Cialis with “substantial amounts of alcohol (≥5 units) may lead to hypotension,” meaning low blood pressure (Cialis highlights).

Why alcohol matters with tadalafil

The prescribing information says patients “should be made aware that both alcohol and CIALIS, a PDE5 inhibitor, act as mild vasodilators,” and that when mild vasodilators are taken together, “blood-pressure-lowering effects of each individual compound may be increased” (Cialis 5.9). It adds that “Tadalafil did not affect alcohol plasma concentrations and alcohol did not affect tadalafil plasma concentrations” (Cialis 7.1).

What the tadalafil alcohol studies found

Section 12.2 of the prescribing information describes three clinical pharmacology studies (Cialis 12.2):

Study setup	Alcohol amount (comparison given)	Reported result
Tadalafil 10 mg, one study; tadalafil 20 mg, another	0.7 g/kg, “approximately 6 ounces of 80-proof vodka in an 80-kg male,” drunk within 10 minutes	More patients had clinically significant blood pressure drops on tadalafil plus alcohol than on alcohol alone. “Some subjects reported postural dizziness, and orthostatic hypotension was observed in some subjects.”
Tadalafil 20 mg	0.6 g/kg, “approximately 4 ounces of 80-proof vodka,” drunk in less than 10 minutes	“Orthostatic hypotension was not observed, dizziness occurred with similar frequency to alcohol alone, and the hypotensive effects of alcohol were not potentiated.”

The prescribing information says blood alcohol levels of 0.08% were confirmed in one of the 0.7 g/kg studies (Cialis 12.2). The tadalafil doses in the table are the doses used in the studies, not dosing advice. Your provider sets the dose.

What the Cialis patient leaflet says

Under “What Should I Avoid While Taking CIALIS?”, the leaflet says: “Do not drink too much alcohol when taking CIALIS (for example, 5 glasses of wine or 5 shots of whiskey).” It says drinking too much alcohol “can increase your chances of getting a headache or getting dizzy, increasing your heart rate, or lowering your blood pressure” (Cialis leaflet). MedlinePlus gives the same example and says to “talk to your doctor about the safe use of alcoholic beverages” during treatment with tadalafil (MedlinePlus: tadalafil).

What about daily tadalafil?

The prescribing information says Cialis for once daily use “provides continuous plasma tadalafil levels,” and tells prescribers to consider this when weighing interactions, including with “substantial consumption of alcohol” (Cialis 5.2). It lists the mean terminal half-life of tadalafil as 17.5 hours in healthy subjects (Cialis 12.3). Neither document gives a waiting time between a dose and a drink.

Can you drink alcohol with sildenafil (Viagra)?

The Viagra prescribing information reports one drug interaction study. Sildenafil 50 mg was given with alcohol at 0.5 g/kg, reaching a mean maximum blood alcohol level of 0.08%, and sildenafil “did not potentiate the hypotensive effect of alcohol in healthy volunteers” (Viagra 7.5). The prescribing information gives the numbers (Viagra 12.2):

• Largest drop in systolic (top number) blood pressure: 18.5 mmHg with sildenafil plus alcohol, versus 17.4 mmHg with alcohol alone (Viagra 12.2).
• Largest drop in diastolic (bottom number) blood pressure: 17.2 mmHg with sildenafil plus alcohol, versus 11.1 mmHg with alcohol alone (Viagra 12.2).
• “There were no reports of postural dizziness or orthostatic hypotension” (Viagra 12.2).
• “The maximum recommended dose of 100 mg sildenafil was not evaluated in this study” (Viagra 12.2).

The Viagra patient information does not mention alcohol (Viagra leaflet). The prescribing information lists the terminal half-lives of sildenafil and its active metabolite as “about 4 hours” (Viagra 12.3).

Why does alcohol matter with ED pills?

Both documents say the ED drug itself can briefly lower blood pressure. The Viagra prescribing information says sildenafil “has systemic vasodilatory properties that resulted in transient decreases in supine blood pressure in healthy volunteers (mean maximum decrease of 8.4/5.5 mmHg)” (Viagra 5.1). The Cialis prescribing information says tadalafil has “mild systemic vasodilatory properties that may result in transient decreases in blood pressure” (Cialis 5.1). The Cialis prescribing information puts alcohol in the same group, as a mild vasodilator (Cialis 5.9).

What about blood pressure medicines?

The Cialis prescribing information groups alcohol with nitrates, alpha-blockers and other blood pressure medicines as substances whose blood-pressure-lowering effects tadalafil can add to (Cialis highlights, 7.1). Whether any ED medication is appropriate alongside blood pressure medicines is decided by a licensed provider who reviews your health history and current medications, so bring your full medication list and an honest account of how much you drink. For general background, see our ED safety information.

Does drinking affect erections on its own?

The documents do not address this. NIDDK, part of the National Institutes of Health, lists “drinking too much alcohol” among lifestyle behaviors that “may contribute to ED,” along with too little physical activity, smoking and recreational drug use (NIDDK). For how often ED is reported at different ages, see erectile dysfunction rates by age.

Red flags: when to get medical help

These are the prescribing information’s own instructions, quoted or closely paraphrased.

• Dizziness or lightheadedness. The Cialis prescribing information lists dizziness among the orthostatic symptoms seen with substantial alcohol (Cialis 5.9).
• Chest pain during sex. The Cialis prescribing information says patients with symptoms when starting sexual activity “should be advised to refrain from further sexual activity and seek immediate medical attention” (Cialis 5.1). The Viagra leaflet says to “stop sexual activity and get medical help right away” (Viagra leaflet).
• An erection lasting more than 4 hours. The Cialis prescribing information says patients with an erection lasting longer than 4 hours, “whether painful or not, should seek emergency medical attention” (Cialis 5.3).
• Sudden loss of vision or hearing. The Viagra leaflet says to “stop taking VIAGRA and call your healthcare provider right away” for sudden vision loss, and both documents say to stop the drug and seek prompt medical attention for sudden hearing loss (Viagra leaflet; Viagra 5.4; Cialis 5.5).

Quick answers

How much alcohol is too much with Cialis?

The Cialis prescribing information uses “5 units or greater” as its example of substantial drinking, and the leaflet gives “5 glasses of wine or 5 shots of whiskey” (Cialis 5.9; Cialis leaflet). The prescribing information does not set a lower amount that it calls safe. Talk to a licensed provider about your own drinking.

Does the prescribing information say how long to wait between a pill and a drink?

No. Neither the Cialis nor the Viagra prescribing information gives a waiting time for alcohol (Cialis prescribing information; Viagra prescribing information). They list half-lives of 17.5 hours for tadalafil and about 4 hours for sildenafil (Cialis 12.3; Viagra 12.3). A half-life describes how long a drug stays in the blood; neither document links it to alcohol or uses it as a waiting time.

Talk to a licensed provider

If you drink and are thinking about ED treatment, tell a licensed provider how much you usually drink, plus your full medication list, including any blood pressure or prostate medicines, nitrates and poppers. The provider decides whether treatment is appropriate and sets the dose. You can read about online ED treatment, compare every ED treatment option, or see how oral ED prescriptions are handled. MedlinePlus also says to talk to your doctor about grapefruit and grapefruit juice while taking either drug (MedlinePlus: sildenafil; MedlinePlus: tadalafil).

Sources

1. VIAGRA (sildenafil citrate) tablets, prescribing information and patient information, revised 11/2023. Viatris, via DailyMed (NIH National Library of Medicine). dailymed.nlm.nih.gov. Accessed Oct 2026.
2. CIALIS (tadalafil) tablets, prescribing information and patient information, revised 3/2026. Eli Lilly, via DailyMed (NIH National Library of Medicine). dailymed.nlm.nih.gov. Accessed Oct 2026.
3. Tadalafil. MedlinePlus, NIH National Library of Medicine. medlineplus.gov. Accessed Oct 2026.
4. Sildenafil. MedlinePlus, NIH National Library of Medicine. medlineplus.gov. Accessed Oct 2026.
5. Symptoms & Causes of Erectile Dysfunction, last reviewed October 2024. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). niddk.nih.gov. Accessed Oct 2026.

This article is for general information. It is not medical advice and it is not a recommendation for any particular treatment. Whether a treatment is appropriate for you is a decision for a licensed clinician who has reviewed your health history and current medications.