Spedra Tablets: Uses, Strengths and How They Work

• The genuine, entry-level starting point for anyone new to Spedra, not another strength-specific deep dive
• Covers the counterfeit-medicine risk and how to get Spedra legitimately, not addressed elsewhere
• A full comparison against other PDE5 inhibitor tablets
• Online consultation with UK-registered prescribers

Spedra tablets are a licensed prescription medicine containing avanafil, used to treat erectile dysfunction in adult men. They belong to a group of medicines called PDE5 inhibitors, the same class as sildenafil and tadalafil, and are known for being one of the faster-acting options in this group.

This guide explains what Spedra tablets are, how they work, how to take them safely, and how to get them legitimately, with links through to more detailed pages on specific strengths.

Key things to know

• Spedra tablets contain avanafil, a PDE5 inhibitor licensed in the UK at three strengths: 50mg, 100mg, and 200mg
• They are a relatively fast-acting PDE5 inhibitor and are usually taken approximately 15-30 minutes before sexual activity.
• They are a prescription-only medicine, requiring a proper clinical assessment.
• They only work with stimulation, and do not treat any underlying cause of erectile dysfunction on their own.
• Genuine Spedra tablets are only available through a registered pharmacy following assessment, not through unregulated online sellers.

What Spedra Tablets Are and Their Use for Erectile Dysfunction

Spedra is the brand name for avanafil, an oral tablet medicine used to treat erectile dysfunction, the persistent difficulty achieving or maintaining an erection sufficient for intercourse. It is licensed for use in adult men experiencing erectile difficulties and requires an appropriate clinical assessment before it can be prescribed. It is not generally available over the counter.

It is a part of a wider group of medicines called PDE5 inhibitors, which also includes sildenafil, tadalafil, and vardenafil, all working through a broadly similar mechanism but as erectile dysfunction treatments with genuinely different timing profiles worth understanding before choosing between them.

Avanafil is a relatively newer addition to this medicine class compared with sildenafil, developed with a particular focus on rapid onset. Its relatively quick onset is one of its most distinctive features compared with some older options in the same category and may be a factor when considering different treatment options. Spedra supports the body's natural response rather than producing an automatic effect on its own, which is why it is intended for people experiencing erectile difficulties.

What the Tablets Look Like and Contain

Spedra tablets are film-coated oral tablets, manufactured at three distinct strengths, 50mg, 100mg, and 200mg, with the 100mg presented as a pale yellow oval tablet, each a physically separate tablet rather than achieved by splitting or combining a single formulation. Alongside the active substance avanafil, tablets contain standard inactive ingredients used to bind and coat the tablet, these do not have a therapeutic effect themselves. These ingredients do not provide the medicine's therapeutic effect.

Always check the patient information leaflet supplied with your specific pack for the full ingredient list and information about the appearance of your tablets.

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How Spedra Tablets Work

Spedra tablets work by blocking an enzyme called PDE5, which normally breaks down a chemical signal released in the body during arousal that relaxes blood vessels and allows increased blood flow. By blocking this breakdown, avanafil prolongs and enhances a process the body has already initiated, helping support an erection when natural stimulation is present. It does not create an erection independently and does not increase desire or interest.

Avanafil is described as a highly selective PDE5 inhibitor, meaning it targets this specific enzyme more precisely than acting broadly across other, unrelated enzyme systems in the body. This selectivity is part of why PDE5 inhibitors as a class have a relatively predictable, well-understood side effect profile.

How to Take Spedra Tablets

Spedra tablets are taken whole with water, usually on an as-needed basis rather than according to a fixed daily schedule, and should not be taken more than once a day. The recommended starting dose for many adults is 100 mg, subject to appropriate clinical assessment. The specific dose and timing should be determined according to individual medical advice rather than general information. It is commonly taken around 15-30 minutes before planned activity.

Taking the tablet on an empty stomach, or after a lighter meal, tends to give more predictable, faster results if timing matters to you, since a high-fat meal can delay how quickly it is absorbed.

Unlike medicines taken on a fixed daily schedule, Spedra is normally used when needed. If you forget to take it before planned sexual activity, do not take an additional dose simply because the timing has changed. Never take more than the recommended amount within 24 hours.

How Long Spedra Tablets Take to Work and How Long They Last

Spedra is a relatively fast-acting PDE5 inhibitor. The recommended dose is taken approximately 15-30 minutes before sexual activity, although the time to effect can vary between individuals. Clinical studies have specifically investigated erectile responses from around 15 minutes after dosing.

Avanafil reaches maximum plasma concentrations relatively quickly, with a median time of approximately 30-45 minutes in the fasted state. Food, particularly a high-fat meal, can delay absorption and therefore delay the onset of activity.

The duration of the effect is not a fixed number of hours for everyone. Avanafil can continue to support erectile function for several hours after dosing, but the response varies between individuals and should not be interpreted as a guaranteed 4-6-hour window.

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The Three Available Strengths

Spedra is available in 50mg, 100mg, and 200mg doses. Which strength is appropriate for you is confirmed during a proper clinical assessment, this general table is context, not a basis for self-selecting a dose. If 100mg is ineffective, the dose can be increased to 200mg after assessment. For a deeper look at how the 100mg versus 200mg decision is actually made, or how the 50mg strength differs specifically, dedicated pages cover each in more depth.

Common Side Effects

Common side effects of Spedra tablets include headache, flushing, nasal congestion and back pain. Other adverse effects can occur, and their frequency can vary with dose.

Most common side effects are mild or moderate. If a side effect is severe, persistent or concerning, speak to your prescriber or pharmacist rather than assuming that you need to continue treatment unchanged.

Dizziness can occur, particularly where blood pressure falls. Changes in vision or hearing should also be taken seriously, particularly if they are sudden.

Who Spedra Tablets Are not Suitable For

Spedra is not suitable for everyone. Important situations requiring avoidance or medical assessment include:

• People taking nitrate medicines or nitric oxide donors, because combining them with avanafil can cause a dangerous fall in blood pressure
• People taking riociguat, because the combination is contraindicated
• People taking potent CYP3A4 inhibitors, such as ketoconazole or ritonavir
• People using other erectile dysfunction treatments, because the safety and effectiveness of combining them with Spedra have not been established
• People with certain serious cardiovascular conditions where sexual activity or treatment with avanafil may be unsuitable
• People with severe renal impairment
• People with severe hepatic impairment
• People under 18, as Spedra is not indicated for use in the paediatric population
• People with certain anatomical deformities of the penis or conditions that may increase the risk of priapism, where specific medical assessment may be required

People taking alpha-blockers may also need additional assessment and careful dose consideration because combining these medicines with avanafil can lower blood pressure.

Your prescriber should assess your medical history, current medicines and cardiovascular health before deciding whether Spedra is appropriate for you.

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Interactions Worth Knowing About

Avanafil is mainly metabolised by the liver enzyme CYP3A4, so medicines that inhibit this enzyme can increase the amount of avanafil in the body.

Some potent CYP3A4 inhibitors must not be taken with Spedra. Examples include ketoconazole, ritonavir, atazanavir, clarithromycin, indinavir, itraconazole, nefazodone, nelfinavir, saquinavir and telithromycin.

Other medicines are considered moderate CYP3A4 inhibitors. These include erythromycin, amprenavir, aprepitant, diltiazem, fluconazole, fosamprenavir and verapamil. If you take one of these medicines, the maximum recommended avanafil dose is 100mg and doses should be separated by at least 48 hours.

Spedra should also not be combined with other PDE5 inhibitors or other erectile dysfunction treatments unless specifically advised by an appropriate healthcare professional.

Grapefruit juice may increase avanafil exposure, so the product information advises avoiding grapefruit juice within 24 hours before taking avanafil.

Tell your prescriber or pharmacist about every medicine you take, including medicines bought without a prescription, before using Spedra.

Spedra Tablets and Food

Spedra can be taken with or without food. However, if it is taken with food, the onset of activity may be delayed compared with taking it in the fasted state. A high-fat meal can therefore make the medicine take longer to start working.

Alcohol can increase the potential for symptomatic low blood pressure when taken with avanafil. This can increase the likelihood of dizziness or fainting. Excessive alcohol can also make it harder to achieve an erection, so limiting alcohol may help make the response more predictable.

Spedra Compared to Other PDE5 Inhibitor Tablets

Avanafil sits alongside sildenafil, tadalafil, and vardenafil as one of four PDE5 inhibitors licensed in the UK for erectile dysfunction, and these are all common ed treatment options with genuinely different profiles worth understanding.

None of these medicines is objectively better for everyone, they suit different circumstances and preferences, a genuinely evidence-based choice made with a prescriber.

If planning around sexual activity is difficult, tadalafil's longer treatment window may be something to discuss with a prescriber. If a relatively fast onset and a shorter treatment window are more important, avanafil may be an option to consider. or you value not needing to think about food timing, tadalafil's long window and food-independence might be more appealing to discuss with your prescriber. If a fast, predictable, short window that clears quickly matters more to you, avanafil's speed is its main genuine advantage. This is exactly the kind of preference-based conversation worth having during your assessment, rather than assuming one option is universally correct.

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Storing Spedra Tablets

Spedra does not require any special storage conditions according to the product information. Keep the tablets in their original packaging and follow the storage and expiry instructions supplied with your medicine.

Keep medicines out of the reach and sight of children and do not use Spedra after the expiry date shown on the packaging

If You Take More Than Intended

The maximum recommended dosing frequency is once per day, regardless of strength. Do not take another dose within the same day because the first dose did not appear to work.

If you think you have taken more Spedra than intended, contact your doctor, pharmacist or NHS 111 for advice rather than taking any further doses. If you develop severe or concerning symptoms, seek urgent medical attention.

Travelling With Spedra Tablets

When travelling with Spedra, keep the medicine in its original packaging and carry your prescription or other supporting documentation where appropriate.

Travel requirements for prescription medicines can vary depending on your destination, so check the rules of the country you are travelling to before your journey. If you are travelling internationally, allow enough time to check whether any additional documentation is required.

Getting Spedra Tablets Legitimately

Genuine Spedra tablets are only available following a proper clinical assessment through a registered UK pharmacy, never without any health questions being asked.

The MHRA reports seizing around 19.5 million doses of illegal medicines for this condition in the UK between 2021 and 2025, testing has found products with no active ingredient, the wrong dose, or toxic contaminants.

A genuine seller will always require a real consultation checking your medical history and current medications before supply, if a source offers Spedra tablets with no such check at all, this is a recognised pattern associated with unregulated, potentially unsafe products.

A few practical signs are worth checking for whenever you are considering a source, a genuine UK online pharmacy will be registered with the GPhC, and this registration is checkable independently. It won't advertise prescription-only medicine prices directly on its homepage, since this is against advertising regulations for this category of medicine, and it will always require you to complete a genuine health questionnaire, answered honestly, before supply is confirmed by a registered prescriber.

What a Clinical Assessment Involves

A proper assessment considers your medical history, current medications, particularly checking for nitrate use, and cardiovascular risk factors, before confirming whether Spedra, and at which strength, is appropriate for you. Talk to your doctor or a pharmacist before taking Spedra if you have other conditions, take other medicines, or are having treatment now or recently for bacterial infections, as those medicines can interact. If you are unsure, get doctor straight advice rather than self-selecting a strength. If you have previously tried a PDE5 inhibitor, mentioning your experience, including any side effects, genuinely helps inform the right starting point.

This is a genuine, individualised process, not a formality, being thorough rather than minimal in your answers helps your prescriber make a properly informed decision.

This assessment is not simply a formality. Providing complete and accurate information helps your prescriber make a safer decision about whether Spedra is suitable and which dose is appropriate.

Your treatment may also need review if your health or medicines change, or if the current dose is not working well or is causing troublesome side effects.

Frequently Overlooked Practical Details

A few practical details are easy to overlook when first starting Spedra tablets.

Alcohol can increase the risk of low blood pressure, dizziness or fainting when taken with avanafil. Excessive alcohol can also make it harder to achieve an erection, so limiting alcohol may help make the response more predictable.

If you have recently started, stopped or changed another medicine, tell your prescriber or pharmacist. This is particularly important because medicines that affect CYP3A4 can alter the amount of avanafil in your body.

Response can also vary from one occasion to another. Factors such as sexual stimulation, food, alcohol, stress and tiredness can influence erectile function, so one unsuccessful attempt does not necessarily mean that the medicine will never work for you.

If Spedra does not appear to work, do not take an additional tablet on the same day. Speak to your prescriber or pharmacist about whether the dose or treatment needs reviewing.

Red Flags Worth Knowing

Following serious side effects, stop treatment and seek help if you notice:

• An erection lasting 4 hours or more: this can be priapism and requires urgent medical treatment to prevent permanent damage.
• Chest pain, dizziness, or fainting, seek urgent medical attention, particularly if the pain is severe or persistent.
• Sudden decrease or loss of vision or hearing, including a sudden decrease affecting one or both eyes: seek immediate medical attention.
• Signs of a severe allergic reaction: you need urgent medical treatment.
• Any new medication that might interact, always disclose your full medication list to your prescriber.

Do not ignore sudden or severe symptoms after taking Spedra. If you are concerned about a possible medicine interaction, contact a pharmacist or doctor rather than taking another dose.

Medical Disclaimer

This page provides general information about Spedra tablets (avanafil). It is not a substitute for personalised medical advice. Treatment suitability, including the appropriate strength, depends on an individual clinical assessment. Your prescriber will determine the appropriate treatment for you. Results vary between individuals. If you experience an erection lasting 4 hours or more, chest pain, sudden loss of vision or hearing, or signs of a severe allergic reaction, seek urgent medical attention.