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Can you take Viagra with alcohol?

6 min read

Written by: 

Rachel Honeyman

Reviewed by: 

Peter Schlegel, MD, FACS

 and 

Raagini Yedidi, MD

Published: Sep 17, 2020

Updated:  Apr 01, 2025

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Reviewed By

Peter Schlegel, MD, FACS

Peter Schlegel, MD, FACS, is a Ro Advisor, board-certified urologist, and male fertility expert.

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Key takeaways

  • It’s generally considered safe to have a drink or two while taking Viagra, but you might experience an increase in side effects, like headache or facial flushing. According to the prescribing information for Viagra, the medication does not interact with alcohol, though moderation is still important. 

  • Drinking modestly (1–2 drinks per day) is unlikely to impact your erectile function or cause erectile dysfunction (ED). Drinking heavily for a long period of time, however, can be detrimental to your health, including your erectile wellbeing. 

Here's what we'll cover

Here's what we'll cover

Key takeaways

  • It’s generally considered safe to have a drink or two while taking Viagra, but you might experience an increase in side effects, like headache or facial flushing. According to the prescribing information for Viagra, the medication does not interact with alcohol, though moderation is still important. 

  • Drinking modestly (1–2 drinks per day) is unlikely to impact your erectile function or cause erectile dysfunction (ED). Drinking heavily for a long period of time, however, can be detrimental to your health, including your erectile wellbeing. 

If you’re currently pouring yourself a drink and wondering if you can combine Viagra (sildenafil) and alcohol, here’s what you need to know: It is likely safe to take Viagra with alcohol if you are drinking in moderation and have consulted with your healthcare provider. 

But that’s not a carte blanche. There are some things you need to know about how alcohol and Viagra can interact before you toss a few drinks back.

Viagra Important Safety Information: Read more about serious warnings and safety info.

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Is it safe to take Viagra with alcohol?

As long as your alcohol use is not excessive (and you’ve cleared it with your healthcare provider), it is likely safe for you to have a glass or two of wine (or the equivalent serving of beer or spirits) while taking sildenafil, better known as Viagra or the “little blue pill.” 

The key, though, is “not excessive.” Alcohol and Viagra can potentially have some overlapping side effects, like dizziness and headaches, and mixing the two might make those effects worse, especially if you’re drinking excessively. The daily alcohol limit recommended by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism is two drinks a day for men (or one drink a day for women). 

What happens when you drink alcohol with Viagra? 

Viagra, like any medication, can come with some side effects, which most people are able to manage. When combining Viagra with heavy alcohol use, there’s a chance these side effects can increase. There are limited studies available on this particular subject, though, so more research on the effects of mixing Viagra and alcohol is needed to fully understand the potential risks in humans.

Side effects of Viagra

The most common side effects of Viagra are: 

  • Headache

  • Flushing

  • Indigestion

  • Congestion 

  • Vision changes

  • Back pain

  • Dizziness

  • Rash

In very rare cases, Viagra is associated with some serious side effects, including: 

  • Priapism (an erection that lasts more than four hours)

  • Vision or hearing loss

  • Low blood pressure (when combined with other drugs that lower blood pressure)

The US Food and Drug Association (FDA) also has warnings against using Viagra in those with a history of heart disease or bleeding disorders.

If you are unsure whether the medication is safe for you, speak with a healthcare provider to address your concerns. 

Side effects of alcohol and Viagra

To date, there have been few studies on the effects of using alcohol and Viagra simultaneously. One study showed that taking Viagra with alcohol increased participants’ chances of experiencing: 

  • Headaches

  • Facial flushing

  • Chest discomfort

  • Dizziness

Two important caveats, though: the study was relatively small (on just over 300 participants), and most people in the study who drank alcohol while taking Viagra did so heavily—more than 15 drinks a week. So, it’s possible a drink or two won’t increase Viagra’s side effects, but it’s important to pay attention to how you feel and see how it affects you. 

How long after a drink can you take Viagra?

As far as we know, there’s no need to space out alcohol and Viagra, as long as you are drinking modest amounts (sticking to the 1–2 drinks per day max as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC). Just know that there’s a chance you could experience more side effects like facial flushing, headaches, or lightheadedness. 

You may also want to drink some extra water or other non-alcoholic fluids to offset some of those potential effects. And don’t forget to take the regular safety precautions you take when consuming alcohol, like ensuring your environment is safe and avoiding driving while under the influence.

How long after taking Viagra can you drink alcohol? 

According to the FDA label (i.e. the approved prescribing information) for Viagra, there’s no known reason to wait between taking Viagra and drinking alcohol if you’re having just a drink or two. It’s possible drinking alcohol could increase some of the side effects of Viagra (like dizziness, headache, and facial flushing), so you’ll have to see how combining them affects you. 

If you are a heavy drinker (meaning, you drink more than 15 drinks per week), it might be best to stay away from Viagra altogether. The one direct study we have on this interaction shows that heavy drinkers see a significant uptick in Viagra side effects. 

How much Viagra and alcohol is too much?

If you are going to consume alcohol while taking Viagra, be sure to do so responsibly. Limit your alcohol intake to 1–2 drinks per day. The CDC defines a standard drink as the following:

  • 12 ounces of beer (with 5% alcohol content)

  • 8 ounces of malt liquor (with 7% alcohol content)

  • 5 ounces of wine (with 12% alcohol content)

  • 1.5 ounces or a “shot” of 80-proof (40% alcohol content) distilled spirits or liquor (e.g., gin, rum, vodka, whiskey)

Drink water or nonalcoholic beverages in between the alcoholic beverages to prevent dehydration. Know your limits, and be sure to stop drinking alcohol when you start to feel intoxicated.

And, for those on certain prescription drugs like nitrates or alpha-blockers, do not take Viagra, even without alcohol, before speaking with your healthcare provider. Negative drug interactions and serious side effects can occur when these medications are combined with Viagra.

Alcohol and erectile dysfunction

What about how alcohol might affect your ability to get an erection? Alcohol affects erectile function differently, depending on your drinking habits. 

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is usually not negatively affected by alcohol intake—assuming you’re staying within the recommended limit of 1–2 drinks per day. In fact, some people with ED find that a drink or two can loosen them up enough that their existing erectile problems improve (though this is probably only the case in ED that’s more related to sexual performance anxiety). The evidence tells us that it’s unlikely moderate drinking is a cause of ED. 

The story looks quite different when we look at people with a dependence on alcohol. In those with alcohol dependence, ED can be a result. This is likely because long-term, heavy drinking causes damage to the blood vessels, including the blood vessels in the penis. 

Similarly, other lifestyle factors that can damage blood flow, like obesity, smoking, and lack of physical activity, can lead to ED. ED can happen at any age (though it’s more common in older age groups, especially those over 70). 

What ED treatments are not affected by alcohol?

You should be fine to mix small amounts of alcohol with most proven and studied ED treatments. While there’s a chance that side effects from Viagra could be made worse with alcohol, it’s generally safe to mix them, so long as you’re drinking moderately. Again, this means you’re staying within the recommended limit of 1–2 drinks per day. 

Viagra is part of a class of drugs called PDE-5 inhibitors, which also include Cialis (tadalafil). These medications are the most well-researched treatments available for ED, and the rules about mixing alcohol apply to both drugs—a little should be fine, but a lot is not recommended. 

Other potential ED treatments to discuss with your healthcare provider include vacuum devices (aka penis pumps), penis injections, shockwave therapy, or penile implants. As far as we know, these should all be safe with moderate drinking, but direct research on this hasn’t been conducted yet. 

Be careful about taking any so-called over-the-counter Viagra supplements or other at-home “treatments” claiming to improve libido, erectile function, stamina, or ejaculation. There are many counterfeit options on the market, which come with high potential risks to your health. Avoid these altogether, and definitely don’t mix them with alcohol since you don’t know what they contain. 

Cialis Important Safety Information: Read more about serious warnings and safety info.

Does grapefruit juice affect Viagra? 

You may be surprised to learn that grapefruit juice can have a significant impact on the effectiveness and safety of Viagra. Viagra is broken down by the liver, and grapefruit juice may affect how well the liver can accomplish this. Researchers looked at men who took Viagra with grapefruit juice and found that the combination can increase the amount of the drug circulating in your body. 

While this is not usually a dangerous outcome, higher levels of Viagra may increase the risk of those pesky common side effects like headaches, flushing, or low blood pressure. Grapefruit juice can have this effect on many medications, not just alcohol, so be wary of including grapefruit juice in your diet if you are taking other medications as well. 

Bottom line: mixing Viagra and alcohol

The takeaway?  It’s probably fine to have a drink or two with Viagra, but there’s a chance mixing Viagra and alcohol together could increase the risk of their shared side effects (headache, lightheadedness, etc). 

  • As long as your healthcare provider gives you the green light, you should be fine to have a drink or two while on Viagra. But keep in mind that combining the two may lead to more side effects like facial flushing, headaches, or lightheadedness. 

  • Drinking heavily (more than two drinks a day for men) is not recommended at all, and doing so while taking Viagra is even more likely to increase side effects. 

  • As long as you stick to the recommended limit of 1–2 drinks, alcohol shouldn’t have any serious impact on your erectile function. Heavy drinking could be a cause of ED, though. 

If you have more questions about mixing sildenafil and alcohol or are curious about other ED medications like Cialis (tadalafil) or vardenafil (previously available as Levitra), contact your healthcare provider.

DISCLAIMER

If you have any medical questions or concerns, please talk to your healthcare provider. The articles on Health Guide are underpinned by peer-reviewed research and information drawn from medical societies and governmental agencies. However, they are not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Sildenafil (Generic of Viagra)
Erectile Dysfunction

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