Tadalafil – better known by its brand name Cialis – is one of the most commonly prescribed drugs for erectile dysfunction.
But in some biohacking and wellness circles, it's increasingly being repurposed for an entirely different reason.
Online clinics and influential figures are promoting it as a kind of all-purpose longevity drug – delivering benefits for the cardiovascular system, brain and even athletic performance.
The drugs aren't approved for preventing heart attack and stroke, let alone for extending life.
However, the enthusiasm does reflect growing interest among some experts in the field of cardiology and men's health that tadalafil and other drugs in its class could have a legitimate role in preventive health.
"It's a serious area of discussion," says Dr. Robert Kloner, director of cardiovascular research at the Huntington Medical Research Institutes and a professor at the University of Southern California.
"Cardiovascular disease remains the number one killer – and we have these drugs that may have a potential benefit, but we have to learn a lot more."
Tadalafil belongs to the same class of drugs as sildenafil, i.e., Viagra – with the primary difference being that its effect lasts considerably longer.
While both have been on the market for decades, a handful of large studies, many of them published in recent years, have shown that men taking the drug fare better: They have lower rates of cardiovascular disease and death, and, in some cases, are less likely to develop dementia.
The major studies in this area are observational – and retrospective – meaning they can only show associations, not that tadalafil was the definitive cause.
But the findings are remarkably "consistent" across the literature, says Kloner, whose lab has studied these medications extensively. "It's a very interesting signal."
The research has surfaced in the online longevity conversation, and prominent voices – from Stanford neuroscientist and podcaster Andrew Huberman to the immortality-seeking tech mogul Bryan Johnson – have talked up the idea of taking tadalafil for more than sex.
"It seemed very harmless," says Kristi Sawicki, who holds a doctorate in molecular oncology and has built a following on social media around longevity.
"If anything it's going to help blood flow and that can be beneficial to our brain and our heart," she told NPR.
Sawicki started taking tadalafil about a year ago.
