Performance anxiety is all in a person's mind, but erectile dysfunction is not, necessarily.
As for Viagra - I, too, never take the full pill. NEVER. There are several reasons for this.
1) I don't need the full thing, and so each individual tablet can do me for two really good sex sessions.
2) It's cost-effective. Saves money. Your Viagra lasts twice as long.
3) Lessens the chance of side-effects
But IS Viagra safe?
First of all, there are factors, as most guys who take Viagra will know. How's your general health? How's that blood pressure? How's your heart? Are you diabetic? These things can partially determine how safe Viagra is for you. I think Viagra is (going on my experience) the ED drug most likely to cause side effects. The likelihood and severity of those side effects depends on a) your general health, b) your dosage and frequency, and c) the quality of the drug itself.
For example, is it Viagra? Is it the blue pill? Or is it a generic Sildenafil? If it's generic, take the time to do your research before you buy it (or at least before you pop it, please!) Not all generics are created equally, nor do they score the same in reviews. Did you get it on prescription from your doctor, or did you buy it online? Did you buy it from a reputable website , or did you respond to an email in your spam folder? (Of course not. You're smarter than that.) Or, did you buy it, or were you given it by a guy in a bar/at a party/back alley? KNOW where your ED drugs came from. Please.
Is it Cialis? Well good, because that has less recorded side effects and a lower frequency.
But there's more to confuse you. Some doctors say don't take Viagra more than once a week. Some say more often is ok. Some say it goes by dosage - no more than 150mg a week (alright then, divide it up and you should be okay). But there are articles out there which say taking one a DAY can reverse erectile dyafunction over time, OR help avoid ED completely. So......which is it??
My experiences with ED meds are as follows:
Tried the official blue pill. It was expensive, but boy was my cock big and hard. My girlfriend was stunned and got the tape out, measuring me at 7 inches NBPEL (I'm typically 6.5 BPEL tops.) I fucked like a machine and she came like crazy. I was still getting immense erections 16 hours later - BUT - my eyes looked like I'd been smoking weed, my face was red and flushed and the erections kinda hurt. Worth it now and again for the extra size. Wtf that is about or HTF that even happens, because surely it's impossible, is beyond me.
Generic Sildenafil? Well, I get that from a reputable online pharmacy here in the UK. It is significantly cheaper than branded Viagra. It does exactly what it's supposed to, gets to work a little faster than Viagra, and is still having effect up to 24 hours later. My EQ is fabulous but I don't get the size boost. I max out at 6.5 no problems and I'm cool with that. No red eyes, no painful boners, but I DO get mild pains in my chest and arms, which scares me a little bit, but it passes and I'm always fine. Puts my heart rate up almost 30 points, too.
Cialis?
Well, no side effects whatsoever with this, gets to work way faster than Sildenafil, but the erections aren't quite as solid or impressive. A lower dose, though, so that makes sense. More expensive than generic Sildenafil, and the effects last plenty long enough, but for me the only advantage is the lack of side effects (surely a good enough advantage!)
I haven't tried Levitra, nor have I tried Spedra (not enough info available about Spedra yet, and I don't take chances with medication).
For safety's sake, Cialis do a one-a-day tablet, which sounds fantastic for guys genuinely suffering from bad ED. By all accounts it is safe to take every day, and if you're lucky enough to have a horny-ass wife, this has to be a Godsend. However - you better be making good bank, because a 28 day supply of this is a couple of hundred UK Pounds. Imagine that every month? Oh dear!
There are concerns about the effects of long-term or regular use on the heart - capillaries dilate, heart rate increases, and then throw in the added stress of the vigorous seeing-to you're administering, and yeah, it comes as no surprise to hear that could put older, less physically fit guys - and guys with pre-existing heart conditions - at risk. So I use ED medication sparingly, and only recreationally rather than necessarily, even though I'm fairly fit and have a medical check-up every 12 months (blood, heart etc) and by all accounts am in better shape than I have any right to be (39 years old, smoke 15-20 a day and most definitely no stranger to a cheeseburger).
These are only MY experiences with ED medications though, and everybody's mileage will likely vary.