Photo by Innerbody Research
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a condition that likely affects a third of men, and half of those men are younger than 60.1 ED is defined as the inability to get or maintain an erection of sufficient strength and duration for sexual intercourse.
BlueChew aims to help men treat their ED effectively and discreetly by providing treatment plans for three different prescription medications, which can be delivered to your door after you complete a free online consultation with the BlueChew-affiliated physicians. You can get effective treatment for as little as $20 a month.
Is BlueChew right for you? We’ve thoroughly explored its services and treatment options and compared it to competitors. Here we will share the pros, cons, and all other details to help you decide whether you should give it a try.
Our Findings
Editor's Rating4.50
BlueChew gives men a very affordable and private way to access proven treatments without having to leave their homes at all — no trips to the doctor’s office or pharmacy. If you live in one of the 48 U.S. states where it’s available, we recommend that you give BlueChew a try. BlueChew's medications are unique chewable forms of sildenafil, tadalafil, and vardenafil (the same active ingredients in Viagra®, Cialis®, and Levitra®), which are proven effective for most men with ED. If one of these medications has worked well for you in the past, chewables can be an even more convenient solution for you, with no need to rush for a glass of water when the mood is right.
Exclusive Offer: Try one month for free using coupon code INNERBODY
Pros
- Easily allows you to get prescription ED medication online
- All three of BlueChew’s treatments are proven to help most men with ED
- Affordable, reliable, and discreet service
- Chewable format is great for those who dislike pills
- Made in the USA
- Our readers get an exclusive BlueChew free trial: Get 1 free month of the Active Plan or $20 off any of the other plans – to claim this deal, use coupon code: INNERBODY
Cons
- Not available in North Dakota
- Does not currently accept health insurance
- Not available outside of the United States
GREAT PICKS FROM BLUECHEW
1 Month BlueChew Free Trial of the Active Plan
$0$20
with code: INNERBODY
Reviewed by: Innerbody Research
Popular Tadalafil Plan: 14 doses/month
$30$50
with code: INNERBODY
Reviewed by: Innerbody Research
Popular Sildenafil Plan: 17 doses/month
$30$50
with code: INNERBODY
Reviewed by: Innerbody Research
Popular Vardenafil Plan: 15 doses/month
$45$65
with code: INNERBODY
Reviewed by: Innerbody Research
Using our coupon code (INNERBODY) to get a BlueChew free trial means you can try the treatment for a month before making any meaningful investment. If you want a different plan, then that same coupon code gets you $20 off whatever plan you prefer. The cost is low enough that it doesn’t matter that BlueChew doesn’t accept insurance; its treatments are very competitively priced.
Table of Contents
In this Review
Why you should trust us
To provide this review of BlueChew, we enlisted two teams and have spent over 92 hours testing and researching BlueChew’s treatments and services as well as investigating its competitor landscape. We evaluated the entire customer experience, from registration to medical consultation and, ultimately, the treatment experience itself. We tested the mechanisms for changing or canceling service. We also reached out to the customer service team with questions people like you are likely to ask. And we’ve explored all of these same processes and aspects of service for BlueChew’s close competitors as well. Lastly, we round out our perceptions of BlueChew with reviews from customers — people with ED who provide their honest answers to various questions we asked them about their experience with BlueChew’s services.
Over the past two decades, Innerbody Research has helped tens of millions of readers make more informed decisions about living healthier lifestyles. Our testing team purchases, tests, and compares a wide range of telehealth services, home tests, and other health-related products. We then write reviews and guides that inform you about the entire experience, so you know what to expect. Our reviews are also thoroughly vetted by members of our Medical Review Board for accuracy.
BlueChew free trial & coupon code
Exclusive deal: For a limited time, we are able to offer our readers an exclusive BlueChew FREE TRIAL if you use the coupon code (INNERBODY). With this coupon code, you will get one free month of the Active Plan for any medication or $20 off of any plan of your choice.
This free trial is a fantastic deal.
- For those who have never tried sildenafil, tadalafil, or vardenafil, our coupon code INNERBODY lets you try a month of any treatment for free in BlueChew’s chewable form (which can act faster than traditional pill form). An unbeatable way to see if it works for you.
- For those of you who have previously tried the medications but may be curious about the chewable form, you can take advantage of our BlueChew coupon code to get a free trial of the Active Plan OR take $20 off any plan that you would prefer.
To activate your free trial or get $20 off anything else, use our special coupon code (INNERBODY). Again, we don’t know how long this deal will last.
What is BlueChew?
BlueChew is an online portal for men to get prescription ED treatment. It's not a pharmacy or a medical center but a straightforward website that connects you to affiliated medical professionals and enables the prescription and discreet delivery of ED medication. This level of convenience is understandably appealing to many people. Having tested the service each year, we can say that it remains a smooth experience. BlueChew offers three ED medications that studies show are highly safe and effective for most men with ED who are deemed suitable for a prescription.
BlueChew isn't the only such portal, of course. One thing that makes BlueChew unique is that the company was a pioneer in the "chewable medication" movement. Other major companies have tried to catch up by offering compounded ED meds of their own — most notably, competitors Hims and Roman. Hims now has its Hard Mints, and Roman has its Sparks, but BlueChew was the first to compound these medications in a chewable format and deliver them to a wide audience. BlueChew's popularity turned a novel approach into what is now clearly a trend, owing to the added convenience of being able to take the medication without having water handy. (Many people also have trouble swallowing pills.)
In terms of its geographic reach, BlueChew can serve adults across the United States, with the exception of North Dakota. The company is based in Illinois, and its medical treatments are made in the United States. BlueChew is still unique as the only major provider that offers only chewable ED meds; you won't find pill options here. It does have something in common with competitors, though: BlueChew doesn't accept insurance.
Does BlueChew work?
Yes, BlueChew works – for most men with ED, sildenafil, tadalafil, or vardenafil will be effective in treating erectile dysfunction. This means most men will be able to use one of these prescription medications in order to achieve an erection of sufficient strength and duration for sex. Sildenafil (the active ingredient in Viagra) has been proven effective in numerous clinical studies, as has tadalafil (the active ingredient in Cialis).2 3 BlueChew recently added vardenafil, the active ingredient in Levitra and Staxyn. Having undergone many rigorous studies verifying their safety and effectiveness, all three are very widely prescribed.
BlueChew’s unique innovation on these traditional and effective medications is that it offers them in chewable form. This allows them to work as effectively for many men, compared to the pill forms.
How does BlueChew work?
Photo by Innerbody Research
BlueChew provides a telemedicine service that gives men access to three proven prescription treatments in a totally private, discreet way. The company eliminates the need to go to a doctor’s office and talk in person about these issues with a relative stranger. BlueChew also allows you to skip the trips to the pharmacy to pick up the prescription.
To address ED, BlueChew offers plans that revolve around a prescription for sildenafil, tadalafil, or vardenafil. These medications – the active ingredients found in Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra, respectively – are three of the most common ED medications, designed to help improve the symptoms of erectile dysfunction. A majority of those with ED will respond well to one of these medications.
All three medications are classified as “PDE5 inhibitors”. By blocking a specific chemical that normally signals to the body that it’s time for an erection to stop, the drugs effectively encourage blood flow to the genital region in order to allow normal, healthy erections of sufficient duration. For most men with ED, these prescription medications eliminate the hardships and frustrations of ED.
The three prescriptions are comparably effective and safe for most men. However, there are differences among them.
- Sildenafil, the most popular medication for fighting erectile dysfunction, lasts between 4 to 6 hours. There are necessary considerations about when to take the medicine relative to meals because eating before or after taking sildenafil will increase the time it takes to become effective.
- Tadalafil is comparably popular. Tadalafil tends to remain in the bloodstream for a longer period of time – it can effectively combat ED for 24-36 hours. Your eating schedule doesn’t matter with tadalafil.
- Vardenafil works in a manner similar to sildenafil. It has the same window of action, allowing you to enjoy its effects for approximately 4-6 hours. A thorough comparison of studies looking into either showed no meaningful differences.4 Ultimately, one might work a little better for you than another, but both are safe and effective.
The medicines share some similar possible side effects, which are usually not serious and may include:
- Facial reddening
- Headache
- Diarrhea
- Nausea or stomach discomfort
More serious side effects could also occur, including:
- Priapism (an erection that lasts longer than 4 hours)
- Dizziness
- Vision changes
- Low blood pressure
You’ll need to provide information about your blood pressure in order to be prescribed any of these medications. This is true of BlueChew as well as any reputable medical service prescribing these drugs. For those with high blood pressure, PDE5 inhibitors can cause health concerns.
Inactive ingredients
BlueChew’s tablets consist of more than just the active drugs they provide. To get those drugs into a convenient, chewable form, the company compounds them with several inactive ingredients that allow the tablets to hold their shape, taste good, and break down easily in the mouth as you chew. Those ingredients include:
- Emdex
- Sucralose
- Citric acid
- Natural flavoring (fruit punch in sildenafil and tadalafil only)
- Xylitol (vardenafil only)
- Mint (vardenafil only)
- Peppermint (vardenafil only)
- Magnesium stearate
- Blue #1 aluminum lake
Altogether, these ingredients constitute less than 1g of the total weight of each tablet (which is not part of the drugs’ measured doses).
How we evaluated BlueChew
Evaluating BlueChew for this review was a more straightforward process than some of the other telemedicine providers in the ED space simply because BlueChew’s offering is so clear and concise. Where other companies also have their hands in things like primary care, hair loss, or mental health, BlueChew focuses solely on erectile dysfunction.
That focus allowed us to concentrate on reviews of five key factors: cost, convenience, privacy, customer service, and safety. In each area, BlueChew outperforms most of its competitors, with some of the lowest prices per dose, individually packed chewable tablets, and a reliable live chat feature. When it comes to men's sexual health products, there are safety concerns for men with certain underlying health conditions, and we’ll get into those further down the piece. But as a point of distinction between BlueChew and its competitors, safety isn't as big of a differentiator as those other criteria. Overall, BlueChew is our current top recommendation for at-home ED treatment.
Cost
Rating: 8.5 / 10
Simply put, BlueChew has some of the lowest prices you’ll find on generic ED medication. And when our researchers have been able to find better prices, they’ve often been from far less reputable companies that we couldn’t recommend for privacy and customer service concerns. It might be easier to see the differences between BlueChew and its top competitors in a simple chart:
Sildenafil 40-50mg: lowest price per dose | Tadalafil 5-6mg: lowest price per dose | Free shipping | |
---|---|---|---|
BlueChew | $2.65 | $3.21 | |
Hims | $3.38 | $3.30 | |
Roman | $4 | $11 |
When doctors prescribe tadalafil for daily use (as opposed to as needed), they often start at 2.5mg. The price of a 2.5mg dose from Hims can be as low as $2 with quarterly billing. Men who know they want to take tadalafil daily and that the 2.5mg dose is enough for them may benefit from starting with Hims. But BlueChew is superior in almost every other case. The one knock on BlueChew is that it doesn't provide free shipping, which is pretty standard across competitors.
Convenience
Rating: 9 / 10
Telemedicine providers that offer ED medications tend to deliver on convenience. They have free or low-cost doctor consultations that often consist of little more than an intake questionnaire, a blood pressure submission, and a little messaging back and forth with a provider. Most also offer free shipping. But BlueChew extends this convenience into the delivery method of those drugs.
Instead of pills that most people need water to swallow and that many people find too difficult, BlueChew offers its medicines in chewable tablets.5 So, if there’s nothing to drink available or you have problems swallowing pills, you can still take BlueChew as soon as you have reason to believe sex may be on the horizon. Each dose is also individually wrapped, so instead of carrying around a whole bottle of pills or a pill case (or finding a little baggie to carry your pills around), you can grab a dose or two of BlueChew before you head out for the night and carry them conveniently in your pocket.
Privacy
Rating: 8 / 10
Given the sensitive, personal nature of these treatments, it’s paramount that any provider offers you as much discretion as possible; your ED prescriptions are nobody’s business unless you decide to tell someone. This is an area in which most of the big names in online ED treatments excel. BlueChew, Hims, and Roman deliver their ED meds in packages that will not give away their contents. There is no company name on the return address, and there are no distinctive markings on the box itself.
We made an unboxing video that shows you exactly the kind of package you can expect to arrive from BlueChew if you choose to order:
As far as your data is concerned, any medical information is protected by HIPAA, which these companies must abide by if they’re doling out prescriptions. However, non-medical data points — like cookies and statistics used for marketing — are fair game, though there are ways to opt out. BlueChew makes it pretty easy to submit a ‘Do Not Sell My Information’ request by providing a link at the bottom of its pages.
Customer service
Rating: 8 / 10
Telemedicine providers generally do a pretty good job in customer service, offering at least one expedient way to answer your questions and offer you assistance. BlueChew, Hims, and Roman all have outstanding phone support, with relatively short wait times and representatives who can answer most questions. All three companies also have email-based support options that take around the same amount of time to respond.
Where Bluechew sets itself apart is in its chat support. Roman and Hims don’t offer chat support, which is a much more comfortable means of communication for many men. This isn’t just a question of our tendencies drifting away from phone calls and more toward texting; it’s a matter of privacy as well. Talking to a stranger about your ED might feel intimidating, and that could cause you to forget questions you wanted to ask or fail to take in information in the answers provided. Chat support feels much more discreet, and you can have BlueChew send a transcript of your chat to the email of your choice.
Safety
Rating: 9.5 / 10
For men who are considered suitable candidates for prescription ED medication, BlueChew is a highly safe option. It's as safe as any of its competitors providing the same ED medications, which makes safety not a very helpful factor for differentiation as you decide between BlueChew and other option like Hims or Roman; BlueChew and all other prescription ED providers must offer medications that are therapeutically identical to Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra. Decades of research have shown those three drugs to be both effective and safe for most men, and their safety and side effect profiles are the same with BlueChew as with any other provider.
Safety becomes a much more meaningful consideration if you're debating whether to opt for a prescription ED medication or one of the many non-prescription ED or male performance pills that flood the supplements marketplace. We break down those and other options later in this review when we explore alternatives to prescription ED medication.
Who is BlueChew for?
Men who struggle with ED may be able to get an erection for a short duration, or they may not be able to become erect at all. For the many men affected by ED, the condition can be an unfortunate source of embarrassment and frustration. It’s important to remember that this is a very common health condition, and treatment options are available. BlueChew is worth exploring if you’ve noticed difficulty getting or keeping an erection in order to enjoy sex. Through the medical consultation, BlueChew will be able to determine if your underlying health makes you a good candidate for their prescription ED medications.
What causes erectile dysfunction?
About five percent of men under age 40 are unable to achieve an erection, but erectile dysfunction doesn’t always have a single identifiable cause.6 There are several things that can contribute to the disorder, including both physiological and psychological issues. Ultimately, anything that can inhibit blood flow to the penis can be the cause, but there are several common reasons that men suffer from ED, including:
Obesity
Heart disease
Diabetes
High blood pressure
Depression
Anxiety
Stress
Relationship troubles
Low testosterone levels
Smoking
Medication side effects
Parkinson’s disease
Atherosclerosis
Nerve damage
Peyronie’s disease
Fatigue and sleep disorders
At first glance, it’s clear that men may overcome some of these causes with lifestyle interventions such as quitting smoking, improving diet and exercise, or working to reduce stress. But those interventions can take time, and there’s no harm in seeking prescription help from BlueChew in the meantime.
Who should not try BlueChew?
Some of the underlying causes of ED listed above — such as heart disease and high blood pressure — may ultimately mean that it isn't safe or advisable for you to try BlueChew’s ED medications. Whether you see a doctor in person or seek treatment via a telemedicine provider like BlueChew, be forthright about your medical history. If you’ve had a stroke or heart attack in the past or currently have high blood pressure, you must share those important details.
The BlueChew consultation process prompts you to share all important aspects of your history, and then, based on that history and underlying cardiovascular health, the prescribing medical professional affiliated with BlueChew will determine whether you’re a suitable candidate for one of the available ED medications.
How much does BlueChew cost?
BlueChew offers three main products with its service: prescriptions for sildenafil, tadalafil, and vardenafil. The company structures its pricing so that the price depends on your dosage and the number of tablets you order per month. The monthly prices start at $20 and range up to $120.
Cost comparison
While the price of BlueChew may vary depending on your dose and prescription size, it will always be significantly less expensive than brand-name alternatives like Viagra or Cialis. From 2012-2017 alone, the prices of these drugs have risen nearly 200%, with some prescriptions costing more than $10 per pill.7
BlueChew’s chewable tablets are closer to $2 or $3 per dose. That can save the average user hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars each year. But in all of the testing and research that we’ve conducted for our reviews, we find BlueChew’s prices are superior even compared to other companies that provide generic versions of Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra. For example, the same sildenafil prescription that costs around $2.65 per pill from BlueChew will cost you over $3 per pill from Hims and $4 per pill from Roman.
Let’s take a closer look at the prices for each of BlueChew’s available medications.
Sildenafil
Photo by Innerbody Research
If you choose to order sildenafil, you can order your treatment in packs of 6, 10, 17, or 34 tablets. Remember, each dose will last about 4-6 hours. Men who are very sexually active may want to order larger amounts.
There are two different dosages available – 30 mg and 45 mg; the company determines your monthly pricing based on this dosage in addition to the number of doses you want each month. There are four plan tiers that correspond to the different number of monthly doses, as shown below.
Active Plan | Busy Plan | Popular Plan | Pro Plan | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Monthly doses | 6 | 10 | 17 | 34 |
30 mg | Free | $10 | $30 | $70 |
45 mg | $10 | $20 | $45 | $100 |
You can always work with BlueChew to adjust your dosage in different ways as your treatment continues. The company makes it easy to share your concerns or desires with the affiliated medical professionals. All pricing in the chart above reflects the $20 discount you’ll receive if you visit BlueChew from this review. Here’s a snapshot of normal pricing.
Tadalafil
Tadalafil is a much longer-lasting medication that produces similar effects to sildenafil or vardenafil. BlueChew offers the same set of plan tiers for tadalafil – and at the same prices – although the number of pills per month and the dosage of active ingredient are different.
Active Plan | Busy Plan | Popular Plan | Pro Plan | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Monthly doses | 4 | 7 | 14 | 28 |
6 mg | Free | $10 | $30 | $70 |
9 mg | $10 | $20 | $45 | $100 |
These plans accommodate men across a multitude of lifestyle patterns. If you anticipate a handful of sexually active days in a particular month, you’ll find the Active Plan most economical. Meanwhile, at the opposite end of the spectrum, the Pro Plan provides treatment for nearly all waking hours in a given month, particularly when you consider that tadalafil remains active in your system for around 24 hours.
Remember, if you sign up by visiting from this review and using our coupon code (INNERBODY), you can enjoy a free trial – one free month of the Active Plan – offered exclusively to our readers. And this same coupon code alternately gets you $20 off any plan you choose, allowing you to enjoy the prices shown in the charts above if you want a different plan.
Vardenafil
Vardenafil is almost indistinguishable from sildenafil in its function. It starts working in about the same amount of time and lasts for 4-6 hours, just like sildenafil. But the two drugs are technically different. Any men who have tried sildenafil in the past without great results should look to vardenafil as a viable alternative. This is also true for men who’ve had adverse reactions to sildenafil, as studies show vardenafil has at least one less side effect than sildenafil.4
Unlike sildenafil and tadalafil, vardenafil only comes in one dose: 8mg. This is on the low end of the 5-20mg range we’ve encountered researching available studies, but it should still be plenty effective.
You can get vardenafil in monthly deliveries of 4, 8, 15, or 30 chewable tablets, with a free trial of the Active Plan when you use our exclusive coupon code (INNERBODY).
Active Plan | Busy Plan | Popular Plan | Pro Plan | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Monthly doses | 4 | 7 | 14 | 28 |
Normal Price | $20 | $35 | $65 | $120 |
Price with coupon code INNERBODY | Free | $15 | $45 | $100 |
Does BlueChew take insurance?
Unfortunately, most insurance plans don’t offer coverage for ED medications, either directly or in the form of reimbursem*nts. You can always check with your provider to be sure, but it’s likely a waste of your time.
For Medicare recipients, Parts A and B won’t cover ED medications, but some Part C (Medicare Advantage) and Part D programs will partially cover the cost of generic ED medications.
Insider Tip: You can access the formularies (lists of approved drugs) for whatever private insurance company provides your prescription plan for Parts C or D to determine whether any of BlueChew’s ED meds might be covered, which would save you a lengthy wait time on the phone.
Is BlueChew safe?
BlueChew is as safe as any typical prescription for sildenafil, tadalafil, or vardenafil unless you happen to be sensitive to one of its few inactive ingredients. For the most part, those ingredients (listed above) are extremely common food ingredients, so their safety is well-known.
Any BlueChew prescription will be safe for most men who don’t have cardiovascular issues. That’s because these medications act as vasodilators, a process that lowers blood pressure. If you already have low blood pressure or take medication that affects your blood pressure, adding a prescription PDE5 inhibitor from BlueChew or any other provider can be dangerous. After all, that’s why these medicines are available only with a prescription.
BlueChew’s side effect profile is identical to that of any other prescription sildenafil, tadalafil, or vardenafil. As PDE inhibitors, these drugs aren’t perfectly selective for PDE5; other PDE enzymes may be affected. And when the medications do collaterally inhibit other PDE enzymes, you may experience certain side effects. These can include muscle pains and vision disturbances. The specific enzymes that may be collaterally affected are different from medication to medication, which means that one medication may pose a risk for vision disturbance while another medication may not.
In rare cases typically found in individual case reports and not as part of any scaled studies, more severe reactions have occurred. These are worth noting within the scientific community for reference if they recur, but most are as yet purely anecdotal.
Side effects of sildenafil
Sildenafil’s side effect profile is slightly more extensive than other as-needed PDE5 inhibitors like vardenafil and avanafil (Stendra), mainly because those drugs were developed later and have been designed to be more selective of the PDE5 enzyme.
In studies looking at adverse effects associated with sildenafil, the following were the most common:2
- Flushing (reddening of the skin and face)
- Headache
- Nasal congestion
- Heartburn
- Dyspepsia (stomach discomfort)
- Visual impairments, including problems with color perception
That last effect —visual disturbances — comes from the fact that sildenafil also weakly inhibits PDE6, which is associated with certain visual processing pathways. Men who experience this side effect typically switch to tadalafil or vardenafil with success.
Side effects of tadalafil
Tadalafil presents many of the same side effects as sildenafil, though at different rates of occurrence. In a side-by-side comparison with sildenafil, one of the most noteworthy observations is that tadalafil doesn’t pose a risk of visual disturbance. This is because tadalafil lacks the impact on PDE6 seen with sildenafil. However, there is another enzyme tadalafil does inhibit in addition to PDE5, and that’s PDE11.8 As a result, tadalafil users sometimes report muscle pain — specifically, lower back pain.
All told, tadalafil’s most common side effects include:
- Headache
- Dyspepsia
- Nasopharyngitis (upper-airway symptoms of a common cold, like runny nose and sneezing)
- Back pain
Side effects of vardenafil
As a medication you take on an as-needed basis, vardenafil is closer to sildenafil in its performance than tadalafil, and its safety profile is nearly identical. But vardenafil was developed more recently than sildenafil, and its selectivity for PDE5 is greater than sildenafil’s. As a result, it doesn’t collaterally affect PDE6 in a way that causes visual disturbances, making it a great choice for men who experience those impairments when taking sildenafil.
The most common side effects of vardenafil are:9
- Headache
- Rhinitis (nasal congestion, runny nose, and sneezing)
- Flushing
- Dyspepsia
You might be torn between sildenafil and vardenafil, and you’re not sure why you wouldn’t want to try avoiding possible (albeit rare) vision effects by going for vardenafil first. It’s worth noting that vardenafil is slightly more expensive than sildenafil. And considering that most men involved in clinical studies stick with treatment despite mild adverse effects, you’d be wise to try sildenafil first unless directed otherwise.
When to see your doctor
In most clinical studies, common side effects like headaches and flushing tend to go away with regular use. If these side effects persist, we suggest talking to your doctor about an alternative PDE5 inhibitor; you might end up switching from sildenafil to vardenafil or tadalafil, for instance.
If you experience any cardiovascular symptoms, especially those related to dangerously low blood pressure like lightheadedness, dizziness, confusion, or significant nausea, you should discontinue use and call your doctor to rule out your medication as a cause.
Can BlueChew make you last longer in bed?
While more research is needed, and BlueChew’s medications are not prescribed or intended at all as treatments for premature ejacul*tion (PE), studies show that all three of the medications available through BlueChew — sildenafil, tadalafil, and vardenafil — can make you last longer in bed (increasing how long you last before climax). Using a score based on intravagin*l ejacul*tion latency time (IELT) — basically, how long it takes you to climax — researchers found that sildenafil, tadalafil, and vardenafil all allowed study participants to last longer than their baseline IELT assessments.
The study looking into sildenafil was the only one of the three not to reach statistical significance in its increase, but participants still reported increased ejacul*tory control and confidence compared to placebo.10 That might lead men with both ED and PE to try vardenafil instead, as its study showed more dramatic improvement in IELT scores than sildenafil.11
The most improvement in IELT scores came from the tadalafil study, which could at least partially be a result of the drug’s daily routine compared to the other two medications’ as-needed use.12
Whichever drug you choose, it appears as though they can all make you last longer in bed. But in this review, we want to make it absolutely clear that you shouldn’t seek out ED medications just because you want to last longer in bed. For starters, doctors likely won’t prescribe them to you without an ED diagnosis, and even if they did, there is some evidence connecting recreational ED medication abuse with increased rates of erectile dysfunction.13 That means you could start out without ED and then potentially develop it from taking ED meds when you don’t need them.
There are other effective products for premature ejacul*tion — available over the counter or by prescription — that help men improve the duration of their sexual activity without introducing the risk of developing ED. (If that’s what you’re looking for, we’ve got reviews of several of them, including reviews of the best delay sprays and PE wipes on the market.)
Getting started with BlueChew
Photo by Innerbody Research
While BlueChew branding is friendly and approachable, the company remains appropriately serious about doing its due diligence as a provider of prescription treatments. Our testers found that the affiliated medical professionals are diligent in their follow-up about your answers to the health questionnaire.
This is a strong signal of quality and trustworthiness – exactly what you should want in a company such as BlueChew. These ED medications are very safe when prescribed to people who don’t have underlying health conditions that would contraindicate them. In other words, to be safe, you need to be honest and thorough in providing information during the questionnaire. Meanwhile, BlueChew makes sure it has all of the necessary medical information to conclude that you’re a good candidate for the prescription medication.
While testing the service for this review, we found the process to be efficient, thorough, and fully trustworthy. SMS notifications let you know when there is a need to address any question from the medical professionals. Logging in, you’ll easily find the prompt to address those questions. BlueChew gives you a user-friendly and clear interface that helps you keep the process moving forward.
It’s easy to get started. Here's a short video showing the simple process if you start with BlueChew by taking advantage of the free trial opportunity.
Step 1: Create a free account.
You’ll first be asked to register an account with BlueChew, which involves providing your email address and the state where you’re located. (In 2024, BlueChew gained the ability to serve people in South Carolina, but due to complexities surrounding telemedicine laws, the company can’t serve people in North Dakota at this time.)
Step 2: Provide some medical information for the BlueChew doctor.
After this, you’ll have to enter your medical information and complete a quick questionnaire. You’re then prompted to enter your name and date of birth as they appear on your ID, as well as your ID-verified birthdate.
BlueChew then asks you:
- Why you’re choosing BlueChew products.
- If you’re already using any medication for ED or you’ve used any in the past.
- Some basic fitness questions, such as whether or not you can walk a mile in 20 minutes and how long it takes to climb two flights of stairs. (This helps to ensure that the medication won’t overwhelm your cardiovascular system and potentially lead to heart attacks or heart failure.)
- Detailed questions about supplements and medications that you’re taking (such as nitrates, for example).
- If a medical professional has ever told you that you’re not healthy enough for sex.
- A number of specific questions related to cardiovascular health. These questions help BlueChew understand your medical history as it relates to blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, previous episodes of fainting, blurry vision, bad headaches, chest pain, chest pressure, and energy levels. You’ll need to know whether you have been diagnosed with high or low blood pressure in the past.
Nearly all of these questions are Yes/No or multiple choice. It’s important to make sure you provide accurate information during the questionnaire. When you’ve finished, click the Submit button in order to present your answers to BlueChew’s affiliate medical professionals and proceed to the next step.
Step 3: Specify payment and shipping information.
Enter your shipping and billing address, your credit card information, and your shipping preference. When it comes to the latter, you’ll currently have three options, all of which were estimated at less than a week for our testers. The least expensive shipping option was $5.
Step 4: Give proof of identification.
Like all telemedicine consultation companies, BlueChew must collect proof of identification in order to provide care. In this step, you’ll need to upload a file of your government ID or take a pic of your ID. Snapping a photograph of your ID is easy, whether you use a mobile device or a desktop webcam to do so. Whichever way you choose, BlueChew vows to protect your information.
Step 5: A BlueChew medical provider evaluation.
BlueChew’s affiliated licensed medical providers will review your information to make sure you’re a safe candidate for one of the prescription treatments. The consultation and approval generally happen within 24 hours, though you may need to wait 1-2 days for the company to complete its full process.
Our testers found the review process and responses to be prompt and efficient; within a few hours of creating an account, our testers received notifications about questions from the affiliated medical professionals. These questions focused on gaining more insight into health history and any concerns from the answers to the consultation questionnaire.
Keep in mind that if any of your questions lead to disapproval, this is in your best interest. All three of these medications have a powerful effect on your cardiovascular system. If you’re not in suitable physical health, sildenafil, tadalafil, and vardenafil can cause unwanted and, in some cases, unsafe side effects. That’s why a prescription is necessary.
Step 6: Receive your meds in the mail.
After the medical providers review your information and approve a prescription, the medication will be delivered to your door. BlueChew’s packaging is discreet, with no branding for your own privacy.
How BlueChew compares to the competition
BlueChew vs. Viagra
BlueChew’s sildenafil and branded Viagra are therapeutically identical to one another, as they have to be per FDA guidelines. Sildenafil is the active ingredient in Viagra and is commonly prescribed as its generic equivalent now that the patent for Viagra has expired. That patent expiration is also why BlueChew’s sildenafil is so much less expensive than branded Viagra.
One big difference between branded Viagra and BlueChew sildenafil is that BlueChew’s tablets (no matter the specific medication) are chewable, whereas Viagra requires a glass of water or exceptional swallowing skills to take. Another major difference is that BlueChew’s doses come packaged individually in small pouches, whereas Viagra typically comes in a bottle that contains many pills, making it harder to keep handy when you’re out on the town.
Of course, BlueChew offers more than just sildenafil. It also has prescription tadalafil (Cialis’ therapeutic equivalent) and vardenafil (equivalent to Levitra) available in chewable forms.
BlueChew vs. Hims
One of BlueChew’s biggest competitors, Hims, offers treatment for ED as well as a host of other conditions like hair loss and premature ejacul*tion. Hims even offers primary care telemedicine and online counseling (group therapy currently, though it’ll be expanding into individual therapy soon).
In general, we at Innerbody Research find Hims to be an excellent telehealth option across its range of services. However, when it comes to ED, we recommend BlueChew above all other options, including Hims. The reasons are simple:
Free trial
You can try sildenafil, tadalafil, or vardenafil for free with BlueChew’s first-month trial; all you need to do is visit BlueChew through this review. No such free trial option exists at Hims. For the many men who have never taken ED medication, the opportunity to try before you buy is unmatched.
Cost over time
BlueChew’s pricing can save you money in the long run, depending on your medication needs. Unfortunately, most insurance plans won’t cover the cost of ED medication. You can get a monthly supply of sildenafil or tadalafil for a lower price from BlueChew than from Hims. For instance, let’s say you want a supply of tadalafil to take close to every day, if not daily. At Hims, a month’s supply of tadalafil will cost about $240, but BlueChew gives you a 28-day supply of tadalafil for $120 – half the cost of Hims.
Convenience
Chewable means added convenience. Not only do lots of people have trouble swallowing pills, but also it can be frustrating to find a glass of water once you realize you need it. When it comes to sexual performance, we can always use one less thing to think about. Plus, BlueChew’s chewables are individually packaged, so you can grab one to go. Hims also recently launched its own chewable ED medication system called Hard Mints, likely aiming to match the convenience of using BlueChew. But we’ve done the math and found that BlueChew still has the superior prices between the two at this time, and we still recommend it over Hims for chewable PDE5 inhibitors.
There are certain circ*mstances when you might find Hims ED options advantageous:
- Men who struggle with both ED and premature ejacul*tion (or ED and hair loss) may find the single interface of Hims more manageable.
- Some men who’ve tried ED medication in the past want to stick with what has always worked; they don’t want to rock the boat at all. If what worked in the past was brand-name Cialis or Viagra, they sometimes want to stay the course with their trusted brand, even though it’s more expensive. Hims offers both brand names, while BlueChew doesn’t offer either of them.
- In addition to sildenafil and tadalafil (and their respective brand-name options of Viagra and Cialis), Hims offers another medication called Stendra, which is fairly expensive compared to the generics but less expensive than Viagra. It works similarly to sildenafil and tadalafil but takes effect faster, lasts longer than sildenafil, and carries an even lower risk of side effects like headache or flushing of the face. For those who can afford the steep price, Stendra could be preferable.
BlueChew vs. Roman
Roman – another online company offering prescription ED treatments – can prescribe sildenafil and tadalafil, as well as their respective brand-name versions (Viagra and Cialis). All of these are available from Roman, but only in pill form. Meanwhile, BlueChew offers sildenafil, tadalafil, and vardenafil (generic Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra) in chewable form, not pill form.
For the vast majority of men, we confidently recommend BlueChew over Roman for ED treatment.
Roman charges you a $15 consultation fee, which neither BlueChew nor Hims charges. So immediately, you are paying a bit more for Roman’s ED service. And BlueChew’s free trial is just a fantastic deal for men who haven’t tried any ED medication in the past.
Some men swear by the brand name, insisting that Viagra and Cialis work better for them than the active ingredients without the brand. These men will be willing to pay the higher prices for the brand names, which cannot be found at BlueChew. However, if that describes you, we’d recommend you choose Hims rather than Roman; if you’re willing to pay those very high prices for Viagra and Cialis, you could consider trying Hims’ Stendra, which might be preferable.
BlueChew vs. Rugiet
Rugiet doesn’t compare to BlueChew in quite the same way that Hims or Roman does. Like BlueChew, it only focuses on erectile dysfunction treatment. But unlike BlueChew, Hims, or Roman, it seeks to treat ED with a combination of drugs delivered in sublingual lozenges you let dissolve under your tongue.
The trio of drugs that could be included in a Rugiet lozenge are:
- Sildenafil
- Tadalafil
- Apomorphine
Of the three, apomorphine is probably the least familiar to most men. While it is a chemical derivative of morphine, it doesn’t have any opiate properties, so there’s no risk of addiction. Instead, apomorphine acts as a dopamine precursor for specific dopamine receptors, the stimulation of which can help trigger an erection14 Despite not technically being a PDE5 inhibitor, it has some similar effects as more common ED medications regarding blood pressure. Those include dangerous side effects and interactions with certain medications.
Some well-documented side effects — specifically nausea — are more prevalent in subcutaneous injections of apomorphine commonly given to Parkinson’s disease patients. Rugiet’s sublingual dose is either 2mg or 3mg, which enters the blood more slowly and is less than most injections, to begin with, yet still proves effective in most studies.15
Rugiet offers its mixed lozenges in the following dose combinations and prices:
Cost
Dose count
Sildenafil
Tadalafil
Apomorphine
Low strength
$80
6
40mg
14mg
2mg
Medium strength
$100
6
65mg
22mg
2mg
Most popular
$120
6
80mg
22mg
3mg
Maximum strength
$140
6
110mg
22mg
3mg
After your free consultation, you can talk to your doctor about making adjustments to these dose combinations as needed.
Rugiet has some major downsides. For starters, it’s expensive, with the lowest cost per dose landing around $13. Also, its lozenges need to stay at or below room temperature (around 72 degrees Fahrenheit). Above that temperature, they begin to melt. You can still take them if they’ve melted, but it can be messy and difficult to ensure you’ve gotten the full dose. This guesswork is non-existent with BlueChew; chewing the tablet always gets you the exact dose.
Frequently asked questions about BlueChew
Privacy considerations
When it comes to privacy, there are two big questions:
- Does BlueChew keep my medical information private?
- Does BlueChew’s delivery process respect my privacy?
Thankfully the answers are “yes” and “yes”. BlueChew’s packages are very discreet, so the nature of your purchase will be your business alone (as it should be).
When you create your account with BlueChew, you are by default opted into receiving SMS notifications and marketing emails from the company. If you have a shared email account or if you just don’t want to receive such emails, you can opt out by visiting your Profile page. But we suggest you leave these default settings in place for the duration of the sign-up process.
BlueChew reviews from customers
To be as comprehensive as we can in our research and review process, we look at the broader landscape of customer reviews online. In this case, Trustpilot and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) were pertinent places to check reviews. Unfortunately, though, BlueChew only had a fairly unhelpful 21 reviews posted on Trustpilot and an even smaller number (3 reviews) on BBB. In our opinion, the low number of reviews for BlueChew in these forums makes it very difficult to draw any meaningful conclusions from them.
Of those 21 reviews on Trustpilot, BlueChew got a mixed bag of reviews, averaging out to 2.9 stars. Roughly half of them were either 4- or 5-star reviews, and these customers universally raved about how well BlueChew worked for them and how smoothly the service operated. The other half were negative reviews from people who largely complained the treatment didn’t work for them. There were a couple of people (including one positive reviewer) who disliked the flavor.
Meanwhile, BlueChew has an A+ rating in the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and is BBB accredited. With only three customer reviews available, it has an average customer rating of 2.33 stars out of 5. Again, three reviews are too few to develop a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of a service. BlueChew closed one complaint over the past twelve months, with a total of five complaints closed over the past three years. (Hims, by comparison, also has an A+ rating in BBB, and its average of customer ratings is 1.08/5 across 90 reviews. Hims has closed 131 complaints over the past 12 months.)
There are also 50 customer reviews displayed on BlueChew’s website itself. All of these current reviews are positive, with over 20% of them describing excellent customer service as a major factor in their positive experience. It may be noteworthy that nobody mentions anything negative in these reviews at all except in passing (a few statements about how the company quickly resolved a service issue); as a general rule, we always take a company’s own curated reviews with a grain of salt.
In developing this review and making it as thorough as possible, we tested all aspects of BlueChew’s customer experience that we could and also spoke with BlueChew customers to hear their reviews about the entire experience. This effort is all the more important to us in light of the lack of other reviews online.
We asked these customers about what parts of the service and treatment worked well and what didn’t work as well. Those who shared their reviews had overwhelmingly positive experiences, except for a small fraction of people (about 10%) who complained that the chewables didn’t work and/or expressed frustration with telemedicine in general (but this would also apply across the landscape, not just to BlueChew). Those negative reviews were as realistic to us as the positive reviews, based on our copious research and broader experience; telemedicine isn’t a perfect fit for everybody, and prescription ED medications won’t work for all men. We’ve curated a group of these BlueChew reviews below, chosen to reflect the overarching positive-negative breakdown and common themes and also because these particular reviews included advice or details that could be particularly helpful for people considering BlueChew. We protect anonymity using fake names. The customers’ answers to our questions are below.
Customer review: “Andre”
Question: “Why did you choose to try BlueChew?”
Answer: “I think maybe I struggle with some kind of performance anxiety, when it comes to sex. That’s just my guess. This wasn’t something I dealt with in the past – in fact, if you told some of my old crew, they wouldn’t believe it. But I’m dealing with it now. So I probably could see a counselor to find out the deeper reasons for it, but BlueChew solves my problem, and it’s way cheaper than therapy!”
Question: “How well does it work for you?”
Answer: “It works really well. Worked from day 1 and continues to work well over a year later. I haven’t had to change my dosage or anything. I mean, before BlueChew, I could get an erection but had trouble keeping it. But now, I can literally go for an hour. It’s incredible.”
Question: “Which medication did you choose?”
Answer: “Sildenafil is what I use.”
Question: “Did you ever have to work with customer service? If so, how was your experience?”
Answer: “I never had to, unless you’re talking about the consultation at the beginning? I had back-and-forth during the consultation, answering some medical questions beyond the ones they originally asked. Aside from that, I’ve just been getting the medication in the mail without a hitch each month.”
Question: “What’s your favorite thing about BlueChew?”
Answer: “It solved my problem, plain and simple. I don’t know why I have anxiety about sexual performance. I don’t feel like I have anxiety in other parts of my life. But now I don’t have to wonder as much because the treatment solved my problem.”
Question: “What was your least favorite thing, and why?”
Answer: “I don’t really have a least favorite thing, to be honest. I guess paying for something each month would be my least favorite thing, but that’s not exactly fair. The treatment costs money – that’s life!”
Question: “Would you recommend BlueChew to friends?”
Answer: “Yes. In fact, I’ve recommended it to someone already.”
Question: “If you had one piece of advice for others who are about to try BlueChew, what would it be?”
Answer: “Since it’s chewable, you might think you can save even more money by biting off half of a tablet at a time and making the supply last longer. But trust me, you should take the normal dose that you were prescribed – it probably won’t work for you if you bite it in half. I tried splitting one, and it just didn’t work. So not only did I have a bad experience because of that, but I wasted a normal dose. So rather than save money, I wasted some money. Just take the normal dose – don’t get cute!”
Customer review: “Ted”
Question: “Why did you choose to try BlueChew?”
Answer: “Well, I have ED. In my case, it’s apparently a mild type of ED, but it was making sex difficult, and I was embarrassed. I had tried various things before – supplements and creams. I tried horny goat weed. None of that seemed to make a positive difference, though. So, even though I was reluctant to do any prescription medications, I finally decided to try BlueChew. I could try it for free – that’s why I ended up saying, why not? It required no commitment.”
Question: “How well does it work for you?”
Answer: “It works really well. It was night and day, the difference between BlueChew and the stuff I had been taking before.”
Question: “Which medication did you choose?”
Answer: “Tadalafil. I wanted the all-day kind of potential.”
Question: “Did you ever have to work with customer service? If so, how was your experience?”
Answer: “I’ve never had to reach out to them for anything, no. I have paused my service, though. I had to leave town on business for several weeks and knew I wouldn’t be having sex. Pausing it saved me over $100! And it was really easy, just switching a setting in my account.”
Question: “What’s your favorite thing about BlueChew?”
Answer: “Besides the fact that it actually works? I think my favorite thing is how convenient and private the whole experience is. I hate going to the doctor’s office.”
Question: “What was your least favorite thing, and why?”
Answer: “Probably the taste, at first – it’s kind of a sweet, medicinal taste that I didn’t love. But I got over that pretty fast, and now I associate the flavor with being unencumbered in bed. So I love it now.”
Question: “Would you recommend BlueChew to friends?”
Answer: “If they have ED, absolutely. It turned my life around.”
Question: “If you had one piece of advice for others who are about to try BlueChew, what would it be?”
Answer: “Just try it. You can try it basically for free. So whatever reluctance you’ve got about doctors or prescriptions, don’t wait. Life’s too short to wait. It works, I had no side effects at all, and they make it affordable.”
Customer review: “CJ”
Question: “Why did you choose to try BlueChew?”
Answer: “I’ve had ED for quite a while, I guess, but not at a level where it really ruins my sex life, until recently. I found BlueChew online, decided to give it a try. It seemed like a convenient way to deal with it.”
Question: “How well does it work for you?”
Answer: “The chews didn’t work. Not well enough, anyway.”
Question: “Which medication did you choose?”
Answer: “Tadalafil, and then sildenafil.”
Question: “Did you ever have to work with customer service? If so, how was your experience?”
Answer: “Yeah, when the initial shipment didn’t do anything. Company was responsive as any of this type of thing is, but IMO just can’t compare to getting help from a doctor you trust and see in person. I went this route trying to save time but feel like in the end, it was more of a hassle. I wasted time rather than saving it because the first try didn’t work at all, and then the 2nd one they gave me didn’t do enough. Frustrating, you know? This kind of thing seems like it’ll be convenient, but never is.”
Question: “What’s your favorite thing about BlueChew?”
Answer: “I guess it’s the fact that I could try the first chews for almost no money. Certainly wasn’t the taste or how well they worked.”
Question: “What was your least favorite thing, and why?”
Answer: “I can’t get the time back - the back and forth, waiting for shipments and stuff, trying to decide whether to opt for a different approach. This is my life. Maybe this would’ve happened anyway if I’d gone in to see a doc, but I don’t think so. Nowadays, I think more likely I would have waited like a month to be seen, but then would’ve gotten to the bottom of my problem faster.”
Question: “Would you recommend BlueChew to friends?”
Answer: “No - I’m over the online doctors thing, this was the last straw. It’s not for me, I guess.”
Question: “If you had one piece of advice for others who are about to try BlueChew, what would it be?”
Answer: “Go see somebody in person who is sitting there, able to examine you. None of these online folks care about me - why should they? They don’t know me, I don’t know them. You probably don’t care what I’m telling you, either. So I’d ask other guys with ED issues, do you really think online doctors care about you the way your regular doctor does? I don’t think so. It’s not good, people!”
Customer review: “Henry”
Question: “Why did you choose to try BlueChew?”
Answer: “I’m in my mid-40s and started noticing that things were changing. I wasn’t waking up with erections anymore. And I also would sort of go soft during sex, just out of the blue. I didn’t know why I didn’t have the stamina, and that freaked me out. A friend of mine had been getting health care online for hair loss, and I happened to notice there were ED treatments available online too. Long story short, I shopped around a bit and found BlueChew.”
Question: “How well does it work for you?”
Answer: “It worked really well once I got the dosage right.”
Question: “Which medication did you choose?”
Answer: “I use tadalafil, 9 mg.”
Question: “Did you ever have to work with customer service? If so, how was your experience?”
Answer: “I only had to work with BlueChew when it became clear my initial dosage wasn’t quite working out for me. Thankfully, when we upped the dose to 9 mg, things were perfect. It was easy working with them. I’ve been using 9 mg for a year now and could not be happier.”
Question: “What’s your favorite thing about BlueChew?”
Answer: “I think my favorite thing is how easy it’s been to get this treatment. I never had to go anywhere. It arrives right at my door like clockwork. I live kind of out in the sticks, so delivery is a huge bonus.”
Question: “What was your least favorite thing, and why?”
Answer: “Generally speaking, I’m not a person who likes to take medication. I take as little as possible and see doctors as little as I can. I just feel like I’m better off without putting many chemicals into my body. But I made one exception in this case, and I’m still taking tadalafil because it was totally worth it.”
Question: “Would you recommend BlueChew to friends?”
Answer: “I would. This would be an easy recommendation – I do my homework, and this is a good deal. If somebody needed ED medicine, BlueChew is the best first step in my book. Glad I found it.”
Question: “If you had one piece of advice for others who are about to try BlueChew, what would it be?”
Answer: “My advice would be: if you find BlueChew isn’t giving you the results you need, don’t give up. Talk with them because it’s possible you’re like me and just need the higher dose.”
Customer review: “Kevin”
Question: “Why did you choose to try BlueChew?”
Answer: “I started using BlueChew close to six months ago. I had been getting generic Viagra from the pharmacy up to that point, but it was getting really expensive for me. I had no coverage for the ED medicine and honestly wondered if I’d have to choose between having sex and paying the bills. So when I discovered BlueChew, I realized it cost a fraction of what I had been paying at the pharmacy. It was an easy decision.”
Question: “How well does it work for you?”
Answer: “BlueChew works just as well as the stuff I’d get from the pharmacy. I never had an issue with how the pills worked, but it was the cost that really became problematic for me. BlueChew is affordable for me, which is fantastic.”
Question: “Which medication did you choose?”
Answer: “The sildenafil one because that’s the active ingredient in Viagra, which is what I had previously been taking. Viagra always worked for me. Actually, BlueChew works better than the Viagra did because I never realized my dosage must have been too high when I got it from the pharmacy. I was getting headaches with the Viagra. Now with BlueChew, my dosage is 30 mg, and it works without causing any of the headaches.”
Question: “Did you ever have to work with customer service? If so, how was your experience?”
Answer: “No, the consultation was the only time I’ve talked with anyone.”
Question: “What’s your favorite thing about BlueChew?”
Answer: “The price! You know I used to be embarrassed when I couldn’t keep an erection. But nowadays, I’m only embarrassed that I had been spending much more money than I needed to.”
Question: “What was your least favorite thing, and why?”
Answer: “That’s a tough one. I guess I’d say the $5 shipping. I think it would be even cooler if they allowed for a free shipping option. But that’s getting greedy – seriously, no complaints. They’re way more affordable than the pills I used to get.”
Question: “Would you recommend BlueChew to friends?”
Answer: “Definitely.”
Question: “If you had one piece of advice for others who are about to try BlueChew, what would it be?”
Answer: “If you’re like me and you try an ED medication and end up getting a headache, talk with the medical experts. They can help you get your dosage right. I was so relieved when it was clear that I could get good treatment for this without dealing with headaches.”
Alternatives to prescription ED medication
Earlier in this review, we examined how BlueChew compares to other telemedicine providers that offer prescription ED medications, including:
- Viagra
- Cialis
- Stendra
- Sildenafil
- Tadalafil
- Vardenafil
- Apomorphine
In these comparisons, BlueChew fares quite well overall. But there are many men out there who would prefer to try something other than a prescription-strength solution at the outset, especially if their ED is only mild or sporadic. These men still have plenty of options, though many will likely end up using a prescription at some point, if for no other reason than reliability and convenience.
Let’s take a look at several of the most common non-prescription options men have to address erectile dysfunction, exploring how likely they are to help you as compared to BlueChew.
Nutritional supplements
The supplement industry has been trying to help men improve their performance in the bedroom for decades. As the science and manufacturing processes have evolved, some even appear as though they could make a real difference, at least in milder cases of ED. However, there are some serious caveats to consider before trying a natural ED supplement, as many suffer similar cardiovascular side effects as BlueChew’s prescription options but have been less rigorously studied.
If you’re thinking about reaching for a supplement because it seems safer, you might want to reconsider. There is much more credible research into the exact doses of BlueChew’s ED medication than there is into any one ED supplement ingredient, let alone the blends they contain.
Nutritional supplements that may help with ED are generally divided into three subcategories: male enhancement pills, testosterone boosters, and volume pills. Let’s take a quick look at how each category is designed to understand them a bit better.
Male enhancement pills
These are the most likely to make a difference for men with mild ED, though that likelihood is still relatively small. They contain ingredients like L-arginine, ginseng, and horny goat weed, studies into which are often inconclusive or statistically insignificant, even if they show promise for erectile performance.17 18 If you’re a candidate for BlueChew, we believe you will be better off trying BlueChew than these supplements.
Testosterone boosters
Since low testosterone can contribute to ED, taking a supplement with ingredients that have boosted testosterone in studies might help.19 But if your testosterone levels are already normal, you probably won’t notice too much of a difference.
Volume pills
Volume pills are as connected with fertility as they are with ED, and many are advertised as being able to increase the quantity and quality of your ejacul*te.
We research, test, and review these various products separately. When we drill down into the ingredient lists and associated studies of products in all three categories, a common theme emerges. The vast majority of ingredients appear in doses far below those shown effective in studies. That makes it particularly hard to recommend many of them as potential replacements for BlueChew’s prescription ED medication.
Some companies do better than others in providing you with reasonable doses, and the combination of ingredients should theoretically bolster their efficacy compared to studies of a single ingredient. Ultimately, you’ll need to consider the potential risks and benefits of these ingredients and talk to your doctor before adding them to your regimen or choosing them rather than more thoroughly studied treatments from companies like BlueChew.
Here are our top recommendations for each category, with links to our full reviews comparing the best options in those subcategories:
- Best male enhancement pill: Performer 8
- Best testosterone booster: Testo Prime
- Best volume pill: sem*nax
Knowing which kind of supplement you should take in your particular circ*mstance can be tricky. Having trouble getting an erection doesn’t necessarily mean you have low testosterone. (To that point, specifically, you can test your testosterone levels with convenient at-home kits that are incredibly accurate and relatively inexpensive compared to trying a bunch of supplements that might not work.)
Here’s a quick chart to show you when it might be wise to try one type of supplement or another:
Male enhancement pills | Testosterone boosters | Volume Pills | |
---|---|---|---|
Mild ED | |||
Moderate ED | |||
Test revealed low testosterone levels | |||
Having trouble conceiving |
But again, in our opinion, prescription ED medications — the kind offered by BlueChew and other providers — will be hard for these different supplements to match in safety, effectiveness, and cost.
Penis pumps
Penis pumps have been misrepresented in the media over the years to imply that they exist to enlarge a man’s penis. Some less reputable pump manufacturers have jumped on this misconception and have decided to perpetuate it in the hopes that it will help with sales. But pumps are not designed to make a penis any bigger — they’re a treatment for erectile dysfunction.20
Penis pumps work as you might imagine. You insert your penis into a tube that seals against your body. A pump of some kind — often manual, but sometimes automatic — progressively draws air out of the tube, creating a gentle vacuum. That vacuum pressure causes blood to rush to your penis, resulting in an erection when successful. For increased comfort and efficacy, many pumps are designed to be used with water in the vacuum chamber.
For most men, penis pumps are too cumbersome, too difficult, and too inconvenient for practical use, especially for those with active sex lives. Compared to popping a pill (or chewing a BlueChew tablet) each day or an hour or so before you expect to have sex, you have to set aside the time to use the pump — often in the shower — which can put a damper on the mood. You’ll also experience varying degrees of effectiveness with a pump, especially as you’re just starting out. But there’s very little guesswork with prescription medication.
If you are interested in pumps, we generally recommend pumps made by Bathmate, as its HydroMax line boasts a great balance of cost, build quality, and effectiveness. We have a review of the best penis pumps if you want to learn more.
ED Rings
ED Rings are extremely simple devices that apply pressure around the base of the penis to help maintain an erection. They do so by constricting the blood flow out of the penis. The great thing about ED rings is that they’re one-time investments without the potential side effects associated with prescription medications.
As such, we would recommend ED rings for men whose cardiovascular health precludes them from trying PDE5 inhibitors like those from BlueChew. But ED rings and PDE5 inhibitors aren’t mutually exclusive either. There is anecdotal evidence that ED rings increase sexual pleasure, and some are even available with vibration functions. You may find that a combination of BlueChew and an ED ring works best for you.
Lifestyle adjustments
No one likes to be told that their problems can be solved with diet and exercise. And life doesn’t always permit us to eat our healthiest and exercise regularly.
But those two things — diet and exercise — can sometimes play a big role in erectile function. Increased body fat tends to cause constrictions in blood flow, which directly affect erectile health. A stronger heart pumping blood through less constricted vessels should improve your erections.
There are other lifestyle adjustments you can make to help address erectile dysfunction, as well. For example, we know that stress can cause ED, so reducing stressors, meditating, and even seeking talk therapy can help treat ED at the root.
Fatigue is another potential root cause of ED. Getting proper sleep is the first step to addressing fatigue, but the other considerations discussed here — diet, exercise, stress — can all influence your fatigue levels, as well.
If you drink too much, you can cut back. If you smoke, you should stop. Most of the things you could do to improve your overall health and quality of life will also have a positive effect on erectile function.
Many of these approaches are interconnected; like the ED rings discussed above, they aren’t mutually exclusive to the prescriptions you get from BlueChew. Ultimately, you can use BlueChew to treat your ED while also seeking more holistic treatments that could reduce your reliance on BlueChew’s medications in the long term.
Final takeaway
After hundreds of hours of research absorbing scientific journal articles, comparing BlueChew with its competitors, testing the customer experience with BlueChew and the rest of the field, and considering any viable alternatives, we believe that BlueChew is one of the best avenues for ED treatment available to men in need. BlueChew is safe, reliably effective, affordable, discreet, and convenient, with medical professionals who will evaluate your condition and prescribe you appropriate medication to recover your erectile function.
20 Sources
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