Dapoxetine (Priligy) explained

Priligy is the brand name of dapoxetine, a tablet licensed in the UK for premature ejaculation. It belongs to the SSRIs, a family of medicines most commonly used as antidepressants, but it's licensed to be taken only when needed rather than every day. In the UK it's a prescription-only medicine.

The facts here come from the NHS, the British National Formulary (BNF), the 2026 European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines, the MHRA and published studies of dapoxetine. Doses are left to the prescriber.

What is Priligy (dapoxetine)?

Priligy (dapoxetine) is a short-acting SSRI made for premature ejaculation. The NHS says it acts much faster than the other SSRIs used for premature ejaculation, such as paroxetine and sertraline, and can be used "on demand". The BNF says those other SSRIs have been widely used as regular, daily treatment. The 2026 EAU guidelines name it a first-line treatment for lifelong premature ejaculation.

According to the EAU, dapoxetine and a lidocaine and prilocaine spray are the only approved treatments for premature ejaculation; the other medicines doctors use for it are prescribed off-label. Dapoxetine is approved in many countries, though not in the USA.

The BNF lists Priligy tablets alongside generic dapoxetine tablets from other companies. All of them contain dapoxetine as the active ingredient.

How does Priligy (dapoxetine) work?

Dapoxetine works like other SSRIs, which the NHS says are a type of antidepressant that also delays ejaculation. Dapoxetine is short-acting: the EAU describes a rapid rise in the blood and a short half-life, with 95% cleared 24 hours after a dose, a profile it calls suitable for on-demand treatment.

Daily SSRIs take longer to work. The NHS says some men may notice an improvement a few days after starting one, but you'll usually need to take it for 1 to 2 weeks before you notice the full effects.

Who is Priligy for?

Priligy is for adult men diagnosed with premature ejaculation. The BNF lists four criteria a man should meet: poor control over ejaculation, a history of premature ejaculation over the past 6 months, marked distress or relationship difficulties because of it, and an intravaginal ejaculatory latency time (the time from penetration to ejaculation) of less than two minutes. It isn't recommended for men aged 65 and over.

For a sense of scale, BAUS (the British Association of Urological Surgeons) says the average time to ejaculate during intercourse is around 5½ minutes, and that a time of one minute or less, happening more than 75% of the time, is regarded as abnormal. Our guide to premature ejaculation, what counts and its causes goes into more detail.

The EAU says dapoxetine has shown similar results in lifelong premature ejaculation, present since a man became sexually active, and in acquired premature ejaculation, which starts later. For acquired premature ejaculation, though, the first aim is to treat the underlying cause, such as erection problems, prostatitis or anxiety. If premature ejaculation is caused by erectile dysfunction, the BNF says the erection problem should be treated first.

Does Priligy work? What the trials found

In trials, dapoxetine was more effective than a dummy pill at lengthening the time to ejaculation. Across five trials with 6,081 men in more than 25 countries, the average time went from about 0.9 minutes at the start to 3.1 or 3.6 minutes after 12 weeks on the two strengths, against 1.9 minutes on the dummy pill (McMahon and colleagues, 2011).

The EAU guidelines add that in trials it also increased men's control over ejaculation and their satisfaction, and reduced distress. A 2021 Cochrane review of 31 trials of SSRIs with 8,254 men, with dapoxetine among the medicines tested, found that SSRIs probably improve men's own rating of their symptoms and their satisfaction with sex, but probably cause more side effects. Its estimate that they lengthen the time to ejaculation by about 3 minutes was rated low certainty.

Many men stop taking it, though. A study at a single hospital in South Korea followed 182 men who started dapoxetine, and 90% had stopped within two years. Of the men who stopped, 29.9% gave cost as the reason, 25% disappointment that premature ejaculation wasn't curable and that it had to be taken every time, 11.6% side effects and 9.8% that it worked less well than they expected (Park and colleagues, 2017). The EAU says the long-term outcomes of medicines for premature ejaculation are unknown.

How do you get Priligy in the UK?

You need a prescription: every dapoxetine product listed in the BNF, branded or generic, is a prescription-only medicine, so it isn't sold over the counter. Start with your GP, who the NHS says will discuss the problem with you and may examine you or refer you to a specialist.

Getting it on the NHS depends on where you live. The NHS says local NHS authorities can choose to prescribe it on the NHS, and BAUS suggests checking with your GP or urologist whether it's available in your area.

Before you start, the BNF says to test for postural hypotension, a type of low blood pressure that causes symptoms when you stand up, and the EAU says blood pressure and heart rate on standing must be measured. The BNF says treatment is then reviewed after 4 weeks (or 6 doses) and at least every 6 months.

Buying dapoxetine online

Dapoxetine has turned up in illegally sold medicines. In a 2019 case, the MHRA, the UK's medicines regulator, said unlicensed medicines sold over the internet by a criminal network contained sildenafil, tadalafil and dapoxetine, and warned that unlicensed medicines may have dangerous side effects, including an increased risk of heart attacks.

The MHRA's advice is to use only UK-registered pharmacies, including online pharmacies showing the official green cross logo. For an online pharmacy based in Great Britain, you can check on the General Pharmaceutical Council's (GPhC) website that it's properly registered. The MHRA's #FakeMeds campaign lists warning signs, such as a website offering prescription medicines with no prescription required.

Priligy side effects

The NHS lists headaches, dizziness and feeling sick as common side effects of dapoxetine. In two large US trials, nausea affected 8.7% of men on the lower strength and 20.1% on the higher one, and diarrhoea, headache and dizziness were also common (Pryor and colleagues, 2006).

Other side effects the BNF lists as common or very common include anxiety, drowsiness, dry mouth, sleep problems, changes in sweating, blurred vision, ringing in the ears (tinnitus) and yawning.

The BNF lists fainting among dapoxetine's side effects, though the rate in the main trials was low, at 0.1% (EAU), and most faints happened at study visits on the first day, during procedures such as standing tests and having blood taken (Kowey and colleagues, 2011). The BNF's advice is to keep hydrated and, if warning signs such as feeling sick, dizzy or sweaty come on, to sit or lie down until they pass.

The BNF also says dapoxetine should be stopped if a psychiatric disorder develops, so tell your doctor about any change in your mood. In the five trials, standard questionnaires showed no suicidal thoughts or changes in mood with dapoxetine, and no withdrawal effects when men stopped suddenly (McMahon and colleagues, 2011).

It can make you sleepy: the label on dapoxetine tablets warns that if this happens, you shouldn't drive or use tools or machines. You can report side effects to the MHRA through its Yellow Card scheme.

Who shouldn't take dapoxetine?

The BNF says dapoxetine must not be used by men with significant heart disease, a history of fainting, postural hypotension, uncontrolled epilepsy, or a history of bipolar disorder, mania or severe depression. The NHS says it isn't recommended for some men with heart, kidney and liver problems.

The BNF also advises avoiding it with moderate to severe liver impairment or very poor kidney function, and using it with caution in men with bleeding disorders, epilepsy or a susceptibility to angle-closure glaucoma.

Medicines that can interact with dapoxetine

The NHS says dapoxetine can interact with other medicines, such as other antidepressants. The BNF's interaction list includes:

• medicines and remedies that, taken with dapoxetine, might increase the risk of serotonin toxicity, such as phenelzine, clomipramine, tramadol, linezolid and St John's wort
• some antifungal, antibiotic and HIV medicines, such as ketoconazole, itraconazole, clarithromycin and ritonavir, which are predicted to increase the amount of dapoxetine in the body
• medicines that also increase the risk of bleeding, such as aspirin and apixaban
• alcohol and other medicines that can cause sedation

Priligy vs Viagra: what's the difference?

They treat different problems. Priligy (dapoxetine) is an SSRI for premature ejaculation, while Viagra (sildenafil) is a PDE5 inhibitor for erection problems, which increases blood flow to the penis and needs sexual stimulation to work. Our guide to Viagra (sildenafil) covers it in full.

Dapoxetine (Priligy) and sildenafil (Viagra) compared

	Dapoxetine (Priligy).	Sildenafil (Viagra).
What it is	A short-acting SSRI, from the family of medicines most commonly used as antidepressants	A PDE5 inhibitor
Licensed for	Premature ejaculation, in men who meet set criteria	Erection problems (erectile dysfunction)
How it works	Delays ejaculation, like other SSRIs	Increases blood flow to the penis; needs sexual stimulation to work
How you get it in the UK	Prescription only	On prescription, or from a pharmacy after speaking with the pharmacist
Common side effects	Headaches, dizziness, feeling sick	Headache, dizziness, a blocked or stuffy nose

From the BNF, the NHS and a 2021 Cochrane review. Neither medicine suits everyone: a prescriber, or for pharmacy sildenafil the pharmacist, checks first.

Can they be taken together? In a study of 24 men, taking dapoxetine with sildenafil (Viagra) or tadalafil (Cialis) made no clinically important difference to the levels of either medicine in the blood, and the combinations were well tolerated (Dresser and colleagues, 2006). The EAU notes that many patients and doctors may prefer to combine dapoxetine with a PDE5 inhibitor, and BAUS says a urologist may suggest it. Combining them is a decision for a prescriber. Whether sildenafil helps on its own is covered in does Viagra make you last longer?

What are the alternatives to dapoxetine?

Dapoxetine is one option among several. The BNF recommends non-drug treatments, such as psychosexual counselling and behavioural techniques, for men who prefer not to take medicine, and says they can also be used alongside it. Other SSRIs and clomipramine are used off-label as regular daily treatment, and the EAU's other first-line choice for lifelong premature ejaculation is a lidocaine and prilocaine spray.

Our guide to every premature ejaculation treatment compared sets the options side by side, and how to last longer in bed covers the techniques you can try yourself.

When should you see a GP?

See a GP if premature ejaculation is a persistent problem for you. The NHS says occasional episodes are common and not a cause for concern, but if it happens more than you'd like and it's a problem for you, it might help to get treatment.

If you're taking dapoxetine, tell the prescriber about side effects that bother you, any fainting and any change in your mood. If you think you've taken a fake medicine and have side effects, the MHRA says to seek medical help right away. NHS 111 online, or calling 111, can help if you think you need medical help right now; in an emergency, call 999 or go to A&E.