Gas stations and convenience stores often have a selection of “male enhancement” products conveniently displayed alongside energy drinks, snacks, cigarette lighters, and other convenience store fare. These products are, at best, a waste of money. At worst, they can cause serious health problems, and the FDA advises that you avoid them.
They’re hard to miss. Convenience stores and gas stations carry a wide array of provocatively named male sexual enhancement products that almost demand a second look.
Based on a recent warning from the Food and Drug Administration, it’s okay if you look, but think twice before you’re tempted to plop down your hard-earned money for one of these so-called remedies. You may be getting a whole lot more than you bargained for.
At first glance, these products — carrying such eye-catching names as Big N Hard, Cummor, and Xrect — appear to be herbal remedies to help men with sluggish libidos or erection problems recapture their youthful vigor. And indeed most do have one or more herbal ingredients to which some have attributed aphrodisiac properties.
FDA Warns About Six Products
But, according to an FDA warnings posted in early May 2017, at least six of these products also contain undeclared ingredients, including chemical compounds identical or similar to the active ingredients found in prescription ED drugs. So what’s the big deal, you might ask? You’re getting the power of Cialis or Viagra for a much cheaper price. What could be so bad about that?
Plenty, says the U.S. drug regulatory agency. These products, which are classified as dietary supplements, are not subject to the rigorous approval process to which new prescription drugs are subjected. Nor are they routinely inspected by the FDA. Unless complaints are filed about such supplements, they may never come under the scrutiny of the agency.
Can Interact Dangerously with Nitrates
As previously noted, the presence of chemical compounds such as those found in the popular ED drugs known as PDE5 inhibitors is unadvertised. So potential buyers of the sexual enhancement products not only are unaware of the presence of these drugs, but they also have no way of knowing how much of these chemical compounds are present.
Those familiar with the active ingredients found in PDE5 inhibitors — sildenafil citrate in Viagra, vardenafil in Levitra and Staxyn, tadalafil in Cialis, and avanafil in Stendra — know that these drugs are not for everyone. For example, PDE5 inhibitors are totally off-limits to men who are taking nitrate-based drugs for the treatment of angina or intractable high blood pressure. Both types of drugs lower blood pressure and, if taken together, can cause such a precipitous drop in blood pressure as to be life-threatening.
In addition to the unadvertised presence of these potentially harmful chemical compounds, the absence of rigorous testing and approval standards for dietary supplements means that the quality and purity of herbal ingredients is unproven. It should also be noted that natural doesn’t always equate with healthful. Indeed, certain natural herbal ingredients can be hazardous to one’s health.
Beware of These Products
As to FDA’s most recent warnings about male sexual enhancement products, here are the highlights:
- Big N Hard, the packaging of which points out to potential buyers that “beavers like big wood,” contains unlisted amounts of tadalafil, the active ingredient in Cialis.
- Cummor contains an analogue of tadalafil known as N-desmethyl tadalafil, which like tadalafil could adversely interact with nitrate-based medications such as nitroglycerin.
- Monkey Business also contains the tadalafil analogue known as N-desmethyl tadalafil.
- Tornado contains nortadalafil, which is structurally similar to tadalafil. Tornado’s packaging promises buyer that users will “get tangled in the sheets.”
- Xrect, which promises users it can “x-rate your love life,” was found to contain both tadalafil and descarbonsildenafil. The latter is structurally similar to sildenafil, Viagra’s active ingredient.
- Z Daily, which bills itself as a “daily testosterone and libido booster,” contains homosildenafil, which is structurally similar to Viagra’s active ingredient.
This recent alert from the FDA is only the most recent to warn about the potential dangers of so-called male enhancement products, which may contain unlisted ingredients potentially hazardous to your health. Perhaps the larger lesson to be drawn from FDA’s most recent warning is to stay away from these so-called natural remedies, because you can never be certain what they contain.
The Easy Way Isn’t Always the Best Way
While it’s probably a natural human tendency to seek the quick and easy solution to most problems, when it comes to your health, taking the easy way out can be dangerous. Effective, FDA-approved prescription medications for ED are available and safe for most men. In the U.S., you not only have access to Viagra, Cialis, Levitra, Stendra, and Staxyn, you can now get FDA-approved generics for both Cialis and Viagra at significant savings.
If you’re experiencing persistent erection problems and would like to see if one of these drugs might help, consult with your doctor to see if using a PDE5 inhibitor would be appropriate for you.
If you would prefer to order such a drug from a reliable online service, consider using eDrugstore.com as your supplier. Based in the United States, eDrugstore.com is part of the Secure Medical family of online drugstores, and it sells only FDA-approved drugs that have been sourced from licensed U.S. pharmacies. Since 1998, eDrugstore.com has fulfilled over half a million orders for prescription ED medications. If you don’t have a prescription, eDrugstore.com can arrange an online consultation with one of its team of licensed U.S. physicians. It’s easy to get started, and if you are deemed to be a good candidate for these medications, you can place your order today. Simply visit eDrugstore.com to get started.
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