An herbal supplement on the shelves is unsafe and dangerous to people’s health, this according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Consumers taking an herbal supplement to deal with erection problems are being warned about a series of counterfeit pills that were distributed to stores. The product is called “ExtenZe.” According to officials several bottles of the supplements contain hidden ingredients that can cause serious harm to consumers. Those taking “ExtenZe” should check the bottle for these lot numbers: 110075 and F050899. Bottles with this number should be thrown away immediately.
“These ingredients may interact with other medicines, like the nitrates found in some prescription medicines such as nitroglycerin, and may lower blood pressure to dangerous levels,” a press release from the government agency stated. “Men with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or heart disease often take nitrates.”
The FDA tested the counterfeit pills in a lab and found tadalafil, or a combination of tadalafil and sildenafil which are active ingredients in FDA-approved prescriptions like Viagra. However, these ingredients are not listed on the product label for “ExtenZe.”
“This incident is an example of a growing trend of products marketed as dietary supplements or conventional foods with hidden drugs and chemicals,” said Ilisa Bernstein, deputy director of the Office of Compliance in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “These types of products are typically promoted for sexual enhancement, weight loss, and body building, and are often represented as being ‘all natural.’ Consumers should exercise caution before purchasing products promoted for these uses.”
A reason one man chose herbal Viagra?
“I was interested in trying Viagra, but it was a little pricey so I tried an herbal form of the drug that claimed to do the same things,” Ken Stiles said. When this single, 60 year old wanted to get back into the dating game he tried an herbal form of the male enhancement drug and said it did work but now he wants to try the real thing. “It was a cost factor for me but I really think I’d like to try the real Viagra now, just to see what the difference is.”
