The ads are irresistible. The names alone may tempt you: "True Man Sexual Energy." "Hero." "Passion-Rx."
Despite their promises of "maximum sexual performance," dietary supplements sold over the Internet as remedies for erectile dysfunction (ED) are often either bogus or out and out dangerous, according to the Food and Drug Administration. FDA is now gunning for many of these products, taking them off the market and warning consumers not to buy them. But more keep popping up.
Often they are sold as "all natural alternatives" to approved drugs, and they come with official-looking labeling. The FDA Internet and Health Fraud Team has been testing such products. They're not happy with what they're finding.
Take "Zimaxx." One ad claims it's good for "an erection for a full 3 days." Yikes. Or "RockHard Weekend." It's one of several supplements recalled for being sold as an unapproved drug. Many of these dietary supplements contain sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra, or vardenafil, the active ingredient in Levitra, another FDA-approved prescription medication for ED.
There's a reason you need a doctor's prescription for these medications. "These products may interact in dangerous ways with drugs that a consumer is already taking," said Mark Hirsch, a medical team leader in FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
Sildenafil can interact with nitrates, found in many prescription drugs. The interaction can cause a man's blood pressure to drop to dangerously low levels. People with diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure or heart disease are often prescribed medications with nitrates. Moreover, men with these conditions often have ED.
FDA went after another product, "Magic Power Coffee," in June. The ads claim that it's main ingredient is "horny goat weed." But FDA found it contained a chemical similar to sildenafil.
FDA is urging men to beware of purchasing dietary supplements as a remedy for erectile dysfunction. Click here for a full list of ED products that FDA says to avoid.