FDA Warns Against Buying Fake ED Drugs Online
The FDA is warning men against turning to “dietary supplements” to fight erectile dysfunction (ED). Many of these may contain prescription drugs that are not labeled and can be harmful.
“The number of these problematic products available on the Internet appears to be increasing,” according to Linda Silvers, of the FDA’s Internet and Health Fraud Team.
Many consumers think products are safe because they are called “natural”.
Silvers team did an internet survey and found more than one-third of “dietary supplements” that claim they put a zing in your love life, contained undisclosed prescription drugs.
For example, six of the 17 products purchased online had Sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra, or a similar substance, Vardenafil, the active ingredient in Levitra. Both are prescription drugs for the treatment of ED. Many of these products are imported from other countries under the radar.
The problem is that they can interact with other prescription drugs a man might be taking for high cholesterol, heart disease or diabetes-which often contribute to ED. And they can react with nitrates in prescription drugs that may lower blood pressure to dangerous levels.
Look for names like NaturalUp, Blue Steel, Vigor-25. The FDA has a list of the drugs it obtained online and tested for unlabeled ingredients.