Often sold as \u2018herbal\u2019 solutions for sexual prowess, research has found many supplements are cut with prescription medications that could harm the people who take them<\/p>\n
Sexual enhancement supplements have always been a bit of a joke: you walk into a supplement store (or chuck a search into Google) and voil\u00e0 \u2013 hilariously titled drugs that supposedly give you the sexual prowess of a god await you. All you have to do is pop a little pill and your flagging stamina or general lack of desire will disappear.<\/p>\n
But like all things that sound too good to be true, is there any evidence these supplements work \u2013 and could they be doing more harm than good?<\/p>\n
Sexual enhancement supplements are usually sold as \u201cnatural\u201d products containing various herbal ingredients.<\/p>\n
There are horny goat weed pills, touted as a way to support sexual function and energy because the plant contains a protein which may increase blood flow to your genitals. There are various pun-titled candies with everything from royal jelly \u2013 a product of bees created to feed the queen \u2013 to various types of honey, coffee, ginseng and more in them. And there are supplements that appear almost identical to normal multivitamins, presumably because vitamins are generally important to good health and therefore must improve your sex life as well.<\/p>\n
But as recent Therapeutic Goods Administration testing reveals, many of the products available to buy in retail stores and online have been found to be adulterated with prescription medications such as sildenafil, commonly sold as Viagra, and tadalafil, sold under the brand name Cialis. These are common erectile dysfunction medications that require a prescription from a GP to avoid harmful side effects.<\/p>\n
As a general rule, there is no evidence to support the fact that ingredients like goat weed or royal jelly can improve sexual performance. But the problem is, when supplements are adulterated with prescription medications, the products can become quite dangerous. In 2007, Cialis was discovered in a herbal supplement for men in Australia and was ordered to be withdrawn from the market, with the TGA warning the product could have \u201cserious health consequences, especially for patients with existing medical conditions such as heart problems, or persons at risk of stroke\u201d.<\/p>\n
And it\u2019s not just a problem in Australia \u2013 there are worldwide concerns that prescription medications are readily being added to supplements. This problem is only getting bigger due to the proliferation of the online supplements hidden market thanks to influencers spruiking the products on social media.<\/p>\n
Dr Ian Musgrave, a molecular pharmacologist from the University of Adelaide, says the products are being adulterated because people want an effective supplement and \u201cprescription drugs work\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdding pharmaceutical drugs to herbal preparations with marginal efficacy \u2026 provides for a readily marketable product\u201d that can be illicitly sold as effective \u201cherbal\u201d or \u201cnatural\u201d remedies.<\/p>\n
But these prescription drugs carry significant risks when taken without the advice of a doctor. Many of them work by influencing how blood flows around your body, which means that when combined with other medications they can cause extreme low blood pressure and other heart issues.<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t an issue if you\u2019re prescribed the pills by your doctor, who will carefully go through the potential problems with you before you use the medication, but can be a huge problem if you don\u2019t know that you\u2019re taking it. For example, combining Viagra and chest pain medications can cause really serious health problems.<\/p>\n
The fact that there are supplements being sold on our shelves and online with potential hidden ingredients decades after the problem first emerged is concerning. Dr Musgrave says that part of the problem is that it is very hard to regulate the online illicit supplements market.<\/p>\n
\u201cBorder Force is vigilant for unapproved medical products, along with illicit drugs, but the supplement market is very fluid, and the types and forms of supplements vary continuously\u201d. He said it would require a \u201csignificant expansion\u201d in both monitoring and personnel to ensure that we are safe from adulterated products.<\/p>\n
Buying supplements online without a prescription can be potentially dangerous. Purchasing products in a chemist reduces the risk of adulteration, especially if products carry an AUST L number on them, which means they are registered with the TGA. But the best advice is to always see your doctor first before taking supplements \u2013 even if they claim to be \u201cnatural\u201d.<\/p>\n