Male sexual performance supplements are largely unregulated, yet may contain dangerous drugs not listed on the label.
We all get those junk emails for supplements that claim to do everything from help you drop 30 pounds instantly to keep you “rock hard” at a moment’s notice.
Most of us can see our way through some cheap advertising for “natural” products and realize they aren’t what they are cracked up to be, but new studies show these supplements aren’t just shoddy, they could be fatal. The supplement industry is largely without oversight, and many have been found to contain pharmaceutical grade ingredients that are not listed on the label.
In a recent article for JAMA Internal Medicine, Pieter Cohen, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School relayed some frightening statistics:
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Over 45 different versions of drugs in the same class of Viagra have now been found in male sexual supplements. A Dutch study found that 75 percent of the products sold in the Netherlands contained at least one ingredient that has the same effect as Viagra.
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Rock Hard for Men (manufacturer unknown), sold as a “natural” supplement, actually contains two potent prescription drugs (a phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5) inhibitor, tadalafil, and a sulfonylurea, glyburide.) This combination of medications is of particular concern because a very similar combination discovered in other sex supplements has already led to more than a dozen deaths.
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More than three-quarters of male enhancement supplements tested in one study in Singapore contained pharmaceuticals that were not disclosed—and half of them were present in higher doses than recommended.
Many consumers see the words “natural supplement” and assume a product is healthy, or at least harmless. Until the FDA decides to take a closer look at these products, you are better off assuming the ingredient list may not give you an accurate picture of what’s in those pills and pass.
Skip those shady supplements and try this instead:
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Foods high in zinc (Such as pumpkin seeds, oysters) can help boost testosterone and your libido overall.
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Regular, moderate exercise can help improve blood flow throughout the body as well as enhance your general wellbeing.
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Quitting smoking will help improve your vascular function as well as your stamina.
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Relaxation techniques such as a regular meditation practice—or even deep breathing for a few minutes—can help your overall feeling of being present in your body, which will be a great benefit to both you and your partner.
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And if you feel like a supplement is really the way to go, try a single ingredient supplement like maca or ginseng, both of which have been used for years to enhance energy and stamina for both men and women.
Be safe and be well!
Read more of Kate Bartolotta’s men’s health column, Body Wisdom, on The Good Life.
Image credit: timparkinson/Flickr
Thanks for your valuable review about rock hard pill
Taking any kind of pill to give your penis harder erections just isn’t worth it in my opion.
I think it’s just crazy and ludicrus how many male enhancement pills have come out over the past couple of years. A few years ago there were several big name products out that were not to bad on the ingredients. They actually tried to stick to natural ingredients, but today.. wow, people just don’t care what the heck they put in the pills. I mean they will put anything in them and market it as the latest and new age pill to magically increase your erection. They are completely unsafe to use.
I completely understand the social conditioning that both men and women have to prize an erection, many women feel inadequate if the man they are with doesn’t get one (as if she isn’t sexy enough). As a woman, I think erections are highly overrated. The truth is that erection has nothing to do with the potential sensual pleasure and gratification available to both parties. Fingers and tongues never go soft, and they have better aim and control. The nerve endings on the penis are still there when it is soft, and they are closer together, so more sensation is available.… Read more »
Surely true (mostly.) A half-hard penis is extremely sensitive, and one can certainly derive as much pleasure from pleasing a partner with hands or tongue. I’m not sure one can ejaculate through a completely limp penis, but one can through a half-hard one certainly. But intercourse with a hard penis does have a role to play, I think. Many women derive great pleasure from intercourse, and it’s a full body pleasure. Slow missionary with a slight bit of lower body pressure generally can be extremely fulfilling. If a woman mounts you, also a wonderful position, a hard penis helps. Since… Read more »
I completely understand the social conditioning that both men and women have to prize an erection,[…]
If both partners still want the experience of penetration, there are excellent strap-ons available that allow the man to place himself inside
a strapon ‘to replicate the experience of penetration’. well maybe for you, but certainly not for this penisbearer
social conditioning? no, i like the physical sensation of feeling hard, of the penis being full when erect. thats why i prize erection. it feels and it looks good.
Yes. There are two basic discourses here. One is that sex is more decentered and democratic or postmodern or something. That’s a position that doesn’t pathologize S&M, celebrates homosexuality, and particularly bisexuality. For people in this discourse, strap-ons are something often mentioned. Interestingly (because this does spring from postmodernism,) people in this discourse often seem more symbolic than sensual. The idea of (or gaze at) a strap-on is just as important as the feeling you’d get from it. These people seem more visual, and, even if female, strangely male. This group may find porn more fulfilling, even if female. They… Read more »
Viagra gets a bad press sometimes, but it actually lowers blood pressure. There are dangers of rare side effects like priapism, blindness, intense headache, and so on. It’s a pretty good med generally, however. I find my state of exercise and relaxation has little to do with erectile capability.
I get a kick out of the disclaimers for Viagra and it’s siblings. I mean, if I got a 4 hour erection, I think my Wife would write the greatest Thank You letter the world has ever seen! L.O.L.
You all raise an important issue: these companies are preying on how important this is to men! The bottom line (to me) is either go with a product whose contents are verifiable. If you want to go the pharmaceutical route, talk with your doc and get what will be a good fit. If you want to take the natural approach, there are some viable natural options, but many of the “natural” supplements are anything but and very risky.
good point
interesting and concerning read regarding the undocumented pharmaceuticals found in these ‘natural’ erectors. bob brings up an interesting question. if a potion of some sort was the sole way for me to get an erection, what level of risk would i entertain, to maintain. personally if there was a quantified 10% lifetime risk of sudden death, id take that risk. 20%, yup. 25%, yep again. 30% carry on. 35/40%, im starting to think at that point, but perhaps yes or, if i was forced to make a parlour-game choice (where pills, implants, inflatables etc are imagined not to exist) between… Read more »
I have to make my usual declaration that Viagra, itself, is a very helpful medication for those of us who are along in years, or have a load of high blood pressure meds on board. Every so often, an anti-Viagra article surfaces here or other places, and they generally are without basis and alarmist. This is not one of them by the way. Mika Loe wrote a spectacularly bad book against Viagra where she actually argues against her own data, and uses questionable research methods, so I like to put the word out about that, also.
Try again. You ask if being ‘Rock Hard’ is worth your life. To a good many men, the answer is ‘Yes’. To many (admittedly not all) not being to ‘get it up’ is emasculating and THAT is a fate worse than death!
I thought I made a good point.
As a woman, I really don’t expect you to understand, but to many men ‘Getting it up’ is an important part of their manhood. And before you say anything, let me tell you that I’ve heard women use this as the ‘optimum’ putdown on men (Yeah, he’s trying to shoot pool with a rope, he he he) It’s kind of like being emotionally castrated.