Erectile Dysfunction Pills, Supplements and Products to Avoid

Buyer beware, there are erectile dysfunction (ED) pills, supplements and products that you should avoid, they have prescription drugs in their formulas or other harmful drugs that they don't tell you about on the label.

The next time you buy a supplement online, check it against our list of ED pills the government is concerned about.

"The number of these problematic products available on the Internet appears to be increasing," says Linda Silvers, leader of FDA's Internet and Health Fraud Team, part of the Office of Compliance (OOC) in the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER).

The FDA regularly investigates products sold online. And you should pay attention to their findings. What you don't know about a supposedly all natural product can kill you.

"Many consumers perceive these products as completely safe because they are often sold with labeling, suggesting that they are all-natural alternatives to prescription drug products that have been approved by FDA for treating ED," she says. "But these products may be laced with potentially hazardous ingredients that aren't noted on the label."

Since 2004, FDA has become aware of several such "dietary supplements" (see list below.)

Viagra (Sildenafil) Ingredient Found

Working with other FDA components, Silvers' team led an Internet survey in which more than one-third of purchased "dietary supplements" claiming to spur sexual enhancement or treat ED contained undisclosed prescription drug ingredients or similar substances.

"Six of the 17 products we bought contained sildenafil (the active ingredient in Viagra) or a substance similar to either sildenafil or vardenafil," says Silvers. Vardenafil is the active ingredient in Levitra, another FDA-approved prescription drug that treats ED.

The inclusion of undisclosed prescription drug ingredients—and similar compounds known as analogs of the drugs—can lead to serious side effects in users.

Dangerous Drug Interactions

"These products may interact in dangerous ways with drugs that a consumer is already taking," Hirsch says. For example, taking sildenafil in addition to certain prescription drugs containing nitrates may lower blood pressure to an unsafe level.

People with diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or heart disease are often prescribed drugs containing nitrates, and men with these conditions commonly suffer from ED, Hirsch says. "Those are factors that doctors consider when prescribing approved ED treatments."

Preventive Education Measures

The FDA has determined that many of products or their active ingredients are imported into the United States from other countries.

"FDA is working closely with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to develop a more effective network to successfully screen and stop these shipments from entering U.S. commerce," says Sally Eberhard, Acting Team Leader of OOC's Import-Export Team.

The FDA is looking to educate consumers about the risks of buying such sexual enhancement products and other drugs online.

Online ED Products to Avoid

Since 2004, FDA has analyzed and identified several products sold online as so-called "dietary supplements" for treating erectile dysfunction and sexual performance enhancement. These products contained potentially harmful, undeclared ingredients. Included among them are

4EVERON
Actra-Rx
Actra-Sx
Adam Free
Blue Steel
Energy Max
Erextra
Hero
HS Joy of Love
Lady Shangai
Libidus
Liviro3
Lycium Barbarum L.
Nasutra
NaturalUp
Neophase
Rhino V Max
Shangai Regular, also marketed as Shangai Chaojimengnan
Shangai Ultra
Shangai Ultra X
Strong Testis
Super Shangai
True Man
V.Max
Vigor-25
Yilishen
Zimaxx