Hidden Viagra ingredients in performance supplements: What you need to know to stay safe
Supplements widely marketed to men for performance, energy and sex drive are testing positive for prescription drugs that could have dangerous side effects.
Does your performance supplement contain a side of the main ingredient in Viagra? According to the FDA, it might.
Recent alerts from the Food and Drug Administration have warned that supplements widely marketed to men are testing positive for prescription drugs that could have dangerous side effects. The products are often promoted as “all natural.” Some claim to improve strength and energy, while others are promoted to help sexual performance or virility. Many claim to do both.
Through testing, the FDA detected undeclared ingredients such as sildenafil and tadalafil, the active compounds in the erectile dysfunction prescription medications Viagra or Cialis, in ZoomMax, ZapMax, PeakMax and Vitafer-L Gold. Other drugs that have been found include diclofenac, a pharmaceutical anti-inflammatory that is similar to ibuprofen, and even medications for diabetes.
The companies didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
Dr. Jesse Mills, a urologist and the director of the men’s clinic at UCLA Health, calls the dietary supplements “truck stop Viagra” and worries that people who get relief from erectile dysfunction with supplements may also be missing opportunities to catch early heart disease.
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