Over-the-counter dietary supplements and therapies sold to improve male sexual health may be ineffective and even unsafe, says a report published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.
Around 40-70% of men experience sexual dysfunction at some time.
To avoid paying for prescription drugs, or the embarrassment of discussing such matters with their physicians, many turn to over-the-counter (OTC) products.
Sales of dietary supplements doubled in the US from 1999-2007, and around 50% of Americans use them for a variety of conditions.
The dazzling array of products, from horny goat weed to ginseng, costs from $0.83 to $5.77 per day. But lack of regulation on dosage, purity or ingredients, and limited information regarding health effects confuses patients and medical practitioners alike.
Researchers from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, NC, reviewed the scientific evidence for the effectiveness and safety of the most common ingredients in top-selling men’s health products.
They wanted to provide urologists with a guide for counseling patients who present with sexual health problems and who are taking such supplements.
Prescription ingredients sold OTC
There was no scientific evidence to support claims that many products positively impact erectile function, libido and sexual performance, and some were likely to be unsafe.
Some products advertised as “natural” contain traces of phosphodiesterase-5-inhibitors (PDE5Is), the same class of medication that includes prescription drugs such as Viagra, which is used to treat erectile dysfunction. PDE5Is cannot be legally sold over the counter in the US, because using them without a physician’s supervision could be risky.
Patients with advanced heart disease or who take nitrates, such as nitroglycerin, should not use PDE5Is, as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure.
PDE5Is should also be avoided by men with severe liver impairment or end-stage kidney disease. Those with enlarged prostates who take medications such as Flomax (tamsulosin), terazosin or doxazosin should only take it with supervision, as interactions may cause dizziness, leading to falls and fractures.
In one study, 81% of OTC products purchased in the US and Asia contained PDE5Is.
Thank you for posting this. I typically follow this issue closely by reading the blog at http://bradpalubicki.blogspot.com As your piece makes it very clear, people should tread carefully when it comes to supplements–natural or otherwise.