Johannesburg - The biggest danger with young men dabbling in street sex-enhancer pills is that the pills are unregulated.
This is according to urologist Dr Kgomotso Mathabe, noting the dangers of young men using pills such as Man King and Spanish Fly, which is extracted from dried beetle dung.
“Approved drugs have gone through various stages of testing starting in the laboratory, then on animals and finally on humans. Their ingredients, manufacture, sales and marketing are regulated. Yes, they have side-effects but these are known from the clinical trials and can be managed appropriately,” she said.
The ingredients listed for Man King include ginseng, Chinese matrimony vine, pilose antler of young stags, longon sarcocarp, lily, buffalo penis and fur seal penis.
“Note that there is no mention of sildenafil in the drug, which has been found to be present in the tablets. A Google search of Man King shows that the Food and Drug Administration in America issued a statement in 2012 warning against the presence of undeclared sildenafil in the drug,” she said.
While Mathabe said the physical harm to the users may be unknown, users were unlikely to suffer long-term harm from sildenafil as its effects on the body are short term.
“The PDE5 inhibitors (phosphodiesterase 5) may cause an allergic reaction, if the person using them has an allergy to any of the ingredients. This is not limited to the active ingredient. This can happen with any drug under the sun.”
Mathabe said a known and potentially life-threatening side-effect of the PDE5 inhibitors was profound hypotension (low blood pressure), which is unresponsive to treatment, if taken in combination with nitrates.
“These are drugs commonly used in the treatment of a heart condition called angina. A doctor prescribing a PDE5 inhibitor will ensure that the patient is not using nitrates concurrently. But this is a check mechanism that is not available with the street and online sale of drugs such as Man King,” she said.
The Star sent queries to the Medicines Control Council (MCC) regarding how many street sex pills were on the market, how many were registered, how safe it is to use the drugs and how far they are in registering complementary medicines.
Almost a month after the original request, the MCC is yet to respond.
Last November, the MCC issued an amendment to its 1965 guidelines to evaluate complementary medicines in phases.
By February 14 this year, every complementary medicine that had not been evaluated was required to display a disclaimer stating: “This medicine has not been evaluated by the Medicines Control Council. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.”
What happens when a man uses Viagra
The drug Viagra (sildenafil) falls into a group of drugs called phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors, PDE5 inhibitors. Sildenafil was the first to be discovered and brought on to the market. The others are Cialis (tafadil) and Levitra (vardenafil). They are available in tablet form.
In order for an erection to occur, the blood vessels in the penis must dilate. Nitric oxide is necessary for this process. “These drugs act to maintain high levels of nitric oxide thus maintaining an erection longer. However, in order for the erection to occur in the first place, there must be sexual stimulation,” said Dr Kgomotso Mathabe.
The pills must be taken 30 minutes before sex and differ in their duration. Tafadil is effective for up to 36 hours; sildenafil and vardenafil last up to four hours.
Fake online pharmacies raising risk of men buying impotence ‘cures’
Fake online pharmacies are increasing the risk of men purchasing counterfeit medicines to “cure” their impotence.
This is according to pharmaceutical company Sanofi’s Dr Rashem Mothilal. Some internet sites offer prescription medicine such as Viagra which is used to treat Erectile Dysfunction (ED), without requiring a prescription.
“The first thing to be clear about is that counterfeit medicines are not a new thing. However, they had always been limited to lifestyle drugs such as those for weight loss and male enhancers. It wasn’t much of a concern because those weren’t used to treat bona fide health conditions,” he said.
The risk, however, Mothilal said, came in when counterfeit medicines were now being produced for conditions like diabetes, cancer and ED. “Fake does not mean generic. Generic drugs are approved by the Medicines Control Council. Fake medicines are those that misrepresent themselves with regard to their ingredients, source and origins,” he said.
Many men would rather buy Viagra off these sites because of the stigma attached to ED or having physical sexual problems, he said.
“And they (counterfeit pills) aren’t cheaper… The reality is that you are just putting yourself at more risk of getting pills that are not genuine. There’s a reason why Viagra needs to be prescribed by a doctor – ED is a serious condition,” he said.
“There are some countries that allow and regulate the sale of drugs online and have genuine pharmacies but the reality is that over half aren’t legal operations. South Africa only allows it when it is associated with a retail pharmacy under supervision of a pharmacist,” said Mothilal.
The Star