If You're Taking These Supplements, the FDA Has a New Warning For You
The popular supplement could present a serious health risk due to potential contamination.
If you're looking for a little boost in the bedroom, there are plenty of doctor-approved ways to recapture that spark. However, if you're taking certain supplements hoping to improve you prowess with your partner, you could be doing more harm than good. On March 29, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the recall of a popular type of over-the-counter male enhancement supplement after it was discovered it could contain medication that's not listed on the product's ingredients this, thus presenting health risks that "may be life-threatening." Read on to discover if the supplement you've been taking could be putting your health in harm's way. And for more products to purge from your medicine cabinet, If You Have These Supplements at Home, the FDA Says "Destroy Them."
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Antoto-K recalled its Thumbs Up 7 Red 70K male enhancement capsules.
Antoto-K announced that it had voluntarily pulled all lots of its Thumbs Up 7 Red 70K capsules from the market after it was discovered that the supplements may contain sildenafil and tadalafil—the active ingredients in prescription erectile dysfunction medications Viagra and Cialis, respectively—that are not disclosed on the product's ingredients list.
Despite being FDA-approved for use in those and other prescription erectile dysfunction medications, those ingredients are not FDA-approved when combined with the other ingredients in Thumbs Up 7 Red 70K's formula, and thus classify as a new, unapproved drug when used in conjunction with said ingredients. And for the latest health news delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.
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Taking them could cause serious medical problems, especially in people taking certain prescriptions.
While sildenafil and tadalafil are considered safe for use among the individuals to which they are prescribed, they're not approved for use in OTC medications, like supplements.
The FDA notes that the use of these ingredients could specifically cause harm to individuals taking nitroglycerin, "lowering blood pressure to dangerous levels that may be life-threatening." Both sildenafil and tadalafil have also been linked to side effects ranging from backaches to heart attacks, and may even present these risks to otherwise healthy individuals not taking these medications.
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The FDA warns against purchasing these or other supplements from specific sites online.
The affected Thumbs Up pills were sold on Amazon, a retailer that the FDA has cautioned buyers against purchasing certain supplements from in the past. In Dec. 2020, the FDA published a news release recommending that consumers do not purchase specific weight loss and male enhancement products on Amazon after it was discovered that products available on the sites contained undisclosed ingredients. According to the agency's testing, among 26 supplements purchased on Amazon, 100 percent contained active ingredients in other medications—including prescription medications—that were not disclosed on the label. And for more pills that could be putting you in peril, The FDA Has a New Warning About This Blood Pressure Medication.
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Numerous other male enhancement supplements were pulled from the market in recent months.
It's not just Thumbs Up 7's male enhancement supplements that have been pulled from the market recently. On Feb. 16, Adam's Secret 1500 and 3000 capsules were recalled after it was discovered that they may contain either sildenafil and tadalafil; the same ingredients were also discovered in Imperial Extreme 2000mg capsules, which were recalled on March 25, and PremierZen Black 5000 capsules, which were recalled on March 26. If you have any of the affected medications at home, the FDA cautions against using them, and recommends instead that consumers destroy them. And if you want to protect yourself, If You Take This Medication, U.S. Officials Have a New Warning for You.
