The FDA is one of the more vital government agencies when it comes to keeping consumers safe from deceptive marketing and dangerous products, but sometimes a product comes along that we can assume is trash even before the FDA weighs in. In any case, the Food and Drug Administration just issued a warning advising everyone to avoid a male enhancement supplement called — sigh — “Big Penis.”
It seems that Big Penis does indeed do its job, and it does it quite well. However, the FDA warns that it achieves this thanks to the unlabeled inclusion of sildenafil, better known by the brand name Viagra.
Including a prescription drug in a non-prescription supplement is obviously illegal, but beyond just being scummy it can also present some very serious health concerns. This is especially true when it comes to sildenafil, which can adversely affect individuals with preexisting health issues.
FDA laboratory analysis confirmed that Big Penis contains sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra, an FDA-approved prescription drug for erectile dysfunction. This undeclared ingredient may interact with nitrates found in some prescription drugs, such as nitroglycerin, and may lower blood pressure to dangerous levels. People with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or heart disease often take nitrates.
The FDA says it discovered this unlabeled inclusion during “an examination of international mail shipments,” meaning that this wasn’t a case of a company discovering the issue on its own and launching a voluntary recall. Instead, it’s more like the company was caught red-handed selling Viagra under a different name and without a prescription.
Now, I’m not going to pass judgment on anyone for seeking out a male enhancement supplement… but if you’re buying a bottle of pills with “Big Penis” written in red and black on the side, you should probably know what you’re getting yourself into, and it’s not going to be good.
