Staying Safe With Erectile Dysfunction Treatments
The American Food and Drug Administration regulates a broad range of products, including food, medications, and surgical devices. Earlier this month, the FDA issued a consumer update on so-called "natural" treatments for erectile dysfunction. The report looks at claims made for products that may or may not fall under its jurisdiction and cautions consumers about the potential risk that comes from some of them.
The report specifies that FDA laboratories found that several hundred of such products contain things that are not transparently listed. Among them are things contained in medications that are approved for impotence, including the active ingredients of prescription drugs. One should note that such drugs used for impotence can cause real side effects and are often poorly tolerated by patients. It also found that these poorly labeled products sometimes contain combinations of ingredients. The FDA looked at products for "male enhancement" that are often sold in coffee, gum, and other common consumer products and sold in vending machines and gas stations.
One of the related issues is that even a skeptical purchaser cannot always know what is in such products because they simply do not reveal what is in them. Moreover, they may be lulled into a false sense of safety because the labels use such comforting words as "all natural" and "herbal." Not all that is natural and herbal is safe.
The FDA also regulates medical treatments for erectile dysfunction, not only dietary products. Among these treatments are:
Oral pharmaceuticals: Viagra, Cialis, Levitra
Injections and suppositories: Caverject, Edex
Surgically implanted penile prostheses
If you are not sure if a treatment you are considering for erectile dysfunction has side effects, consult your doctor or the FDA web site. For products that have gone through the FDA approval process, you can also read the product insert, which normally talks about the product, its indications, and its risks.
Every penile implant included in Surgeo surgery packages is FDA approved.
