• Email Us: [email protected]
  • Contact Us: +1 718 874 1545
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Medical Market Report

  • Home
  • All Reports
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

As Valentine’s Day Approaches, Beware Of Fake Viagra

February 4, 2025 by Deborah Bloomfield

Sildenafil, most commonly known by the brand name Viagra or the “little blue pill”, is one of the most recognizable medicines we have. Originally tested as a treatment for angina, it was proving a bit of a disappointment until a number of male trial participants started reporting one very peculiar side effect. And thus, Viagra’s life as an erectile dysfunction treatment began. It was very effective, and demand soared. Unfortunately, so too did the potential profits for unscrupulous people willing to produce fake versions.

ADVERTISEMENT GO AD FREE

When taken according to the instructions on the pack, Viagra is safe for most people. There are some people who should avoid it, due to conditions like low blood pressure, heart problems, or sickle cell disease, so if it’s your first time it’s always best to check with a doctor or pharmacist first. 

Equally, like all drugs, Viagra can cause some side effects. Some of the most common ones include nausea, headaches, and vision changes, but there are also rare, serious side effects to be aware of. One of these is priapism, an erection that lasts longer than four hours. This requires immediate medical attention as it can cause lasting damage to the penis if it goes untreated. 

If you purchase legitimate sildenafil tablets, either from a pharmacy or via a reputable online retailer, all of these potential risks will be listed on the package insert, so you know what to look out for. But not all the sildenafil that’s available out there is legitimate, and that’s a problem. 

“Fake Viagra is a counterfeit version of the popular erectile dysfunction treatment, often sold online at low prices but posing serious risks. Nearly 80 percent of Viagra bought online is estimated to be fake, with many containing unsafe ingredients,” Dr Bhavini Shah, a GP with the LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor service, said in a statement sent to IFLScience. 

These pills may be produced in unsanitary conditions, and could be contaminated with all sorts of dodgy substances. “Lab tests have found harmful ingredients like detergents, road paint, printer ink, and even amphetamines,” Dr Shah explained.

Even where they do contain actual sildenafil, it may not be in the labeled quantity, so you can’t be sure what you’re actually taking: “Dosages of sildenafil, Viagra’s active ingredient, are inconsistent and can be dangerously high – or absent altogether – making counterfeit pills highly unsafe.”

ADVERTISEMENT GO AD FREE

In a 2018 interview with The Brink, Professor Muhammad Zaman, author of the book Bitter Pills: The Global War on Counterfeit Drugs, speculated that counterfeit Viagra could be near the top of the rankings when it comes to revenue. Not only does this pose a risk to consumers, Professor Zaman pointed out, but it does no good for the drug companies’ reputations either, so it’s in everyone’s best interests to raise awareness of the problem.

Online services are making it easier for people to access erectile dysfunction medication in a more discreet and convenient way, but it’s important that you use a trustworthy source. If you’re planning to make a purchase online, do as much research as you can to ascertain whether the company is reputable. There may be a regulator in your country that you can check with – in the US, for instance, there’s the Safe Site Search Tool from the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, which can tell you whether an online pharmacy is accredited.

Unfortunately, it can be tough to tell real pills from fake ones without sending them off for testing. “To spot fakes, check for consistent colour, diamond shape, and smooth edges,” Dr Shah advises.

But, ultimately, her message is when in doubt, throw it out: “If unsure about a pill’s origin, don’t take it.”

ADVERTISEMENT GO AD FREE

The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.  

Deborah Bloomfield
Deborah Bloomfield

Related posts:

  1. Skype alumni head to court in a battle over Starship Technologies and Wire
  2. The Most Common Passwords Of 2023 Are Ridiculous, Hilarious, And Worrying
  3. The Famous “March Of Progress” Image Is Wildly Wrong
  4. Foxes And Wildcats Were Often On The Menu 10,000 Years Ago

Source Link: As Valentine’s Day Approaches, Beware Of Fake Viagra

Filed Under: News

Primary Sidebar

  • What Flying Animals Exist That Are Not Birds?
  • DNA Evidence Uncovers Surprising Origins Of Native Americans
  • Single Gene Swap “Transfers A Behavior” Between Two Species For The First Time
  • Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS Has A Rare “Anti-Tail”, New Observations Confirm
  • Asteroid Apophis: Animation Shows Asteroid’s Nail-Biting Close Approach To Earth In 2029
  • Titan Breaks A Key Chemistry Rule: What That Means For Alien Life
  • Scientists Studied “Chicago Rat Hole” – They Have Bad News, The South Atlantic’s Magnetic Field Weak Spot Is Growing, And Much More This Week
  • Could This Be The Real Reason Humans Survived And Neanderthals Died Out?
  • Newly Discovered Snail Species Named After Studio Ghibli Co-Founder Is A Hairy Beauty
  • 2025 SC79 Is The Second-Fastest Asteroid Ever Found – And Only The Second Within Venus’ Orbit
  • When Red Devil Spiders Arrived On A New Island, Their Genome Dramatically Shrank In Half
  • Is This The World’s Oldest Story? Ancient Human Tale About The Seven Sisters May Be From 100,000 BCE
  • This Pill Is Actually A Tiny Printer That Repairs Internal Injuries Using Biocompatible Ink
  • “This Is Amazing”: Scientists Have Found Evidence Of A Long-Lost World Deep Within The Earth
  • From The Shiniest World To Lava And Eternal Darkness, These Are The Weirdest Known Planets
  • Do Sharks Have Bones?
  • The Zombie Awakens: A Volcano Is Showing “First Signs” Of Unrest After 700,000 Years Of Quiet
  • Two Of The World’s Biggest Earthquakes Seem To Be Synched Together
  • California Has A New State Snake, And It’s A 1.6-Meter-Long Giant
  • Experimental Nanoparticle “Super-Vaccines” Stop Breast, Pancreatic, And Skin Cancers In Their Tracks
  • Business
  • Health
  • News
  • Science
  • Technology
  • +1 718 874 1545
  • +91 78878 22626
  • [email protected]
Office Address
Prudour Pvt. Ltd. 420 Lexington Avenue Suite 300 New York City, NY 10170.

Powered by Prudour Network

Copyrights © 2025 · Medical Market Report. All Rights Reserved.

Go to mobile version