Seeking a quick boost to enhance sexual performance is not that uncommon, but experts warn that cheap unapproved black market products, taken without medical assessment, can have unwarranted results and even lead to health emergencies, writes Sandile Mbili for Health-e News.
In one case, Sizwe Mthembu (42), who took two sex enhancer pills he bought for R15 from a street vendor in Durban, developed a prolonged and painful erection that lasted more than 24 hours.
A doctor diagnosed priapism, a condition he did not even know existed.
Dr Ntlotleng Mabena, a medical practitioner, cautioned that taking such pills without proper medical assessment can be especially risky for people with underlying health conditions or those taking other medications.
The products can result in complications like severe headaches, dizziness, dangerously low blood pressure, and, in some cases, priapism, which requires urgent medical attention.
“Priapism is caused by high dosages of these unregulated pills. When someone experiences this kind of erection, blood flow is restricted, preventing oxygen from reaching tissues. Over time, this can cause tissue damage,” she told Health-e News.
She said while DIY remedies included walking around, or applying an ice pack to the inner thighs (but not directly on the genitals) to relax blood vessels, occasionally these methods might not not work, and it was crucial to seek medical help if the erection persisted for four hours or more.
“These pills are dangerous because we don’t know how they are made or what dosages they contain,” she said. “They can also cause complications like strokes or heart attacks.”
Increasing demand
At spaza shops, taxi ranks and informal markets, men regularly purchase products that promise enhanced sexual performance.
Dennis Friday, who owns a spaza shop in the Embo area, said he regularly sold these products, particularly popular brands like Red Cobra and penis-shaped Cobra tablets, and that customers rarely asked questions about safety when buying the items. Although he would not disclose the source of the pills, Friday insisted they were regulated.
The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) did not respond to inquiries, but has previously warned consumers not to buy illicit and dangerous sexual enhancer medicines sold online, at some health shops, retail pharmacies and markets.
Medicines such as Viagra, Dynafll and Avigra are approved by SAHPRA and must be prescribed by a doctor, it says.
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Millions lost to dangerous fake drugs, warns Motsoaledi
Fake medicines kill half a million Africans every year
Africa bears the brunt of the counterfeit medicine curse
Traditional medicinal plants at frontline for men’s health – SA study