How have you been feeling Mr. Brown?
Pretty good.
My blood pressure has improved, and I am trying to eat better
and exercise and keep my sugar levels under control,
but it's not easy.
I am having another problem that I wanted to speak to you about...
Um, its a sensitive issue.
What kind of problem?
I am frustrated with- well with impotence,
and was hoping that you can give me some medication to help with that?
From your test results I can tell that your diabetes is
still not well controlled.
Impotence, also called erectile dysfunction or ED,
is known to occur in men with diabetes.
Particularly, uncontrolled diabetes can cause damage
affecting a man's ability to achieve and maintain an erection.
So, can you give me a try on one of those pills that will help?
There are some effective medications available to
treat ED, but the ingredients in those have the potential to
interact with the prescription drugs you now need to take.
The reaction could be serious; it could lower your blood
pressure to dangerous levels.
Plus, your diabetes is still uncontrolled.
I want you to stay on your medications,
continue to eat right, exercise, and come back in a month. We
can reevaluate your condition and see if we can modify some of
the medications that you now take.
Perhaps at that time we can discuss treatment options and
maybe even an ED treatment.
Narrator >>Buying products on the internet can be dangerous.
You can't always trust a product that claims to be safe or all natural.
Over the past several years, the FDA has found many products
marketed as "dietary supplements" for sexual
enhancement that contain undeclared active ingredients of
FDA-approved drugs, analogs of approved drugs and other
compounds that do not qualify as "dietary ingredients".
FDA Official >>The FDA has issued multiple alerts about
these contaminated dietary supplements.
Just because a product is labeled as an "all natural" or
"herbal" dietary supplement, consumers should not assume that
it is harmless and poses no health risk.
In fact -- FDA has found that many of these products are
illegally marketed and contain substances that can cause
serious complications.
Narrator >>Side effects could be very serious-even in healthy males
FDA tested several products and found them to be contaminated
with a variety of unidentified components,
including active pharmaceutical ingredients.
FDA Official >>Taking contaminated products along with
other medications prescribed by your doctor may cause dangerous
interactions-even potentially fatal ones.
For example, severely lowering blood pressure to an unsafe level.
Narrator >>These products are not subject to the quality
controls as are prescription drugs,
meaning the identity or the amount of the ingredients could
vary greatly.
Such contaminants have been found in enormous
quantities--much higher than approved dosages,
and some are unstudied.
FDA Official >>You are the best defense against these
contaminated products.
Be aware of the risks. Sexual enhancement products that
claim to work as well as prescription products are likely
to contain a potentially dangerous contaminant.
Narrator >>Use of such products exposes you to
unpredictable risk and the potential for injury or even death.
Talk to your doctor about any supplements you are
taking or are planning to take.
If your doctor has told you not to use prescription ED drugs,
due to health issues or a potential drug interaction,
do not seek out products marketed as "all-natural",
"safer" alternatives.
These are likely to produce the very same adverse reactions as
the prescription E-D products.
FDA Official >>Anyone who has experienced any adverse events
from sexual enhancement products should consult a health care
professional.
Narrator >>Report adverse events to the FDA's MedWatch program at
800-FDA-1088 or online at fda.gov/medwatch.