Enhancement Advice Blog

Some visitors have written into enhancementadvice.com with feedback about male enhancement products that have either not worked at all, have worked too quickly (which in turn gave them awful side effects) and of course some that complained of being billed each month for products that were never ordered.

Because herbal supplements are not as strictly regulated as prescription drugs, it’s important that to do as much research as possible about the male enhancement product, its ingredients and selling practices before you choose one. 

We can’t stress this enough.

When choosing a male enhancement supplement take a look at the label and see if it was manufactured at an FDA-approved facility that follows strict GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) standards such as uniformity and cleanliness making sure the product does not contain contaminants, such as lead, mercury, animal feces or drugs (yes there have been animal feces and lead found in some male enhancers) – perhaps from animals grazing near the extracted herbs.  The label should also clearly state how much of the herb each dose contains.  Ideally you should choose a supplement manufactured in North America that meets FDA standards.  This is because many supplement companies don’t bother testing their products but most FDA- approved facilities generally have rigorous testing practices.

Furthermore many natural male enhancement products that market themselves as “all natural” contain traces of Sildenafil (drug contained in Viagra) or its prescription cousins Taladifil or Vardenifil (drugs in Cialis and Levitra).  Some of these products have been pulled from the shelves and banned as we mentioned in earlier posts, but many are still being sold through the internet in spite of these warnings.  

Men, a word of advice…if the male enhancer you purchased worked too quickly and then caused some pretty intense side effects, chances are the ingredients are not as “natural” as the company claims.  Nine times out of 10 the supplement contains a drug. 

If you’re being billed for products that you had no intention of ordering and the shipments keep arriving at your doorstep, this is probably because you thought you were signing up for a “free” trial of the product.  

Another word of advice…always read the fine print or the cleverly worded words.  “Free” or “rewards program” in many cases actually means the opposite for many companies.  When you sign up to receive your “free trial” or “free rewards” you may actually be signing up for an auto-shipping / auto-billing program and credit cards are charged without your knowledge while products keep arriving.  Many companies do this to get sales and yes it’s a shady way to do business. 

Don’t be duped.  And finally…stop asking enhancementadvice.com for a refund. We are a product review website.  We don’t carry products and we’re not a store!

Impotence also known as Erectile Dysfunction (ED) is the inability to achieve or sustain an erection adequate for sexual intercourse.  Although most men are afraid to admit to it, ED is a fairly common occurrence.

The unveiling of Viagra in the late 90s spawned the birth of other prescription ED drugs like Cialis and Levitra as well as other generic brands.  Following the birth of these prescription medications countless natural male enhancement products also known as “Herbal Viagra” popped up soon after. 

The fact of the matter is, herbs are not a new concept when dealing with male impotence.  In fact, herbs have been used for many centuries in Chinese, African, naturopathic and traditional medicine.  

The question on many people’s minds is:

 Are herbal supplements better and safer than prescription drugs? 

Well, yes and no.  Though many herbal male enhancement supplements are designed much like good quality vitamins which are beneficial to your sexual health, there are a number of products that may contain unknown amounts of very potent herbs that can be toxic to the body which in turn can cause very serious side effects (i.e. Yohimbe).  And as mentioned in earlier posts, we’ve seen and heard about some products that contain the real drug sildenafil which is used in Viagra and should only be given by a doctor’s prescription.  To add, the FDA has found that some herbal supplements contained traces of lead or animal feces (perhaps from animals grazing nearby the herbs). 

Ahh…Remember good old Extenze?

The problem isn’t with the herbs themselves but the way in which some male enhancers are manufactured and in many cases where they’re manufactured.  Unlike prescription drugs which follow strictly controlled guidelines set by the FDA, the manufacturing and selling of herbal supplements isn’t as regulated.  This means that some companies (particularly those located outside of North America) don’t even test their products before they sell them.   

Food for thought isn’t it?  

Men, a word of advice…when choosing a supplement make sure it’s manufactured in North America at an FDA approved laboratory!

We’ve received some queries from visitors regarding the availability of a male enhancement supplement called Rize 2 The Occasion.  Some of you are wondering why this supplement is very difficult if not impossible to find these days.

Well, yet again here is a case of another product recall.  As it turns out, Rize 2 contains sildenafil which is used in the ED prescription drug Viagra.

The FDA and Health Canada have ordered that all Rize 2 the Occasion male enhancement products be taken off the shelves.  The following is an excerpt taken from a media release from Health Canada:

“Rize 2 contains an undeclared pharmaceutical ingredient similar to the prescription drug sildenafil which should only be used under the supervision of a health care professional. The product may pose serious health risks, especially for patients with pre-existing medical conditions such as heart problems, those who may be taking heart medications, or those who may be at risk for strokes.

Use of sildenafil by patients with heart disease can result in serious cardiovascular side-effects such as sudden cardiac death, heart attack, stroke, low blood pressure, chest pain and abnormal heartbeat. Additionally, use of sildenafil may be associated with other side-effects including vision loss, seizures, sudden decrease or loss of hearing, dizziness, prolonged erections, headaches, flushing, nasal congestion, indigestion and abdominal pain. Sildenafil should not be used by individuals taking any type of nitrate drug (e.g., nitroglycerin) due to the risk of developing potentially life-threatening low blood pressure.” (Warning 2008-124 August 06, 2008)

Some online distributors and MEI visitors have written responses regarding Rize 2’s ability to work immediately and with alcohol – apparently in as little as 25 minutes after taking a dose.

As the saying goes, “If it seems too good to be true…it usually is.”  Yes this product may have been very effective for some of you who’ve taken it but unfortunately it is one of many male enhancers masquerading itself as a natural health supplement when in truth it contains a drug.

Be warned that there may be some online distributors still selling this male enhancement product – guys please don’t buy this product!

You’ve probably heard of the name “Stiff Nights,” one of many male enhancement supplements on the market that quickly became popular.  Some sites might even be selling this product at this very moment.  Men, a word of advice…Don’t order this product!

Stiff Nights was a fairly new male enhancement supplement that wasn’t on the market for very long before the FDA recalled it.  The FDA is now urging anyone who’s purchased it to bring it back.

Why?

Unfortunately this is a familiar story that we’ve heard time and time again.  It turns out that Stiff Nights contains sulfoaildenafil, which is similar to the drug sildenafil, the main ingredient in the ED drug Viagra.  Sulfoaildenafil may react with prescription drugs and can cause a dangerous drop in blood pressure.  Apparently the FDA’s recall was issued following a customer’s complaint about the product.

In case their website gets taken down completely, we wanted to share some info written about Stiff Night’s ingredients.  This was taken directly from their ingredients page:

“Stiff Nights is comprised of a special blend of Herbs, Mushrooms and Greens. This particular blend has taken us 7 years to perfect. It is this special blend that makes Stiff Nights so potent while being 100% natural.”

Guys, maybe you weren’t aware that there’s a drug in your male enhancement product.

It appears that the concepts of ‘natural’ and ‘chemically altered’ are a gray area for some health supplement manufacturers.

Men, another word of advice…choose a product that has been on the market for a long time and research all of the ingredients before you even think of making your purchase.