Do Sexual Enhancement Pills Actually Work?

For many men and women, issues in the bedroom are difficult to discuss with their doctor. At a time when the first step should be to make an appointment and speak up, many men opt for the easier route and head to the drug store for what seems like a safe alternative—male enhancement drugs. Often marketed with an “herbal” or “nutritional supplement” image, these drugs advertise longer, stronger erections and more satisfying orgasms, but to the unsuspecting buyer, they can have some dangerous side effects. Here’s what you need to know to protect your health and still enjoy your sex life.

What are sex pills?

Generally, ‘sex pills’ is the name people give to pills taken for sex-related problems. ‘Sex pills’ are generally medications that work and are prescribed and recommended by doctors, but there are also unlicensed herbal pills that are sold over-the-counter. These aren’t proven to work and are also not properly checked to make sure they’re safe.

If you don’t have an actual sex-related problem and are just looking to improve your sex life, sex pills won’t be right for you.

Before thinking about what pill to try for your sex life, it’s important to think about how you would like it to improve and what might be the best and safest way to make it happen. Often, you can see big improvements to your sex life by making changes to your lifestyle, getting counseling or therapy, or talking things through with your partner.

What are the best sex pills available?

The safest sex pills are those that are from a regulated service where qualified doctors or pharmacists are consulted. The medications they provide are for problems such as premature ejaculation (PE) and erectile dysfunction (ED).

If you don’t have ED or PE, or if the medications available for PE or ED aren’t appropriate or effective for you, then alternative measures such as non-pill medications, like EMLA for PE, or a vacuum pump for ED. If these are ineffective, lifestyle changes and talking therapies may be the solution. Understandably, you might want a herbal pill that you can get hold of without having to be assessed first, but as these are not safe and not proven to work.

What are erection pills?

People usually think of 2 different outcomes when they talk about erection pills:

• Medication used to treat erectile dysfunction (ED) – these can help you if you can’t reach or stay at your natural maximum erection size, but they won’t increase your maximum erection size.

• Pills that claim to increase maximum erection size (these don’t work) – There aren’t any pills that can make your erection bigger than what it is naturally. Products that make this claim, are doing so falsely. There is no evidence that they work and they may even be dangerous to your health. The only way to increase your maximum erection size is through surgery.

What are male enhancement pills?

Generally speaking, ‘male enhancement pills’ describe pills containing mixtures of different herbal ingredients marketed to men with the claim that they will improve sexual performance and/or increase penis size. There’s no medical proof that these kinds of pills do what they claim to, so you might want to think twice about buying and using them. If you do decide to use these pills, always make sure the seller is regulated and check that the pills have been approved by the right organisations. Ideally, you should also talk to your doctor first before trying these kinds of products.

Are male enhancement pills dangerous?

Normally, medications are carefully checked – it’s clear what the ingredients are and how much of them they contain. This helps professionals decide whether the medication is safe for you and how much to prescribe. Male enhancement pills from unregulated sites aren’t checked in the same way, or may not be checked at all, and may not contain what they claim to.

Even if the ingredients are correct, and the right amounts, the medication may contain other non-regulated ingredients. Because of this, the side effects of these male enhancement pills and the seriousness of them can’t be predicted. Some ingredients found in these medications have been found to cause serious side effects

Apart from possible side effects, the biggest downside to buying male enhancement pills is that they are unlikely to work. If you try male enhancement products like these, you may be putting yourself at risk of severe side effects, without any benefits. Even if these pills aren’t dangerous, you are still paying for medication likely to give you no results. Claims that these products work isn’t based on scientific evidence – at best, there might be one or two small studies that show some benefits, but no large studies confirming their effects will have been done. Due to this lack of evidence, none of these male enhancement products would be recommended for you by a doctor or pharmacist

So, do sexual enhancement pills actually work? Evidence would suggest that the short and long answer would be NO. But, what do you think? Share your views in the comments below.