This article was reviewed by Kelly Brown, MD.
What Are the Best Male Enhancement Pills and Products?
Ads for male enhancement supplements are everywhere. If you turn off your pop-up blocker for even a second, you’ll be bombarded with spots for “the best intimacy pills for men,“ “the best enlargement pills,“ or the “best male enhancement pills.”
The products often tout ridiculous claims about being able to grow your privates several inches giving you the stamina of a wildebeest. And they can look tempting. But be warned: There currently aren’t any FDA-approved male enhancement pills on the market. Literally none.
But there are other options.
Below, we’ll discuss some concerns around non-prescription male enhancement pills and supplements, from lack of efficacy data to hidden, potentially harmful ingredients. We’ll also go over how you can use FDA-approved medications to treat intimacy-related issues like ED to have more satisfying lovemaking.
What Are Male Enhancement Pills?
Some of the most popular male enhancement pills are marketed as magic capsules that can cure any intimacy-related issue.
They say they can do things like:
- Strengthen libido
- Increase intimate satisfaction
- Stimulate healthy blood flow (crucial for arousal)
- Promote stronger arousal
These male enhancement pills are often promoted as the solution to all your worries, whether you’re concerned about your size, your erections, or your general ability to please your partner.
But they aren’t really legit.
These so-called enhancement pills aren’t held to the same standards as FDA-approved medications. This means the manufacturers can try to make all sorts of vague claims.
Technically, they’re classified as dietary supplements. Many claim that natural ingredients like aroused goat weed, ginseng, maca root, or ashwagandha can boost performance, increase desire, and reverse low libido. But again, this is far from the truth.
Worse yet, investigations have found that some of these products — including the famous Rhino brand — contain hidden ingredients that are potentially dangerous.
Are There Any FDA-Approved Male Enhancement Pills?
Currently, there aren’t any “male enhancement“ or “intimate enhancement“ pills approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
One thing to keep in mind about these pills is that, as herbal products and dietary supplements, they aren’t regulated in the same way as over-the-counter or prescription medications.
So something claiming to be the “best male enhancement pill” doesn’t need to go through the FDA’s strict approval process, evading multiple phases of clinical trials. Unlike FDA-approved medications, these products aren’t required to be tested for safety or effectiveness.
As you can imagine, this creates a lot of space for disingenuous business practices and less-than-truthful advertising.
Health Risks of Unsafe, Unapproved Enhancement Pills
Unscrupulous business practices are so commonplace in the non-prescription male enhancement pill market that the FDA actually maintains a list of tainted intimate enhancement products.
This list includes hundreds — literally hundreds — of entries, all for non-prescription male enhancement supplements containing potentially harmful substances.
Hidden Ingredients in the “Best Male Enhancement Pills”
The FDA has investigated numerous male enhancement pills available in gas stations, adult stores, and online marketplaces. It found that some non-prescription male enhancement products contain hidden ingredients.
That’s concerning, sure. But there’s more.
The FDA’s investigations also found that some of the products contain illegal amounts of legitimate pharmaceutical drugs and unlabeled stimulants.
It’s one thing to consume a little too much caffeine every once in a while. But it’s another thing entirely to take an unprescribed, underregulated, and unknown dose of, say, sildenafil or tadalafil.
These are the main ingredients in Viagra® and Cialis®, respectively, and they’ve both been found in non-prescription male performance boosters.
For example, a 2018 study assessed 353 adulterated enhancement products identified by the FDA. Of these, 81 percent contained sildenafil and 20 percent contained tadalafil.
While that may sound like you’re getting more bang for your buck, remember: A big reason ED medications are available by prescription only is that dosages should be tailored to the patient’s individual needs.
Plus, pharmaceutical-grade medications are required to be made in pharmaceutical-quality laboratories. Let’s just say “enhancement“ pills don’t have nearly the same rigorous and regulated manufacturing quality standards.
So, yeah. Probably best to err on the side of caution here.
FDA-Approved Alternatives to the “Best Male Intimate Enhancement Pills”
Just because non-prescription male enhancement pills probably aren’t worth the risk doesn’t mean you don’t have options. In fact, you have plenty.
ED medications are prescription drugs designed specifically to treat health conditions like ED. They’ve also gone through a rigorous FDA testing and approval process, making them safe to use (for most people) when properly prescribed.
These include PDE5 inhibitors (that’s phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors). This type of drug works by relaxing blood vessels, thereby increasing blood flow to the privates, making it easier to get and maintain arousal.
FDA-approved oral ED treatments include:
- Sildenafil (the active ingredient in Viagra®)
- Tadalafil (the active ingredient in Cialis®)
- Vardenafil (the active ingredient in Levitra®)
- Avanafil (the active ingredient in Stendra®)
Keep scrolling for details about each prescription drug.
FDA-Approved Treatment: Sildenafil
Sildenafil citrate (or just sildenafil for short) is the generic form of Viagra. This widely used medication for ED has been approved by the FDA since the late 1990s.
You can take sildenafil 30 minutes to four hours before lovemaking. A single dose can start working within 30 minutes.
In clinical trials performed as part of the drug’s FDA approval process, more than 80 percent of men reported improvements in intimate function at the highest dose (100 milligrams of sildenafil).
Even at lower sildenafil dosages of 25 and 50 milligrams, 63 and 74 percent of men with ED, respectively, reported improvements.
This makes sildenafil a great pill to use if you’re concerned about losing your arousal during intimacy.
Sildenafil is generally a safe and effective medication. However, as with all medications, it does come with potential side effects. Your healthcare provider will go over these with you when they prescribe sildenafil.
FDA-Approved Treatment: Tadalafil
Tadalafil is a long-lasting ED medication that can deliver relief from ED for up to 36 hours per dose. That’s why it’s sometimes referred to as “the weekend pill.“
Tadalafil is sold as a generic medication and under the brand name Cialis in several different strengths.
Because of its longer half-life, you might prefer tadalafil to other ED medications if you like to make love more than once a day or don’t want to have to time your medication around the possibility of making love. It’s very much a “set it and forget it“ type of medication.
Daily tadalafil prescribed at a reduced dose can provide ongoing relief from ED symptoms. Most other ED meds are taken as needed.
Tadalafil works in the same way as sildenafil and produces similar side effects. You can learn more about the side effects of tadalafil in our blog.
FDA-Approved Treatment: Vardenafil
Next up is vardenafil, which is sold under the brand name Levitra. A single dose starts working in one hour. Some studies on vardenafil have found that it can remain effective for up to eight hours — which actually gives it a slight advantage over sildenafil.
As with taking any new prescription drug, it’s important to let your healthcare provider know about any medications you currently use or have recently used before considering vardenafil.
FDA-Approved Treatment: Avanafil
Available as Stendra, avanafil is the newest FDA-approved ED med on the market.
It’s more selective than other ED medications, meaning it more specifically targets the enzyme responsible for controlling blood flow to the privates. This means that Stendra has a lower risk of causing certain side effects compared to medications like sildenafil, tadalafil, and vardenafil.
It also gets to work faster. A single dose of avanafil produces improvements in physical arousal in as little as 15 to 30 minutes in some men. So, if things are going better than you anticipated and your partner wants to head straight back to your place, you don’t have to hit the panic button.
Like other ED medications, avanafil can still cause adverse effects and interact with other drugs. So discuss this with your healthcare provider before you start treatment.
FDA-Approved ED Treatments: What Else to Know
PDE5 inhibitors can interact with certain medications, including nitrates used to treat angina or high blood pressure (hypertension). They can also interact with nitrites, found in recreational “poppers.“ That’s why it’s crucial to speak to a healthcare professional before you start using them.
There are some other treatments for ED that the FDA has looked kindly upon. Alprostadil is an FDA-approved injectable medication for ED. And Eroxon is a recently FDA-authorized topical gel for ED you can buy without a prescription.
Are There Male Enhancement Pills That Increase Size?
Hate to break it to you, gents, but there currently aren’t any dietary supplements or enhancement pills that increase the size of your package. In fact, there aren’t any FDA-approved pills that’ll do it, either.
As discussed in our guide to growth pills, increasing your length or girth with a pill just isn’t possible. Not yet, anyway.
That said, there are alternatives to consider like:
But even then, these methods are either unproven, temporary, negligible, or alarmingly expensive.
The Bottom Line on the Best Male Enhancement Pills
Do male enhancement pills work, and if so, what are the best male enhancement pills? The answer is no — at least, not to the degree that they promise on their labels. And some of them are outright dangerous.
When it comes to non-prescription male enhancement pills, here’s the key info you should take away:
- Since non-prescription male enhancement pills are considered dietary supplements, they’re not regulated by the FDA in the same way prescription medications are. This means they’re not required to undergo the same rigorous efficacy and safety testing.
- These products sometimes contain hidden ingredients. The FDA actually maintains a public database of all the confirmed ones with unlisted ingredients.
- There are proven, safer alternatives. If you’re not happy with your performance in the bedroom or are experiencing ED, you’ve got several FDA-approved options, including sildenafil, tadalafil, vardenafil, and avanafil.
If you’re interested in improving your physical arousal, lasting longer in bed, or just ramping up your intimacy, you’ll get far better results by consulting your healthcare provider than relying on male enhancement products.
Want to find out more before you start? Our guide to ED goes into detail about treatment options for ED and improved intimate function.
You can also look into (PE) if you’re having trouble finishing too soon.
- Related: How to Get Viagra
- Related: The Best ED Pills for Men
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This article originally appeared on Hims.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
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