Fueling up for more mileage.
Ah, the gas station; a bottomless trove of assorted delights. Think: beef jerky, lotto tickets, energy drinks, actual gasoline…and stationed somewhere between a hot dog case, and a row of iPhone chargers: the ever-present array of “sex pills.” If you’ve yet to clock the pseudo-medicinal tablets while pausing mid-highway for a bathroom break, know that the supplements are a fairly uniform offering at pit stops across the nation, touting things like, more stamina! and better sex! The question is, however…what are they? And do they actually work?
Well, first things first, there are indeed a variety of pill options available at most gas stations, promising everything from assuaging erectile disfunction and delaying orgasm, to boosting sex drive and even enlarging penis size. Frequently, they’re promoted as an herbal or natural form of Viagra (at a far lesser cost than the prescription stuff). That said, the FDA does not regulate dietary supplements, so gas station sex pills have no vetted or trusted seal of approval — which is to say, it’s often unclear what, exactly, they’re made of. Generally speaking, as a rule of thumb, it’s ill-advised to swallow an over-the-counter tablet from your local Mobil when you have next-to-no clue what it contains — even if it does promise the best sex of your life.
Of course, we’re not here to yuck your yum. But, we are here to tell you that these are certainly not a safe choice. Because the pills don’t fall under FDA jurisdiction, brands are not required to list quantities or ingredients — so even if you happened to be familiar with the more common roster of “herbs” included in many “male enhancement” pills, there’s no stopping manufacturers from adding just about any *surprise* ingredients they like.
And while some herbs commonly incorporated — including Red Ginseng, Maca, Yohimbine, and Gingko biloba — have indeed been proven to have some positive effects on conditions like E.D., none have shown even close to the effectiveness of prescription options like Viagra or Cialis. Moreover, it’s highly possible that pills like these might contain harmful chemicals or ingredients not previously tested on humans.
That’s not to say that they’re all poison, exactly. It’s possible you might find a pill that works for you. It’s more likely that you’ll find one that does nothing. Maybe you’ll find one that results in a headache, or a stomach ache. Or, worst case scenario, you might come across one that, say, gives you an unending erection, requiring immediate hospitalisation. The moral of the story is….purchase at your own risk.
