Aphrodisiacs sell for 1.2 billion yuan a year! People should pay attention to drug safety

Last year, Taiwan’s aphrodisiac market sold 1.2 billion! The Food and Drug Administration of the Department of Health specifically reminds the public to pay attention to "drug safety." Taiwanese society has always had the idea that men need to have strong sexual performance and women need to be thin. In addition, people are ashamed to see a doctor, which has led to the emergence of many illegal products claiming to have sexual performance and weight loss effects. These products may exaggerate their efficacy or even be mixed with western medicine, which may cause potential harm to liver and kidney failure. Not only does it drain people's wallets, it has also become a killer to their health.

There are many illegal products in the market that claim to have the effects of enhancing sexual performance and slimming. The Department of Health reminds the public to pay attention to "medication safety".

Section Chief Chi Ruo-feng of the Food and Drug Administration said that in order to strengthen the crackdown on illegal activities, the Executive Yuan established the "Joint Suppression Team for Counterfeit and Substandard Drugs" at the end of March 2010 to strengthen the crackdown through cross-departmental cooperation to protect the safety of people's use of drugs. The Food and Drug Administration of the Department of Health, Executive Yuan also found that last year, among the food items suspected of being adulterated with western medicines sent for testing by county and city health bureaus and judicial, prosecutorial, and police agencies, the detection rate of western medicines was about 27.4%, with weight loss accounting for the largest proportion of the efficacy category at 46.4%. Aphrodisiac accounted for 28.4%, ranking second. In addition, among the 64 Western medicine ingredients detected, 23 were impotence treatment agents. In order to make huge profits, unscrupulous operators sold illegal products through temples, street stalls, tour buses, or sex shops.

Drugs for the treatment of sexual dysfunction are classified as prescription drugs because they have side effects such as low blood pressure, headache, vomiting, dizziness and temporary blurred vision, and may interact with certain drugs (such as nitroglycerin) to reduce blood pressure to dangerous levels. They pose certain risks to patients with cardiovascular diseases.

The Food and Drug Administration of the Department of Health reminds consumers that medicines must be used for the right symptoms and in the right amounts to cure diseases, otherwise serious adverse reactions are very likely to occur. If you feel unwell or have medical needs, you should see a doctor first. The doctor will prescribe medicine after diagnosis and then give the prescription to the pharmacist for adjustment. Do not buy prescription drugs on your own, let alone unapproved products.

The Food and Drug Administration of the Department of Health also once again called on the public to care about the health of themselves and their families, pay attention to medication safety, and abide by the "Five No Principles of Medication Use": Do not believe in medicines recommended by others, do not believe in medicines with miraculous effects, do not buy medicines sold at street stalls, night markets, or tour buses, do not take medicines given by others, and do not recommend medicines to others.