If you’ve ever considered buying drugs online–including Viagra, Cialis, etc–don’t. Researchers analyzed meds sold on more than 20 different websites and found that 77 percent of the drugs were fake and contained less than half of the active ingredient of the original.
So what’s really in those pills? Well, according to Dr. Irwin Goldstein, of San Diego Sexual Medicine, fake drugs contained gypsum (yep, the stuff that sheet rock is made of) paint, and printer ink. They also may have included anti-hypertensive drugs.
Goldstein added that, “The fastest growing drug class in the world is counterfeit drugs.” And the majority of those fakes are ED drugs like Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra. Part of the problem is that a lot of men who need to take ED drugs are embarrassed to get their prescriptions filled in person.
We get that (there always seems to be a cute girl at the pharmacy window). But would you rather be a little embarrassed or take a pill that might kill you?
Shutting down illegal drug merchants (we’re trying to avoid calling them “pharmacies”) is nearly impossible. In 2010, US, authorities sized a bit over $5.6 million in counterfeit drugs. That was more than double the $2.1 million seized in 2005. But that’s barely a drop in the ocean of the $75 billion per year market.Yes, billion with a B.
Bottom line, don’t give in to the temptation and don’t believe the claims put out there by these illegal labs. Call your insurance company and ask whether they have a mail order prescription service (a lot of carriers do–and they’re often cheaper than picking up your meds in person).
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