“The phenomenon continues or is growing.” On Monday, January 20, French customs deplored the growing number of shipments of “aphrodisiac honey” entering the country. Tons of small envelopes sold discreetly in stores or through social media that are not safe for consumers.
From BFMTV.com, the National Agency for Food Safety, Environmental and Occupational Health (ANSES) points out that cases of poisoning reported by anti-toxic centers have been numerous and regular since the beginning of the 2020s.
On average, between 15 and 20 cases are observed each year. A total that in the end represents only a small part of the iceberg, these being the only people who choose to call these centers when symptoms appear.
“The problem persists or is increasing, with more cases at the beginning of January. Their number does not decrease despite the recommendations of the authorities,” says Dr. Sandra Sinno-Tellier, deputy director of alerts and health surveillance at Anses.
“We know that this only represents a part of everything that can happen in terms of poisoning, but it shows that the product is circulating on the market,” he says.
The Agency had already warned about this phenomenon in 2021, without this leading to a tangible reduction in poisonings.
“Almost exclusively men in their thirties”
Buyers often do not know that the small sachets, sold as “natural” aphrodisiacs, contain medicinal substances that are also found in drugs such as the famous Viagra.
Sometimes, it is the equivalent of several tablets present in a single sachet, as analysis of several products has revealed. And some users swallow one sachet after another, sometimes in the same day, with the goal of improving their sexual performance. Shots of which they are unaware of the dangers, since they are not informed by resellers.
These molecules, sildenafil or tadalafil, are available only with a prescription. They cause a vasodilator effect, that is, they dilate the blood vessels, and cause a reduction in blood pressure.
However, these erectile dysfunction treatments are available with a simple prescription, because their effects are well identified and can be avoided with medical advice. It allows risk profiles to be ruled out and also guarantees patient monitoring to rule out hypothetical associated dangers.
Resuscitation, necrosis: potentially very serious effects.
The typical profile of the victims who request these anti-toxic centers? “Almost exclusively men, in their thirties, with a range of 20 to 50 years old,” explains ANSES.
They mainly cause mild cardiac symptoms: sweating, tremors, headaches, etc. But other more serious manifestations have also been reported, such as the case of a man who suffered seizures that subsequently took him to intensive care.
Another victim, for example, suffered from “refractory priapism” in medical jargon, or “persistent erection” in more common parlance. “No treatment was effective, resulting in necrosis of the penis that probably required a prosthesis,” says Dr. Sinno-Tellier.
“The effects can be very serious, even in young men who have no history of cardiovascular diseases,” insists the spokesperson for the health organization. No deaths attributable to this product have been reported to ANSES.
Authorities are currently investigating the channels that bring these products from Malaysia, Turkey, Tunisia and Thailand, before they are distributed by various illegal traffickers.
Source: BFM TV
