The U.S. Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) warns a vape company over several violations regarding its products with erectile dysfunction drugs.
What are the potential risks of using the drug-laced vape liquids?
Viagra And Cialis In Vape Liquids?
On Thursday, the FDA released a statement announcing that it issued a warning letter to China-based vape company HelloCig Electronic Technology Co. Ltd over several violations of FDA regulations. Evidently, the company produces two products containing undeclared tadalafil and/or sildenafil, the active pharmaceutical ingredients in erectile dysfunction drugs.
Such drugs are approved by the FDA as pharmaceutical drugs but not approved to be included in vape liquids, and are therefore considered illegally sold. Further, the agency learned that the company is marketing the products in such a way that may mislead consumers into thinking that the adulterated vape liquids are FDA approved, placing Cialis bottles and pills alongside their product.
In fact, one of the concerned products is even called E-Cialis which contains both tadalafil and sildenafil, while the other is called E-Rimonabant which contains sildenafil. In addition, they also have another product advertised alongside Acomplia, which is an anti-obesity drug that is unapproved by the FDA.
Because the vape liquids are laboratory confirmed to contain pharmaceutical drugs, they are now considered as unapproved new drugs.
“There are no e-liquid products approved to contain prescription drugs or any other medications that require a doctor’s supervision,” said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D.
Risks Of Using Vape Liquids With Erectile Dysfunction Drug
Tadalafil with brand name Viagra and Sildenafil with brand name Cialis are both pharmaceutical drugs that are FDA-approved for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. Both are PDE-5 inhibitors that can pose serious risks, especially upon interacting with other drugs.
For instance, it may interact with the nitrates in prescription drugs for high blood pressure and could result in very low blood pressure at dangerous levels, while those taking protease inhibitors for HIV should discuss using Viagra with their doctors first, as the interaction between the drugs may increase the likelihood and severity of side effects.
Additionally, common side effects of erectile dysfunction drugs may include, for Viagra, headaches, sensitivity to light, indigestion, impaired vision, and nasal congestion. In rare cases, some even experience seeing everything with a tinge of blue, while others experience painful and long-lasting erections, heart attack, sudden hearing loss, and ventricular arrhythmias.
On the other hand, Cialis side effects may include a drop in blood pressure which can lead to dizziness, fainting, heart attack, or stroke when it interacts with nitrates or alpha blockers. Other side effects may include headache, stomach upset, muscle pain, stuffy nose, back pain, flushing, and dizziness.
