Honey products promising a better sex life were laced with Viagra, Cialis and Addyi

Honey products marketed online for their ability to improve the libidos of men and women were found to contain the same medication used in the erectile-dysfunction prescription brands Viagra and Cialis. Aside from the substances sildenafil and tadalafil, some products also contained flibanserin, the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) said on Wednesday. Flibanserin is sold in the United States under the brand name, Addyi, for treating diminished sex drive in pre-menopausal women.

Investigators working for the NVWA purchased 21 honey products from nine different retail sellers in the Netherlands. All but one were found to contain one of the medications mentioned when a rapid test was run. The results still need to be confirmed by the Wageningen Food Safety Research laboratory, at which point the NVWA can sanction the retailers.

Additionally, the regulator's investigative unit identified one individual who was trading in larger quantities of the suspicious products. His business in The Hague was raided, and investigators found more than 600 packages of honey products. A sample was tested on site and found to contain sildenafil and tadalafil, and the results were confirmed in a laboratory. The entrepreneur's stock was seized, and the investigation is ongoing.

All three medications can cause serious side effects on their own, and can have dangerous consequences when combined with other drugs, the NVWA said. "For example, sildenafil in combination with heart medications can seriously lower blood pressure, which can lead to life-threatening situations."

A prescription is required for Viagra and the generic versions containing sildenafil. A doctor's order is also needed for tadalafil, which is found in Cialis. Flibanserin is not approved for use by the European Medicines Agency and the Medicines Evaluation Board in the Netherlands.

"The NVWA advises consumers not to use honey products that promise a better sex life. There is a considerable chance that the products contain active ingredients from medications."