A Consultant Pharmacist, Mr Samuel Nkum Tenkorang, has warned that the growing tendency among men to buy sexual enhancement products for erectile dysfunction (ED) without medical assessment could delay the diagnosis of potentially life-threatening conditions.
The products include different mixtures referred to as herbal bitters, aphrodisiacs and testosterone boosters.
He said some men experiencing ED had been resorting to self-medication but warned against such practice as the condition could be an early warning sign of serious underlying health problems, including diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease.
Mr Tenkorang gave the warning in an interview with The Mirror last Tuesday in connection with Men’s Health Awareness Month.
He explained that treating ED as merely a sexual performance problem without investigating its underlying cause could expose men to serious health risks.
The consultant observed that many men were reluctant to seek medical attention for health concerns, particularly those relating to their sexual performance, and often preferred to manage such conditions privately.
He attributed that tendency to cultural expectations that encourage men to endure illness, demanding work schedules and the easy availability of medicines and supplements through shops, online platforms and social media.
He explained that self-medication involved selecting and using medicines to treat self-recognised illnesses or symptoms without professional diagnosis or prescription.
Apart from sexual enhancement products, he said some men also take antibiotics without prescription, painkillers without consultation and use herbal preparations and bodybuilding supplements based on recommendations from friends or social media.
Other health risks
The pharmacist said self-medication was also common among men experiencing prostate-related symptoms such as frequent urination, poor urine flow and waking up several times at night to urinate.
He cautioned that such symptoms could indicate an enlarged prostate, urinary tract infection or prostate cancer and therefore required proper medical assessment.
He was also concerned about the frequent and unsupervised use of painkillers such as diclofenac, ibuprofen and aspirin, which could contribute to kidney injury, stomach ulcers and elevated blood pressure, particularly among middle-aged and older men.
On antibiotics, he said their inappropriate use could contribute to antimicrobial resistance, making infections increasingly difficult to treat.
He said exercising was very beneficial, but the growing use of testosterone boosters, muscle-building supplements and anabolic steroid products among young men without medical supervision was dangerous.
Such products, he said, could result in infertility, liver damage, hormonal imbalances and cardiovascular complications.
Mr Tenkorang also cautioned that herbal medicines and supplements were not automatically safe. They were described as natural because “some could contain undisclosed pharmaceutical ingredients or substances that might cause liver damage and interact dangerously with prescribed medicines”.
Pharmacists' role
He said pharmacists were important partners in safeguarding men's health because they were often among the first healthcare professionals men approached when experiencing health concerns.
Pharmacists, he said, could identify warning signs, recommend appropriate over-the-counter medicines, prevent harmful drug interactions, counsel patients on safe medication practices and refer them for further medical evaluation.
He urged men not to ignore warning signs such as blood in the urine or semen, persistent erectile dysfunction, unexplained weight loss, breast lumps, difficulty urinating and persistent testicular pain or swelling.
Other symptoms he mentioned were chest pain, severe headaches and sudden weakness or paralysis, saying they require urgent medical attention.
"Self-medication should never replace proper diagnosis. Behind what appears to be a simple symptom may lie hypertension, diabetes, prostate disease, infertility, cardiovascular disease or even cancer. Men must not suffer in silence, and they must not medicate in silence," he stressed.
Mr Tenkorang, who is also the author of Living Well, Healthy and Long, said the objective was not to discourage responsible self-care but to promote safe medication practices.
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