6 side effects of aphrodisiacs you didn't know

Just like the need to have food and water, intimacy is also a primal requirement in life. Most human beings have a need for intimacy for a healthy sexual life, which determines their overall wellbeing. If there are physical or psychological problems with a person’s sexuality, it can hamper their self-confidence and thus degrade the quality of their life.

In recent times, the use of aphrodisiacs has become the rage. Aphrodisiacs are substances that are said to increase sexual desires when consumed. It functions by increasing the sex drive, your performance in bed and increasing your sexual energy. Some people take it to save their marriages and others just take it prior to sex every time to show an increase in their sexual prowess.

Unfortunately, people do not consider the safety of these drugs and consume the same without knowing their effects.

Below are some side effects of taking aphrodisiacs:

Loss of sex drive

One frustrating thing about aphrodisiacs is that, in the long run, they do the exact opposites of what you want them to do! One of such is that they decrease your ability to get an erection naturally; and even after prolonged use, your body gets used to it, such that it’s no longer effective. That’s the time people resort to a higher dosage, which may lead to death.

Hypotension

While aphrodisiacs truly intensify and prolong sexual performance because of increased blood flow to the genitals, it could also result in hypotension — that is a drop in blood pressure. When blood pressure drops, physicians say it is even more dangerous than hypertension, as it takes quite a lot of efforts to restore it to a normal level.

Liver and kidney damage

Research has shown that aphrodisiacs have chemical substances that are dangerous to the body’s vital organs such as the liver or kidney. Once damaged, these organs can be difficult to repair, and death may result.

Other side effects of aphrodisiacs include stuffy nose, headaches, stomach pain, upset stomach, nausea, diarrhoea, memory problems, back pain, an inability to differentiate between the colours green and blue, loss of hearing, ringing in the ears, and dizziness.

Risks of stroke, infertility

Experts warn that if you love to use sex-enhancing drugs, you risk non-communicable diseases such as stroke, cancer, and liver cirrhosis.

Other side effects include the development of fewer red blood cells (anaemia), which may ultimately result in dizziness, severe headaches and unconsciousness.

Allergic reactions

Sometimes, users of aphrodisiacs may suffer allergic reactions such as irregular heartbeats, loss of vision, hives, difficulty breathing, swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat.