Man gets pimples in unprecedented reaction to £5 erection health drug sold in shops
- The unidentified 40-year-old only sought help five days after experiencing the rash
- He initially denied taking any drugs before admitting to taking tadalafil
A Brazilian man suffered an unprecedented reaction to an erection drug sold on the British high street.
The 40-year-old developed pustules – small bumps on the skin containing fluid or pus – covering his chest, face and thighs after taking tadalafil, sold as Cialis in Britain.
Doctors say doctors should be aware of the “potential side effect given the increasing use of tadalafil.”
The unidentified man, who now lives in Portugal, denied taking drugs when he first visited his doctor and complained about the rash.
Five days later, as his condition worsened, he admitted to taking tadalafil.
The 40-year-old developed pustules – small bumps on the skin containing fluid or pus – covering his chest, face and thighs after taking tadalafil, sold as Cialis in Britain. In the photo, pimples on his thigh
Doctors say doctors should be aware of the “potential side effect given the increasing use of tadalafil.” The unidentified man, who now lives in Portugal, denied taking drugs when he first visited his doctor and complained about the rash. In the photo, pimples on his chest
Under British regulations, Cialis can be sold without a prescription, but only in pharmacies for just £22, so men are questioned about their health before the pills are sold to them. This also means that men cannot buy the drugs at convenience stores, supermarkets or gas stations – as is possible with aspirin and other drugs.
He told doctors that his symptoms started a few days after he took the drug to treat his erectile dysfunction.
The man stopped taking tadalafil and eventually steroids helped clear his skin.
Manufacturers of the drug claim that Cialis, which sells for just £5 per pill, is superior to Viagra, made with sildenafil. because it works faster, in just 30 minutes.
The effects can also last up to 36 hours – six times longer than the little blue pill.
British regulations allow Cialis to be sold without a prescription, but only in pharmacies, so men are questioned about their health before being given the pills.
This means that men cannot buy the drugs at convenience stores, supermarkets or gas stations – as is possible with aspirin and other drugs.
Sales are limited to a box of 10mg pills, also known as the ‘standard dose’.
The team that treated the man at Hospital de Santa Maria in Lisbon did not reveal his dosage.
After taking a skin biopsy – where a small piece of skin is removed to be examined under a microscope – doctors diagnosed him acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP).
Typically, AGEP starts on the face or in the armpits and groin before spreading.
Research shows that more than nine in ten cases are caused by medications, often antibiotics such as penicillin.
Writing in the diary Urological case reportsAccording to doctors, it is crucial that health professionals recognize AGEP as a possible side effect of tadalafil, “especially given the escalating demand for erectile dysfunction medications.”
Further research is also needed to understand why the drug activates AGEP, she added.
According to the NHS, drugs like Viagra and Cialis are used to treat erectile dysfunction in at least two-thirds of cases.
Erectile dysfunction is more common in people over 40, but affects men of all ages.
It affects around 4.3 million men in Britain 30 million in the US.
But experts say up to 70 percent of men feel too embarrassed to seek advice about the problem, preventing them from seeking help.
Worse still, many men are turning to the internet to buy supplies of the drug, often buying illegal or counterfeit versions from abroad, putting them at risk of dangerous counterfeits.