Reload, the brand of herbal supplement Lamar Odom took, is Viagra with no medical regulation: FDA
Herbal supplements with the same effect as that of Viagra is now the talk of town after sex trade workers from a Nevada brothel revealed that former Lakers player Lamar Odom took 10 of such pills over three days. On Tuesday afternoon, the brothel's staff discovered Odom unconscious, his mouth foaming with pink liquid.
The Washington Post identifies the brand of the herbal sexual performance enhancer supplement that Odom took as Reload, which the US Food and Drug Administration had issued a warning about in 2013. Reload, according to the regulator, “contains hidden drug ingredient” that could result in dangerous reaction.
Dennis Hof, owner of the Love Ranch brothel in Nevada where Odom stayed, insists that Reload is an herbal supplement that gives energy, and is suitable for people suffering from erectile dysfunction. He describes it as the pill form of an energy drink and which does not require a doctor’s prescription to purchase.
The FDA warning, however, points out that Reload is actually an unregulated form of Viagra without medical oversight even if it contains – according to laboratory analysis – sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra approved by the FDA for ED patients.
The warning says Reload could be purchased from the website www.reloadpill.com, which when clicked on would leaad to a portal with Chinese characters. The English label of the Reload container lists its manufacturer in the U.S., although the rest of the contact information is in Chinese characters, making it difficult to trace the manufacturer.
When sildenafil interacts with nitrate, found in some prescription drugs such as nitroglycerin, it can cause a person's blood pressure to plummet to dangerous levels, added the FDA. The regulator advised consumers to stop using Reload immediately.
However, Odom did not just take 10 Reload pills. He also allegedly combined it with cocaine which resulted in the former husband of Khloe Kardashian suffering from an ischemic attack, according to a doctor at Sunrise Hospital & Medical Center where Odom is currently in a medically induced coma.
Meanwhile, the New York Daily News reports that while in coma, Odom also suffered from kidney failure. Although he underwent a successful dialysis treatment, he remains in critical condition.
There is hope arising from reports that Odom's kidney failure was the result of drug abuse and not hypertension or diabetes. In such cases, the kidney could still improve over time, although it could take weeks or even months for doctors to fully determine the extent of Odom’s kidney damage.
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