Male Enhancement Pills: Do They Work? What About ExtenZe and Enzyte?

Even though I am of the male persuasion, I have seen quite a number of television advertisements for male enhancement pills such as ExtenZe and Enzyte and have yet to be influenced to make a purchase. For purposes of trying to keep the content in this article readable without becoming offensive, I will simply refer to male enhancement as something that the advertisers claim will increase the size of a certain part of the male anatomy. The main focus will be on what actually occurs with these two products outside the bedroom, since the intentions of the manufacturers of these pills about improving male sexual performance should be examined, given that there are few objective reports about whether they actually work.

Interestingly enough, a huge cottage industry has evolved in the male enhancement business. According to one website, www.sizemed.com, a man interested in increasing his size has an interesting choice among enhancement pills, exercises, devices, and patches. According to this website, which claims to have access to medical information and doctor consultation in the male enhancement field, a "new wonder pill for male enhancement pops up every day." So what is the truth with respect to male enhancement pills? Do they work?

The answer to the question, "Do male enhancement pills work?" depends on who you ask. The Sizemed website certainly seems to have a more scientific and rational approach to the whole subject. It's interesting to note that their Top 3 recommended male enhancement pills were: VigRX capsules, Vimax pills, and Pro Solution pills that ran the gamut from $59.95 a month to $78.95 a month. According to Sizemed, the answer to the question of whether the pills work is "Yes and No." There was the usual disclaimer at the bottom, after stating all of the various "benefits" of male enhancement for each product, such as the length of time a man is able to stay erect, and greater and longer lasting climaxes. The disclaimer was that "none of these statements have been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration."

Since the answer, "Yes and No," is noncommittal, let's try to answer the question of "Do male enhancement pills work?" on the basis of some common sense. Obviously, everyone's medical profile is different, so the enhancement pills are not going to work for everyone. The only male enhancement products I'm aware of, that have been FDA approved, are Viagra, Levitra, and Cialis. So if you are one of these people who prefer to go with an FDA approved product, at least you know which three to use. With respect to FDA approval, the people at ExtenZe offer this disclaimer: "The FDA does not approve or disapprove this product." It pays to do a little due diligence about ExtenZe, because not only does an FAQ section of a website offer that disclaimer, it also states, when directly asked, "What results can I expect from taking ExtenZe?" that "We make absolutely no claims as to what extenze will or will not do for you as we are not the manufacturers of this product."

Given that the venders of ExtenZe go to such great lengths to cover any perceived misstatement about the effects of their product on male sexual performance, one has to wonder if the sole purpose of the male enhancement business is just money. Consider this blog from the Wall Street Journal, dated August 27, 2008, in which the founder of Berkeley Premium Neutraceuticals which markets Enzyte and features Smiling Bob, Steve Warshak, was sentenced to 25 years in jail for 93 counts of conspiracy, fraud, and money laundering. Specifically, Enzyte was accused of defrauding customers of $100 million due to fraudulent advertising and "manipulated credit card transactions," in which customers were denied refunds or returns. Incredibly, the company was allowed to remain in business after all that happened, which explains why you still see the Enzyte ads on TV. Enzyte apparently costs between $34.95 and $59.95 a bottle depending on where you buy it. ExtenZe appears to be costing around $59.95 a month. Many of these male enhancement enticements try to sell you a "three-month supply," since results are not always "instantaneous," or your male anatomy "needs time to expand."

The biggest complaint ExtenZe receives when checking with online customers, is that the people who take advantage of the "amazing TV offer" to buy ExtenZe using "just a postage stamp," find their credit card charged about $59.95 a month on a recurring basis. The complaints about the recurring charges on credit cards must be true because a number of websites now promise to "sell ExtenZe without the necessity of an auto-billing or auto-shipping program." GNC stores also sell ExtenZe for about $59.95 for a 30-day supply as well. So the intent with the TV advertising appears to be to sign people up for "free trials" of ExtenZe, and then obligate them to a contract with their credit card for an auto-shipping program of the product. Complaints abound about inoperative customer service numbers, refusals to accept returns or to issue credits to a credit or debit card, and sometimes being told their order had been canceled when in reality it hadn't.

Even with FDA-approved drugs like Viagra and Cialis, the FDA reports at their website that users of these drugs may experience "sudden hearing loss." So the side effects of many of these recent male enhancement pills may have yet to be documented. Complaints have been reported online by users of ExtenZe of migraine headaches and dizziness, that go away when use of the pills stop, and then reappear when use resumes. Until some type of independent source or study can confirm the effectiveness of these pills, the use of them seems to be largely one of trial-and-error, and about a $60 a month investment on average. So the answer to the question of "Do male enhancement pills work?", largely depends on the person's physical make-up and your belief in the product. Something that is not FDA-approved such as ExtenZe ought to raise concerns about unknown side effects at the very least. One reason more isn't known about these male enhancement pills is because, as the judge put it in the sentencing of the founder of Enzyte to 25 years, "an aspect of the fraud is the reluctance of customers to come forward, which would mean admitting they ordered the sexual enhancement pills."