Originally Posted by MrTips
WB9x7,Here’s a link that does a pretty good job of explaining some of the potential problems with Yohimbe bark, and Yohimbine, the extract that should only be taken by prescription:
My point is that it’s easy to take a product (like a penis pill) and not realize that an ingredient as active as Yohimbe can interact strongly with other foods, supplements, and medicines. I have personally seen it both drop diastolic blood pressure and raise heart rate and systolic pressure at the same time. The product I was checking was Dr. Al Sears Testomax. It hit me hard enough that I couldn’t take the supplement. I got a milder reaction from another supplement with Yohimbe, too. Now I’m not putting down Sears product. The bottle is clearly labled. I knew it had Yohimbe in it. What I didn’t realize was the strong interaction it had with dark chocolate which is probably what really gave me such a jolt. In my situation, I probably have a heightened sensitivity to Yohimbe. Also, I am not saying other folks shouldn’t take Yohimbe but be careful - it has a wide array of potential interactions - and one of them really got me good.
All the Best,
MrTiPS
Thanks MrT for this additional useful information and for the link. I would stress again that people should notice the huge distinction between yohimbe (the bark) and yohimBINE (the active ingredient extracted from the bark), and the proper dosage for each.
I agree that people taking products containing yohimbe (the bark) or yohimbine (the pure alkaloid extract) can be confused about the side effects and proper dosage. The reason I asked for more information on your earlier statement was that I couldn’t tell which yohimbe/yohimbine side effects you were talking about (whether high or low BP), and I thought this should be clarified for our readers.
It might be worth pointing out that the dosage form that FDA has approved contains 5.4 mg of yohimbine (the pure alkaloid substance) per tablet. On the other hand, one over-the-counter supplement product I’ve used, GNC’s Herbal Plus, contains 450 mg of yohimbe bark extract, 2% of which, or 9 mg, is yohimbine. Thus, a GNC tablet contains 167% of yohimbine in the FDA-approved product.
For better or worse, supplements like the GNC product are sold perfectly legally without prior approval by FDA, including lack of approval of the labeling and directions for use, under special provisions of Congress following strong lobbying by the supplements industry. Consequently, I again agree with your caution that people should be very careful in self-medicating themselves with such potentially dangerous drugs.
As for myself, several years ago I obtained an Rx from a urologist for the FDA-approved tablets containing 5.4 mg yohimbine each. After considerable experimentation, I settled on one-half a tablet dosage (or 2.7 mg yohimbine). When my prescription ran out, I was no longer a patient of the urologist, but I continued to use yohimbine, this time in the form of one-quarter of a GNC tablet, i.e., 9 mg/4 = 2.25 mg yohimbine per quarter tablet, or about 41% of the FDA-approved 5.4-mg dosage.
One final observation and comment: As you pointed out earlier, Viagra was originally intended for use in lowering blood pressure, and Lavitra and Cialis are similar to Viagra in this respect. I normally have to take medication for high BP, but when I also take a V, L or C tablet, my BP goes down so far I feel lethargic and dull. However, a quarter tablet of the GNC product seems to level out my BP and still give me that special feeling that only yohimbine can, which is that my dick calls attention to itself with every thought and I can’t keep my hands off it!
WB9x7 (HANK)