Britons have been warned about the dangers of ‘Viagra jelly’ — the drug allegedly linked to the death of cricket legend Shane Warne.
Called Kamagra, the super strength medical gel isn’t legal to buy or sell in the UK, but MailOnline has seen websites offering it for purchase online.
Manufactured in India, the drug is sold over the counter in various countries as an erectile dysfunction drug, including Thailand where Warne died in 2022.
Kamagra jelly is an edible gel sold in small sachets, featuring a range of fruity flavours.
The active ingredient dissolves inside the mouth, where it is then absorbed by the body.
The medicine contains sildenafil citrate, the same active ingredient as Viagra, which boosts blood flow to the penis making it easier to achieve and maintain an erection.
But Kamagra contains 100mg of the libido boosting drug, double the recommended starting dose for men in the UK.
Medics have warned that a higher dose naturally raises the risk of side effects, including sudden death.
Sildenafil is already known by medics to be dangerous in some circumstances due to its powerful effect on the cardiovascular system.
Kamagra jelly comes in small sachets, featuring a range of fruity flavours, that men empty into their mouths where it then dissolves and is absorbed by the body
A photo of Shane Warne in Koh Samui, Thailand before his death, believed to be his last one
For example, patients with known heart problems are advised to avoid taking it.
Leaflets handed out with sildenafil acknowledge cases of sudden death in men having taken the drug, though the firm that makes the drug insists such cases are rare and mostly in those with heart problems.
It’s for this reason that UK pharmacists will ask men interested in taking erectile dysfunction critical questions about their health.
Other potential side effects include headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, and stomach issues.
But another danger of Kamagra is that it may not just contain sildenafil.
The drug is made in India, and British medics warn supplies of drugs directly from the country can contain harmful additives or impurities due to laxer industry standards than the UK.
In Britian there are already known cases of patients who’ve required treatment for lead poisoning after taking Kamagra purchased online.
Websites touting Kamagra claim it is ‘man’s best friend’ and ‘completely safe if you follow the instructions’, offering it for as little as 73p per dose.
The presence of Kamagra in the room was omitted from the police report into his death
Earlier this week, Thai police revealed to MailOnline that they had been asked to remove the drug from Warne’s hotel room following his death.
The Australian spin bowler, 52, died in March 2022 from a massive heart attack while on a ‘lads’ holiday’ on the tropical Thai island of Koh Samui.
A postmortem determined that the legendar cricketer, known for his love of gambling and partying, died of ‘natural causes’ and that he suffered from congenital heart weakness. It also ruled out any foul play.
But a senior police official at the scene has revealed he was ordered to remove Kamagra from Warne’s hotel room, raising speculation it may have been a key factor in his death.
The presence of Kamagra in the room was omitted from the Thai police report into his death, sparking accusations of a cover up.
The officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told MailOnline: ‘We were ordered by our seniors to get rid of the bottle. These orders were coming from up high, and I think senior officials from Australia were also involved because they did not want their national figure to have an ending like this.
‘So, the official report came out as that he suffered a heart attack and no other details as to what could have caused it. No one will come out to confirm the Kamagra because it remains a sensitive subject. There were lots of powerful invisible hands behind all this.’
The source added: ‘It was a bottle, but we don’t know how much he took. There was also a puddle of vomit and blood at the scene, but we cleared the Kamagra as we were told to.’
A total of 4.57million prescriptions for sildenafil, more commonly known by the brand name Viagra, and other types of impotency drugs sold under the brand names Cialis and Levitra, were dished out by the health service in 2023
Most of the reported deaths were linked to incidents involving the heart or the brain
Kamagra is not recognised by Thailand’s national drug agency but is widely sold in pharmacies and at roadside stalls and is hugely popular with older men visiting the country.
Many shops and markets sell super strength versions of the unregulated sex drug in popular tourist areas such as Koh Samui, Bangkok and Phuket, for as little as £7.
Warne was said to be suffering from heart disease and asthma before he arrived on Koh Samui, the Thai police officer in charge of the investigation into his death announced at the time.
He had also recently completed a ‘ridiculous’ fluid- only diet that had left him in poor physical condition.
A medical source told MailOnline: ‘Kamagra is not something a man with congenital heart weakness should be taking.’
In addition to the jelly form, Kamagra also comes as a 100mg pill and a ‘super strength’ version that also includes 60mg of dapoxetine — a drug used to treat premature ejaculation.
Dapoxetine is known to be dangerous to some men with heart, kidney and liver problems.
All versions of Kamagra are unlicensed medications in the UK, meaning it is illegal to buy or sell.
Dr Zenon Andreou, medical director at Superdrug Online Doctor, said:’ Kamagra is an unlicensed medication which contains sildenafil. Spam pharmacies often sell fake Kamagra, which could be harmful to your health.’
Data from UK regulator The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) show 2.6million doses of sildenafil were confiscated in 2023.
The NHS says about one in 100 people will experience common side effects from taking sildenafil.
This map shows the areas where people were most and least likely to be prescribed sildenafil the key ingredient in the erectile dysfunction drug viagra 50 mg on the NHS
These include headaches, nausea, hot flushes, indigestion, a stuffy nose and dizziness, according to the NHS.
More serious side effects requiring urgent medical care are estimated to affect less than one in 1,000 people.
These include seizures, suffering a prolonged and potentially painful erection especially for over two hours, chest pain, and in very rare cases a life threatening allergic reaction to the medication called anaphylaxis.
Erectile dysfunction, also called impotency, is thought to effect about half of men over 40.
While most cases of erectile dysfunction are isolated and nothing to worry about, repeated or sustained impotency should be checked out by a GP.
This is because the issue can be an indicator of serious health problems like high blood pressure or high cholesterol, diabetes, hormone problems and mental issues like depression and anxiety.
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