‘Harder, Faster’: How Sex Pills & Aphrodisiacs Are Damaging Bodies

With global erectile dysfunction cases projected to surpass 320 million by 2025, trends indicate that Nigeria may contribute significantly to this figure as many resort to fake, unregulated aphrodisiacs without medical guidance.

This growing quest for sexual validation and enhanced performance has triggered a boom in the “manpower” business, bringing severe consequences including cardiovascular complications, organ damage, and priapism — a condition that can cause permanent erectile dysfunction if untreated.

By any standard, Aigbodu Osas fit the image of a confident young man — tall, sociable, financially stable, and in a committed relationship. Yet the night he swallowed his first sex pill, desperation—not confidence—drove his choice.

It began innocently. After a routine intimate moment, his girlfriend casually teased that her ex “used to last longer.” While she laughed it off, the words pierced his ego deeply. “I thought I was doing okay, but after that comment by her, I was not sure again,” Osas admitted.

Unable to sleep, he visited a chemist in Benin the next morning. The shelves were lined with glossy packs of enhancers — Wild Tiger, Black Stallion, Hyergra, Rhino Max — displayed like candy. No prescription required, no questions asked. He grabbed a bright-blue capsule that promised improved stamina and performance. That night, it worked.

Encouraged by his girlfriend’s praise, Osas spiraled into dependency. Together, they experimented with everything from herbal concoctions to bitters and homebrewed aphrodisiac cocktails. Their sex life became a performance, and Osas the lead actor — until the script flipped.

Months later, after a nap, Osas woke up with a painful, persistent erection without any stimulation or pills. “It was scary, and the thing lasted for about three hours. My head was pounding. I didn’t know what was happening,” he recalled. Two weeks later, priapism struck again, this time lasting five hours. Forced to quit enhancers, he discovered the damage was already done: without chemical support, he struggled to perform. His relationship crumbled soon after.

“She thought I wasn’t interested anymore; she didn’t understand what I was dealing with.”

Osas found love again months later, but a new nightmare unfolded. “No matter how long we tried, I just couldn’t climax. It was like my body forgot how to finish.” Medical tests revealed overstimulation from sex boosters had dulled his natural response. Today, Osas is still recovering — physically and emotionally — one of many trapped in a silent epidemic where performance defines worth.

While Osas battled pressure, Ajeibi, a 34-year-old mother of three, struggled to salvage her marriage after childbirth changed her body and intimacy faded. Her husband grew distant, rejecting advances with excuses like “I’m tired, I’m busy.”

Finally, he confessed: “You’re not the same anymore… Your body isn’t like it was before.” Devastated, she turned to friends who suggested vaginal tightening creams, gels, and herbal aphrodisiacs. The products promised miracles — restored “grip,” improved lubrication, and renewed passion.

Initially, they seemed to work. Her husband became affectionate again, and Ajeibi doubled her usage. But soon came side effects: soreness, itching, strange discharges, and bleeding. Hospital tests later revealed severe vaginal inflammation, micro-tears, and infection. The “solutions” she trusted had damaged her body.

For Bala Isa, insecurities began at 16 after being mocked in a school dormitory for being “small.” Years later, a girlfriend’s remark reopened old wounds. Spotting a flyer near Ojuelegba promising “100% natural enlargement,” he bought a kit of herbal oils and powders. “Apply twice daily, no sex for two weeks,” the vendor instructed. The burning sensation was dismissed as proof it was “working.”

But soon, numbness set in. At a clinic, tests showed early nerve damage and chemical irritation. Doctors warned he was close to permanent dysfunction, yet Isa still clings to hope of a “size solution.”

Osas, Ajeibi, and Isa’s stories highlight a growing epidemic — the dangerous pursuit of sexual validation through unregulated enhancers. Across Nigeria, markets, kiosks, WhatsApp groups, and roadside stalls overflow with sex products promising to “last all night” or “feel like a man again.” Behind the glossy ads lie emotional trauma, infections, infertility, and irreversible organ damage.

Research reveals alarming patterns. A 2024 BMC Public Health study found that 64% of surveyed adults in Northern Nigeria had used traditional medicines for sexual enhancement, with users aged 21–30 forming nearly half. A 2022 survey in Southwestern Nigeria showed 79% of men aged 20–35 had tried performance enhancers, a third of whom used them weekly. While 76% reported no immediate side effects, 20.7% experienced mild complications, and 3.3% required hospitalisation.

Another study by Uduakobong E. Bassey and Timothy O. Fajemirokun found that in Ogun State, 86.8% of community pharmacists sold male sexual enhancement drugs without prescriptions, primarily sildenafil (64.9%) and tadalafil (50%).

Meanwhile, the influx of counterfeit drugs worsens the crisis. On August 3, 2025, NAFDAC and the Nigeria Customs Service seized 16 containers of falsified pharmaceuticals worth N20.5 billion at Onne Port, including counterfeit Hyergra tablets. In Q1 2025 alone, five containers of illicit enhancers worth N921 billion were intercepted at Apapa Port.

Experts warn of severe risks. Harvard Health Publishing revealed that some supplements secretly contain phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors (PDE-5i), triggering potentially fatal reactions. Dr. Apata Kehinde of FMC Ebute-Metta cautioned that prolonged use of testosterone-based enhancers reduces sperm production and can accelerate prostate cancer in high-risk individuals.

Independent tests found unsafe levels of lead, cobalt, cadmium, and chromium in some herbal boosters, linking them to male infertility and kidney failure. Priapism, erectile dysfunction, and cardiovascular complications are increasingly common.

Doctors advise prioritising lifestyle changes, such as regular aerobic exercise, and seeking professional consultation before using enhancers. As Dr. Akintade Adegboyega warns, “No matter the quantity they take, they may never achieve the desired effect again.”

Nigeria’s booming sex booster industry hides a growing health catastrophe. Without regulation, awareness, and medical guidance, more lives could be shattered in silence.