The Independent Pharmacy

Kamagra: The Truth About The Unlicensed ED Tablet

Scott McDougall
Scott McDougall
MPharm GPhC 2079324
Director & Registered Manager

Ever since the launch of the first online pharmacies in the early 2000s, men have turned to the internet to help treat erectile dysfunction (ED). Initially, customers largely purchased well-known ED treatments like Viagra and Cialis. And while these medications are still very popular, there’s now a range of alternatives out there, one of the most talked about of which is Kamagra.

Marketed as an ED treatment, it claims to offer an affordable solution for men experiencing erectile dysfunction. However, for most people, Kamagra remains an unknown, with many unsure if Kamagra is safe to use, what its side effects are and how it differs from other ED treatments on the market.

As with any new medicine, including ED treatments, it’s a good idea to find out more before you begin taking it. To help you make an informed decision, and select the medication that’s right for you, we’re taking a closer look at Kamagra and the risks and benefits it offers.

What is Kamagra?

Kamagra is a branded erectile dysfunction treatment that reports to contain sildenafil citrate, the same active ingredient that’s in Viagra. Sildenafil works by temporarily increasing the blood flow to the penis, making it easier to get an erection when sexually aroused. Kamagra is produced by manufacturers in India and is marketed directly to the public in the UK as a cheap alternative to Viagra, Cialis, or Levitra.

Kamagra is available in a number of formats including as coloured tablets, effervescent tablets and flavoured jellies. It’s produced by Ajanta Pharma in India and is not currently licensed for use in the UK or Europe.

As it’s unlicensed and unregulated, users can’t be sure exactly what they’re taking. If the drug contains less sildenafil than stated, it may have no effect at all, potentially aggravating your ED and leaving you feeling stressed and anxious. Alternatively, if it contains a higher dose of sildenafil than claimed, it could cause a number of serious side effects and lead to a range of health issues.

Up until recently, Kamagra was one of the most widely searched-for ED treatments. However interest in the drug has declined dramatically over time. This may be because legal ED treatments have become more accessible and also down to increased awareness of the dangers of taking unlicensed medication. Luckily for men experiencing ED, there is now a wide variety of effective, safe and reasonably-priced treatments available thanks to online pharmacies.

Super Kamagra

While researching Kamagra online, you may have come across Super Kamagra, another unlicensed treatment that’s marketed to men experiencing ED. Unlike standard Kamagra, Super Kamagra contains both sildenafil and a medication called dapoxetine. Dapoxetine is a drug designed to treat premature ejaculation (PE) and is the generic name for branded medication Priligy.

Super Kamagra is particularly dangerous as both sildenafil and dapoxetine can lead to a drop in blood pressure. Combining the two medications could result in dizziness, fainting and falls.

Most men who suffer from both erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation will find that treatments such as Viagra or Cialis will improve PE as well as ED. For this reason, it is unnecessary to risk your health by taking an unlicensed combination treatment like Super Kamagra.

Kamagra Oral Jelly

Kamagra is sold as an oral jelly as well as in tablet form. But what is Kamagra oral jelly? and is it a safe way to treat ED? Again, the answer is no. A type of dissolvable gel, Kamagra oral jelly is supposed to be easier to swallow than a pill and the manufacturer also claims it works faster than the tablet form of the medication.

Kamagra oral jelly purports to contain 100mg of sildenafil citrate. However, like Kamagra tablets, the oral jelly is unlicensed and unregulated so there’s no way to know the exact dose of sildenafil that you’re ingesting. Using an unregulated medication leaves you very vulnerable and could have a serious impact on your health. Taking Kamagra oral jelly could result in unknown side effects or may have no effect at all.

How Does Kamagra Work?

Normally, when a man becomes aroused, there is increased blood flow to his penis, allowing him to achieve an erection. With erectile dysfunction, the blood vessels can become narrowed, reducing blood flow to the penis, making it difficult to get and maintain an erection that’s firm enough for sex.

Sildenafil citrate relaxes the blood vessels that supply the penis, increasing blood flow and making it easier to get a satisfactory erection. Sildenafil is the active ingredient in Viagra, a well-known and fully approved ED treatment.

Kamagra claims to contain sildenafil so, in theory, should work to increase blood flow to the penis and treat ED. However, as the drug is not regulated or licensed, this cannot be tested or verified and there’s no way to know how much sildenafil Kamagra really contains.

There is no evidence to suggest that Kamagra works for women.

What is the Difference Between Kamagra and Other ED Treatments?

Kamagra claims to contain sildenafil 100mg, the same dosage as the higher strength of Viagra and generic Sildenafil tablets. Sildenafil belongs to the same family of drugs as those found in other well-known ED treatments such as Cialis, Levitra, and Spedra.

The main difference between Kamagra and other ED medications is that the other treatments mentioned are licensed, regulated and approved. This means that they can be prescribed by medical professionals, are safe to use and their effects and risks are well researched and properly understood.

Licensed products like Viagra and Cialis have to comply with strict guidelines throughout the manufacturing, storage, and supply process. They also have to undergo stringent clinical trials to prove that they’re safe. This thorough testing allows patients and medical professionals to be confident that medicines contain exactly what they say they do, and that they have been proven to be both safe and effective in humans.

Kamagra is not a licensed treatment, therefore you cannot be sure that it contains the ingredients that it claims to. It hasn’t been thoroughly tested or put through recognised clinical trials. It’s also impossible to be certain which chemicals the manufacturer has used to make the product.

Is Kamagra Safe?

So, is it safe to use Kamagra? Well, the short answer is no. Kamagra is an unlicensed ED treatment made in India. It has not been approved for use in the UK or Europe, so there’s no regulatory oversight to ensure that it meets the required standards for medicines in the UK.

In fact, there are no guarantees that Kamagra even contains the active ingredients that it claims to, and the other ingredients used to make the product are often unknown.

When you are unsure of the ingredients of a medicine it leaves you open to a number of risks, including:

  • The stated ingredients are missing and the treatment is ineffective
  • It contains much more of the active ingredient than stated and is dangerous
  • It uses ‘filler substances’ that you may be allergic to, or are unfit for human consumption. These may produce dangerous and unexpected side effects.

Taking unlicensed and unregulated medication is incredibly risky and can lead to serious side effects and even death. The question is: knowing that Kamagra has not been approved for use in the UK - and taking into account the abundance of bad reviews online – is it really worth the risk?

Is Kamagra Legal in the UK?

No. The manufacturers of Kamagra claim that the medication contains sildenafil citrate, a drug that is only available on prescription in the UK. As Kamagra has not been approved by the MHRA, it is not legal for use as a medicine in the United Kingdom and cannot be prescribed by a doctor.

In the past few years, there have been numerous high profile raids and seizures of counterfeit medicines including Kamagra as the MHRA has cracked down on fake products. For those caught selling Kamagra UK law can be swift and severe, with a number of long sentences handed down to those convicted.

Is it Illegal to Buy Kamagra in the UK?

Kamagra can’t be bought legally in either the UK or Europe. It can only be purchased online via unregulated websites based abroad. The medication is not offered by legitimate online pharmacies as it is neither safe nor legal to supply.

While buying Kamagra online probably won’t see you arrested or fined, it can leave you open to other dangers like credit card fraud and serious illness. If you’re caught buying large quantities of the drug however, you may face criminal prosecution, especially if police believe that you intend to sell the medication on or supply it to others.

To help you ensure that you're buying treatment from a reputable source, read our posts 'How to Spot a Genuine Online Pharmacy' and 'How to Buy Medicine Online Safely'.

Kamagra Legal Alternatives

Thankfully, there are plenty of alternatives to Kamagra that are perfectly safe and legal.

Many of these medications contain sildenafil or a similar drug, such as tadalafil. They include:

With the recent rise in legitimate online pharmacies, access to genuine medicines has never been easier. So, for people who don’t have the time to see their doctor, or are embarrassed to discuss their problem face-to-face, finding safe, tested and effective treatments is simpler than ever.

Medicines such as Sildenafil, Viagra, and Cialis can be easily bought online by completing a short medical questionnaire. This allows a doctor or qualified pharmacist to ensure the treatment will be safe and effective for you. They can then produce a valid prescription for the associated pharmacy to be able to dispense you with a genuine, licensed ED treatment.

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Scott McDougall

Authored by

Scott McDougall
Scott McDougall
MPharm
2079324
Director & Registered Manager

Scott is one of the two founders of The Independent Pharmacy. He is a registered pharmacist and the registered manager of our service with the CQC.

Daniel Hurley

Reviewed by

Daniel Hurley
Daniel Hurley
MPharm IP
2078790
Pharmacist Independent Prescriber

Dan is an experienced pharmacist having spent time working in both primary and secondary care. He currently supports our clinical team by providing robust clinical governance review of our internal processes and information.