When Health Canada finds such products, often promoted for sexual enhancement, weight loss, as a workout aid, or as “poppers,” that are labelled to contain, or have been tested and found to contain, dangerous ingredients, the master list is updated.
The affected products, which have been seized from stores across Ontario, are available for viewing here.
The listed products have not been approved by Health Canada, which means that they have not been assessed for safety, effectiveness, and quality. As such, they can pose many health dangers, including:
- They may contain ingredients not listed on the label, potentially including prescription drugs possibly exceeding maximum recommended doses.
- The label also may indicate a dangerous ingredient or combination of ingredients. For example, it could list a drug that should be available only by prescription, or a combination of ingredients not permitted by Health Canada because of serious health risks.
Canadians are encouraged to check back to the page regularly for updates.
If you are in possession of any of the products listed, you should stop using them. If you have used these products and have health concerns, consult a health care professional.
Also, be sure to report any health product adverse events or complaints to Health Canada.
Further, the agency recommends always reading product labels to verify that products have been authorized for sale. Authorized health products have an eight-digit Drug Identification Number (DIN), Natural Product Number (NPN) or Homeopathic Drug Number (DIN-HM).
You can also check if products have been authorized for sale by searching Health Canada’s Drug Product Database and Licensed Natural Health Product Database.
Selling unauthorized health products in Canada is illegal. Some products and ingredients to be aware of when picking up supplements include:
- Cardarine (not authorized in Canada, may pose serious health risks)
- “Poppers” (products that contain alkyl nitrites, which are prescription drugs and should be used only under the supervision of a healthcare professional)
- Rauwolfia (prescription drug used to treat hypertension, can make depression worse)
- Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMs) (drugs that are not authorized in Canada for any use)
- Sildenafil (prescription drug used to treat erectile dysfunction and should be used only under the supervision of a health care professional)
- Tadalafil (prescription drug used to treat erectile dysfunction and should be used only under the supervision of a health care professional)
- Yohimbine (prescription drug and should be used only under the supervision of a health care professional. May cause serious adverse reactions particularly in people with high blood pressure, or heart, kidney or liver disease)
Further information can be found here.
