What is the “honey packet” TikTok Trend?
The “honey packet” TikTok trend promotes taking sexual enhancers. Originating in a 2024 TikTok trend, the short clip featured a few students being interviewed on an Arizona State college campus. They were then asked the following question, “What’s something at ASU that would send a BYU student into a coma?” Two of the boys mentioned the honey pack trend, and one confirmed that he believed he took about 28 a week. The reason why others might be shocked to learn this? Honey packs may contain varying amounts of tadalafil or sildenafil, the main ingredient in sexual enhancement drugs like Cialis and Viagra, which is designed to treat erectile dysfunction.
Consuming honey packets for increased libido has been a trend for years. Honey packets have been marketed for heightened sexual pleasure since about 2021, sold in nightclubs and gas stations as “shots” or “sticks” of honey, under names like Black Horse or Bio Max. In 2023, France reported 31,000 tons of illegally imported honey from places like Malaysia, Turkey, and Thailand– all claiming to be natural performance enhancers. One of the main ingredients in the honey packets may be sildenafil or tadalafil, used in drugs like Viagra and Cialis, which can only be acquired with a prescription in countries like France. Since the companies producing these honey packets are not forthcoming about the active stimulating ingredient, it’s difficult to know the dosage of each honey packet, potentially leading to complications like convulsions, cerebral edemas or acute kidney injuries. As early as 2021, authorities have warned against consuming honey packets due to rising health concerns.
Potential Risks of Consuming Honey Packets
Dangerous interaction with other medications One of the main concerns with casually consuming honey packets for the purpose for sexual performance is how the drugs in the honey might interact with other medications a person is taking. People with diabetes and high blood pressure, for example, are typically on medications called nitrates, which work by causing the blood vessels passages to widen, allowing more blood flow to the heart. The active ingredient in the honey packets, either tadalafil and sildenafil, also cause blood vessels to widen. When combined, these two drugs could lead to life-threatening low blood pressure.
Dependency A recent study discovered that 8% of men in their 20s and 11% of men in their 30s suffer from erectile dysfunction, or ED. It’s evident that there’s clearly a market for performance-enhancing drugs, but some people, like the college student in the original TikTok video, might be overdoing it. This could be rooted in the pressure to exceed a sexual partner’s needs, especially for college-aged men. However, a major health risk could be becoming dependent on honey packets, which would ultimately lead to an inability to maintain an erection without use of the active stimulating ingredient found in the packets. A limited dose of tadalafil over a controlled period of time as prescribed by a doctor is not considered dangerous. However, the amount of this ingredient in a honey packet is not listed, which is what makes it dangerous and unadvisable.
Uncomfortable and dangerous side effects Before consuming a honey packet with tadalafil in it, you should be aware of all the conditions that it could negatively impact. These include but are not limited to heart disease of any kind, eye conditions, stomach ulcers, kidney disease, and liver disease. Then, there are some potential minor side effects, such as blurred vision, chest pain, dizziness, headache, hearing loss, nausea, and nervousness. The more serious side effects can be life-threatening, like a painful and prolonged erection, significantly low blood pressure, and cardiac arrest.
Is taking honey packets safe?
No, consuming honey packets poses numerous health risks. Since the dosage of the performance-enhancing ingredient is not typically displayed on the label, it’s impossible to know how much tadalafil or sildenafil you’re consuming. This makes it just as potentially dangerous as any other illegal drug. When taken at the same time as certain other medications to treat other pre-existing conditions, the risk of adverse effects only increases. If erectile dysfunction seems to be the issue, it’s recommended that you consult a medical health professional.
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