Lamar Odom remains on life support in a Las Vegas hospital following his collapse Tuesday at a Nevada brothel.
As the 35-year-old fights for his life, more details are beginning to emerge about what lead to his dire medical state, including reports that the former NBA star had allegedly consumed herbal viagra.
As his family members and celebrity friends rush to his bedside, attention is turning to the substances he allegedly took before he lost consciousness at the Love Ranch.
Like many things these days, herbal viagra is easy to find, if you know where to look. It’s commonly seen near the checkout counter of bodegas and gas stations. Like everything else, the drug is also readily available on the internet.
“If he was using any other recreational drugs, then the combination could be deadly,” says Dr. Nancy Simpkins, a New Jersey-based internist. “If you are using herbal Viagra, which lowers your blood pressure, and you add in another toxic substance to the heart, the risk of a fatal arrhythmia goes up exponentially,” she adds.
These substances aren't controlled, or placed on a schedule—which provides guidance on public danger and federal regulations — by the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the agency doesn't list these supplements as a “drug of concern,” meaning they are not currently considered to be a public health risk.
It might have caused Lamar Odom to collapse or at least it might have in part. Unlike its legitimate counterpart, viagra, the herbal supplement is not monitored by the FDA, and therefore does not have to adhere to many safety measures.
When mixed with other drugs, particularly drugs which affect heart rate, herbal viagra can cause the blood pressure to become so low that it becomes dangerous. At the time that he was found unconscious, every drug imaginable had allegedly been found in Lamar’s system.
“There is no control over what is in these substances. It’s sold on the Internet. None of these products go through clinical trials. Absolutely zero,” says Simpkins.
Lamar reportedly took up to ten pills during a three-day period, according to the Nye County Sheriff’s office. The pills in question were called Reload and Libimax Plus, according to a spokesperson for the Love Ranch brothel.
