Is Kamagra Oral Jelly an Effective Treatment for ED?

Reviewed by Katelyn Hagerty, FNP

Written by Geoffrey Whittaker

Updated 03/05/2023

The internet is full of erectile dysfunction (ED) treatment advertisements, and the products you’ve likely seen range from mild to wild. 

The internet is full of erectile dysfunction (ED) treatment advertisements, and the products you’ve likely seen range from mild to wild. Donkeys, tigers and dragons adorn all sorts of gas station supplements, but one of the most common alleged ED treatments you may have seen is Kamagra, a generic ED medication produced in India. 

Kamagra is sold as a tablet and as a flavored oral jelly, which immediately makes it one of the weirdest on the market. It's often marketed as a cheap alternative to drugs like Viagra®, usually via banner ads those websites you visit incognito or stumble across while rummaging in your spam folder. 

Those ads can sometimes be convincing, but while Kamagra can seem like a good bet, it's not. Trust us. 

Below, we've discussed what this Indian ED drug is, the science behind how it works and why you should probably go with your danger instincts and not use it.

What is Kamagra Oral Jelly?

Kamagra Oral Jelly is a common medication used to treat erectile dysfunction. It comes in single-use packs of (yes really) flavored oral jelly. Unlike most ED medications, which come in tablet form because you’re an adult, Kamagra can be eaten like a Jell-O® shot, like you’re a young adult. 

And yes, they have several different flavored Kamagra Oral Jelly packs available, including orange, vanilla and chocolate. 

Instead of the Everclear in your older brother’s Jell-O shots however, this jelly contains sildenafil — the same active ingredient in the medication Viagra. Because of this, Kamagra is usually marketed as a cheaper alternative to drugs such as Viagra and Cialis® (which contains a similar medication, tadalafil). 

Kamagra Oral Jelly isn’t currently approved for use in the United States or frat parties. This means it has yet to go through the strict testing and approval process the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) requires for every prescription medication — including ED medications like Viagra. 

But just because the FDA hasn’t signed off on something yet, doesn’t mean it’s not effective. So what’s the deal with this stuff?

Does Kamagra Oral Jelly Work for ED?

While there’s relatively little research on Kamagra itself, there's a ton of established research that concludes that sildenafil or sildenafil citrate works well to treat ED.

Sildenafil is a  phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor, or PDE5 inhibitor. This type of medication was originally developed as a treatment for medical conditions like hypertension but was later found to have a beneficial effect for sexual activity. 

Like most other ED medications in its class, sildenafil inhibits enzymes that affect the muscles managing blood flow to the erectile tissue of your penis. This allows the muscles to function normally, making it easier for you to get and keep an erection when you’re sexually aroused.

Numerous studies, as well as several large-scale reviews, have concluded that sildenafil is one of the most effective treatments available for ED.

It’s also sometimes used as a premature ejaculation treatment in an off-label capacity.

In other words, Kamagara’s main ingredient has been shown to be safe and effective. Unfortunately, things get complicated when we look at quality standards, dosing and other issues.

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The Risks of Kamagra Oral Jelly  

Kamagra comes in a convenient form that’s easy to use, doesn’t cost a fortune and works the same way as other medications that contain sildenafil. So why aren’t you reading quote after quote of medical advice demanding you use Kamagra?

One word: safety.

There are several reasons to avoid this sildenafil oral jelly, but the biggest is that there’s no way to truly know what you’re getting when you purchase this medication — it hasn’t been FDA-approved, it hasn’t been made in a lab that meets rigorous safety standards and there are questions about how precise the dosing is with this product. 

And there’s more — these products are illegal, are delivered unsupervised and can be counterfeited.

It’s Illegal to Buy Prescription Meds Without a Prescription

Here’s problem number one: because Kamagra isn't approved for sale in the United States, you won't find it from any trustworthy, US-based suppliers like your local pharmacy or favorite telemedicine website.

The only way to get Kamagra — in the U.S., at least — is to buy it illegally, either online or locally from an unlicensed provider without a prescription.

You Could Experience Side Effects Due to a Lack of Supervision

Even if you get your hands on contraband Kamagra, buying prescription medication without a prescription can be a very risky process. 

Prescription medications like sildenafil need to be used at the right dosage to produce the intended effects — if you inadvertently take too much, you may be more likely to experience side effects from sildenafil like priapism or blurred vision. 

Remember, the same medication that alters flow to the blood vessels in your penis can also affect your blood pressure. Specifically, it can lead to sudden drops in blood pressure that could potentially be fatal, so you really want whoever is measuring your doses to be like, good at it.

You Could Die From Interactions Due to a Lack of Supervision

One of the reasons you want a doctor to hand you this prescription, meanwhile, is that they’re trained and qualified to spot potential bad interactions with any other drug you’re taking. 

PDE5 inhibitors like the sildenafil in Kamagra can interact with certain medications, including nitrates and alpha blockers — and the resulting chemical mix can cause life-threatening symptoms.

When you receive prescription medication from a licensed healthcare provider, you’ll talk about these side effects together, and take steps to avoid any potentially hazardous interactions. When you order unlicensed medication online, this step doesn’t occur. 

Seems pretty open and shut to us.

Counterfeiting Dangers

Next, we have to talk about drug counterfeiting. People make counterfeit drugs, and they make a lot of money doing it. And those counterfeits are often a mystery box (err, pill) of ingredients.

This is a major international issue, and unlicensed ED medications sold online (like Kamagra) are some of the most frequently counterfeited in the world. Research published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice shows that as much as 90 percent of medication sold online may be counterfeit. 

Counterfeit medications are often riddled with issues, from contaminants to dosages that simply don’t match the information provided on the medication’s label. Imagine if nine out of ten Advil gave you diarrhea, you know?

In one analysis, researchers found that barely 10 percent of sampled PDE5 inhibitor medications bought online were within 10 percent of the dosage listed on the medication’s label. This means that when you buy medication that could be counterfeited, there’s a serious risk it will contain much less or much more of the active ingredient than it should.

Not getting enough medication is a bummer, but a medication that contains too much of its active ingredient could cause severe side effects or increase your risk of serious drug interactions.

A Lack of Oversight and Unclean Production Facilities

We also need to address the contaminant issue in more detail, because it’s another serious problem. To save money, many counterfeit drug manufacturers use low-quality, potentially dangerous ingredients in their medications.

According to the research we mentioned, several ED drugs purchased online revealed contaminants such as commercial paint and printer ink. Read that again.

The pills just aren’t safe. And in the big picture, even transactions with these pharmacies aren’t safe.

When you order medication like Kamagra online from an unlicensed pharmacy, there’s a real risk that your financial information could be misused.

Many illicit online pharmacies take a lax approach to credit card security. Since most are based overseas, they generally don’t comply with U.S. laws designed to keep your financial information private and protect you from things like credit card fraud. 

Worse yet, some online pharmacies are outright frauds themselves. The AARP, an organization for retired people, warns its members that many illicit pharmacies are tied to international crime networks that steal money and use personal information for identity theft.

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What to Use Instead of Kamagra Jelly

Alright, you get it. Kamagra bad. But that doesn't mean you don't have options to treat your ED symptoms. 

In fact, you have several, including FDA-approved, science-backed ED medications and things like psychotherapy, vacuum constriction devices and more. 

Let’s look at them in more detail.

ED Medications

When ED medications like Viagra and Cialis first appeared on the market in the late 1990s and early 2000s, they were far from affordable because they were under patent protection. 

Today, the situation is completely different. The patents on most ED medications have expired, meaning that affordable, high-quality generic versions are now readily available in the US, including:

  • Sildenafil is a short-acting ED medication that lasts for approximately four hours and needs to be taken about one hour before you plan to have sex.

  • Tadalafil is a longer-acting ED medication that lasts for up to 36 hours, earning it a reputation as the “weekend” treatment of erectile dysfunction.

  • Levitra (vardenafil) works similarly to sildenafil but requires a smaller dose.

  • Newer medications such as Stendra® (which contains the active ingredient avanafil) can also treat erectile dysfunction and improve your sexual performance.  

You’ll get far better results from these medications than you would from an unlicensed drug like Kamagra Oral Jelly. This full guide to the most common ED treatments provides more information about how these medications work, their dosages, side effects and more. 

And though you may think getting a prescription seems hard, accessing ED medication is easy. 

You can even find generic sildenafil (the active ingredient in Viagra) and tadalafil (Cialis) online with us, following a consultation with a licensed healthcare provider who will determine if a prescription is appropriate.

Other Treatments for Erectile Dysfunction

In addition to PDE5 inhibitors, several other methods are used to treat erectile dysfunction and other sexual performance issues. 

In brief, they include: 

  • Psychotherapy. Many causes of ED are psychological, meaning they’re linked to issues such as depression, anxiety or severe stress. In this case, your healthcare provider may suggest counseling.

  • Other medications. If PDE5 inhibitors aren’t effective at improving your erections and sexual performance, your healthcare provider may recommend alprostadil or other types of medication.

  • Vacuum constriction devices (VCDs). Also known as “penis pumps,” these devices work by pulling blood into your penis. You may need to wear an elastic ring to sustain your erection during sex.

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Kamagra Oral Jelly: Making Your Decision

Kamagra Oral Jelly is one of the most well-known alternatives to Viagra for people who like banner ads and Jell-O shots. Yes, it’s been around for decades and has been relentlessly promoted through spam emails and other forms of online marketing. 

But it’s not something you should use. 

Hopefully, we’ve talked you out of sending your credit card info out into the dangerous world unprotected, but in case you want the reasons why hammered home one more time, here’s what you need to remember:

  • While the sildenafil used in Kamagra is backed up by research, it’s not wise to use Kamagra and other unlicensed medications to treat ED.

  • Not only are these medications potentially unsafe, they’re often sold by vendors that engage in less-than-ethical activities when it comes to billing and customer privacy.

  • There are several affordable, FDA-approved medications you should consider instead if you’re one of the tens of millions of American men affected by ED. 

  • If you want to treat ED but prefer to avoid the price tag of brand name Viagra, you’ll get the best results by buying generic ED medication from a reputable telehealth provider. You can get an erectile dysfunction consult checked off your list today with us. 

Not only will you get the medication you need, but you’ll also be able to discuss your issues with a licensed healthcare provider to make sure your safety is taken into account. 

Limit the Jell-O side effects to hangovers and sugar rushes — get safe ED meds today.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information contained herein is not a substitute for and should never be relied upon for professional medical advice. Always talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of any treatment or medication.

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