HoneyBoost Side Effects: Cautions for Each Ingredient, and When to Stop

Unknown for the gummy. No trial tested it, and the label prints no side effect list beyond its warning.

The label's own warning is the strictest voice in the room. It says not to take HoneyBoost if you are pregnant, lactating, have a medical condition or take other medications, and to consult a physician first. We repeat it as printed, and we add no softer version of our own.

What follows is what sources say about single ingredients. Small amounts in a gummy may cause less, or none. We cannot say that for certain.

Possibly, through several ingredients, and through hidden drugs in this product category.

Memorial Sloan Kettering reports a case of a 66-year-old man with heart failure who developed a fast, irregular heartbeat and other symptoms after taking Epimedium daily for two weeks. It lists sweating, feeling hot and mood changes as other possible effects, says toxicity and safety data are lacking, and advises caution in hormone-sensitive cancers because of estrogenic effects. Icariin may also interfere with aromatase inhibitor medicines (MSK, Epimedium).

The first interaction to know about is with nitrates, the medicines used for chest pain such as nitroglycerin. FDA warns that sexual enhancement products sometimes contain hidden sildenafil or tadalafil, and that mixing those drugs with nitrates can drop blood pressure to a dangerous level (FDA, Sexual Enhancement and Energy Product Notifications). MedlinePlus says the same about sildenafil itself (MedlinePlus, Sildenafil). HoneyBoost does not list a drug. But you cannot see inside a gummy, so if you take a nitrate, ask your doctor or pharmacist before using any product sold for male sexual performance.

Each gummy has 3 g of added sugar, and stomach upset is the most common supplement complaint.

Mucuna seed powder caused stomach upset in half of the people in the Parkinson study (Cilia et al. 2018), at drug-strength doses. Maca is also linked to stomach upset in the clinician literature. At the amounts in a gummy, we expect less, but we have no data. If you get nausea, loose stools or cramps, stop and ask. Sugar can also loosen stools for some people.

The label shows 3 g of added sugar in each gummy, 6% of the Daily Value. That is small beside a soda, but it adds up with other foods. The American Heart Association suggests no more than about 9 teaspoons (150 calories) of added sugar a day for most men (AHA, Added Sugars). People who watch blood sugar should count it.

Stop at the first warning sign. Call 911 for the serious ones.

Stop and ask a clinician if a rash, swelling, a racing or irregular heartbeat, dizziness, a strong headache, stomach upset that does not pass, mood changes or trouble sleeping show up after you start. These are listed under the ingredients' cautions, and they are the reason the label tells you to speak to a physician. You can report a problem with any supplement to FDA through MedWatch (FDA, MedWatch).

Some symptoms are not a reason to look up a supplement. Call 911 for chest pain or pressure, trouble breathing, fainting, or signs of a stroke such as a drooping face or slurred speech (CDC, Heart Attack Signs). Get urgent care for an erection that lasts more than four hours, or for sudden vision or hearing loss; MedlinePlus lists these as reasons to seek help with sildenafil-type drugs (MedlinePlus, Sildenafil).

If something goes wrong, tell your clinician first, keep the bottle and its lot code, and report the event to FDA at MedWatch (FDA, MedWatch). A report helps FDA spot patterns, such as hidden drugs, that a single buyer cannot see. Also tell the seller, whose order desk number is on the contact page.