Male "Supplement" Pulled From GNC Shelves After FDA Finds Hidden Viagra, Cialis Ingredients

A dietary supplement sold for years through independently owned GNC franchise stores has been pulled from shelves nationwide after laboratory testing found it secretly contained the active ingredients in Viagra and Cialis. Tonight We Ride, LLC, a Lakeville, Minnesota, company, announced on October 24 that it is voluntarily recalling all lots of its Ultimate Forza Male Supplement capsules, according to the recall notice posted on the Food and Drug Administration's website. Testing identified three undeclared drug ingredients in the capsules: sildenafil, tadalafil and dapoxetine.

The recall covers two packaging formats sold under the brand: a ten-capsule Multi-Capsule/Box (item number 810208, UPC 868592000002) and a one-capsule Single Pack (item number 810222, UPC 868592000040). Both were sold exclusively through independently owned and operated GNC franchise locations across the United States, not through corporate-owned GNC stores, from 2017 until October 1, 2026 — a run of roughly nine years before the hidden ingredients were caught. As of the announcement, no illnesses or adverse reactions tied to the product had been reported to the company or the FDA.

Drugs that require a doctor's involvement, sold as a "natural" pill

Sildenafil and tadalafil are the active ingredients in Viagra and Cialis, both prescription medications approved by the FDA only for use under a physician's supervision because of how they interact with other drugs. The recall notice warns that both compounds can interact with nitrates — found in some prescription heart medications, including nitroglycerin — "and may lower blood pressure to dangerous levels." People being treated for diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or heart disease, the notice says, are more likely to take nitrate-based medications and therefore face the greatest risk. Dapoxetine, the third undeclared ingredient, is not approved for any use in the United States; the notice separately flags it as a drug that can increase suicidal thinking and behavior in children, adolescents and young adults.

"Sildenafil and tadalafil may interact with nitrates found in some prescription drugs, such as nitroglycerin, and may lower blood pressure to dangerous levels that could be life threatening," the recall notice states.

A long-documented pattern in the supplement aisle

The Ultimate Forza recall adds to a list the FDA has tracked for more than a decade on its Medication Health Fraud Notifications page for sexual enhancement and energy products, which the agency updates as it identifies supplements spiked with prescription-strength drugs. A peer-reviewed analysis published in JAMA Network Open examined a decade of FDA findings and identified 776 adulterated products tied to 146 companies between 2007 and 2016; nearly half, 45.5 percent, were marketed for sexual enhancement, and sildenafil was by far the most common hidden ingredient in that category, turning up in 166 of 353 such products. Because dietary supplements are not required to undergo FDA pre-market approval the way drugs are, manufacturers can sell a product for years, as Ultimate Forza did, before contamination is caught through testing or a complaint.

Who is affected and what the company is asking them to do

Anyone who purchased Ultimate Forza Male Supplement through a GNC franchise store is covered by the recall, regardless of lot number, since the notice applies to the entire product line rather than a specific batch. The company is directing customers to stop taking the capsules immediately and return any unopened or partially used product to a GNC store for a full refund, bringing either a receipt or the phone number or email address tied to a GNC loyalty account used at purchase. Consumers who experienced any problems that may be related to taking the product are being told to contact a healthcare provider and to report the reaction or any quality complaint directly to the FDA's MedWatch adverse-event reporting program. GNC customer service can be reached at 1-877-462-4700 or [email protected], and questions can also be directed to the FDA at 1-888-INFO-FDA.

What happens next

The recall is voluntary and has been classified by the company as reaching the consumer level, meaning GNC franchise locations nationwide are expected to pull remaining stock and process refunds directly at the register. The FDA notice does not disclose how many units were sold over the nine-year distribution period, and the agency's public filing does not yet carry a numerical risk classification. Because no adverse events have been reported so far, the case is likely to proceed as a routine, company-initiated withdrawal rather than an FDA-ordered mandatory recall, though the agency's MedWatch system will continue to collect any reports that surface. Health researchers who track the FDA's long-running tainted-supplement list have noted that products in this category are often renamed and resold once flagged, which is part of why the FDA's own notification page cautions that a product's absence from its public list is not proof it is safe.