Lamar Odom hospitalized after taking "Reload"

The two-time NBA champ, Lamar Odom, is fighting for his life at a Vegas hospital after he collapsed on Tuesday at a brothel in Nevada. Odom fell into a coma on Tuesday night after taking a sex enhancement drug called “Reload”.

According to media reports, Odom had multiple strokes and doctors found opiates and cocaine in his system. The former NBA player was intubated in an ambulance, as he was not able to breathe on his own. He was later transported to Desert View Hospital in Vegas where he is currently on life support.

The herbal Viagra pill that is linked to the former basketball star’s collapse was subject to FDA warning. He allegedly had taken the pills just before losing consciousness at the Love Ranch brothel in Nevada.

According to a Nevada Sheriff, Sharon Wehrly, Odom had taken cocaine and 10 tabs of the sexual enhancing supplement. Moreover, brothel owner, Dennis Hoff, told the media that the basketball star had purchased the Viagra pill during his stay at the ranch and was taking “a lot of it”.

Hoff shared that Reload is a pill form of an energy drink that they say is used for the treatment of Erectile Dysfunction. The drug is an OTC product and not a prescription drug.

However, what he didn’t reveal was that the sexual ‘energy’ drug – Reload – is considered dangerous by the US FDA.

About two years back, the FDA stated that Reload contains an active ingredient that may cause dangerous reactions. FDA warned that the herbal alternative to Viagra was in fact the same drug, but without any medical oversight and regulations.

Laboratory analysis conducted by the FDA had confirmed sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra, is also found in Reload. The ingredient may interact with nitrates such as nitro-glycerine found in certain prescription drugs and may lower the blood pressure to extremely low levels.

“Consumers should stop using this product immediately and throw it away,” the FDA bluntly warned.

The FDA had issued a statement on its website about the drug, advising individuals suffering from heart complications, or using any prescription drug to seek advice of medical experts prior to use.

However, the package of the drug makes no mention of sildenafil. Instead, it lists a number of herbal ingredients such as “Panax Ginseng” and “Gingko Biloba”. The package promises “72 Hours Strong” with a picture of a women kissing a gun whose barrel is elongated in an erect position by the red Reload pill.

Suspiciously, the internet address listed on the package does not contain any information about the drug, and instead takes viewers to a Japanese language dating website. The email address listed on the package also does not work.

According to the owner of the brothel, Odom had purchased another sexual enhancement drug – Libimax Plus – from the shop. This drug is also targeted by FDA for including undisclosed ingredients that require approval of the doctor.

Authorities have taken blood samples from the former NBA star player to determine the exact cause of his collapse. However, the results of the analysis could take several weeks, according to County Sheriff’s Detective Michael Eisenloffel.