Man Receives Unwanted, Prolonged "Boost" from Energy Drink

By Anastacia Mott Austin

Christopher Woods got an extra "boost" he was not expecting after consuming the energy drink "Boost Plus," made by the drug company Novartis.

Woods, 29, who lives in Harlem, said the problem started in June of 2004 when his mother gave him a case of "Boost Plus" because he was hoping to add bulk to his slender frame. "It was supposed to be a health supplement," Woods told the New York Post during an interview. "It gave me a lot of energy—too much energy."

He says he got more than he bargained for. The morning after he tried the drink, he reports, he woke up with an erection that would not subside. Also called priapism, the condition lasted for over three days before Woods sought medical attention at a local hospital.

He had to have surgery to implant a Winter Shunt, which diverts blood away from the penis. After "persistent problems" continued, he told reporters that doctors gave him a choice of having an embolization, in which blood vessels are cauterized to shut down blood flow, or have his penis amputated.

The embolization fixed the problem but created different challenges for Wood. He claims that he now is partly impotent from the procedure, telling the press, "It’s affecting my life because I’m not getting the pleasure I used to." He decided to sue the makers of Boost Plus, Mead Johnson and the pharmaceutical company Novartis, which took over manufacturing the drink from Mead Johnson.

A representative for Mead Johnson says that the beverage is no longer made by the company. Novartis spokesperson Brandi Johnson told reporters that the drug company knows of the suit but cannot comment when litigation is still pending.

A visit to the Novartis’ Boost Plus product information page states that "Boost Plus Drink is a high-calorie, nutritionally balanced oral supplement," designed to give people calorie-dense nutrition. It contains primarily corn syrup solids and milk protein, along with a number of added vitamins and minerals.

This might make Woods’ case hard to prove, as no scientific data has ever shown prolonged erections to be caused by milk solids and vitamins.

But Woods is claiming in his lawsuit that the drink is what caused the long-lasting erection and its resulting effects on him, and he is seeking unspecified damages for "pain, shock, and mental anguish."

"It was unbearable and embarrassing," he told The New York Post. "It was awful, it was painful. I would always wear jeans, but it was hard to go out, so I had to buy some sweatpants."

Unofficial sources report that sales of Boost Plus have risen sharply since the lawsuit has been made public, with some Wal-Mart and Target stores selling out of the product completely.