Making promises of increased muscle mass, sharpened memory, and boosted libido, drug companies unleashed a flood of testosterone supplements into the market.
Commercials for these products often portrayed men experiencing fatigue, erectile dysfunction, and low sex drives, who then solved their problems with testosterone therapy. These therapies were offered in the form of patches, gels, and injections.
What Is Testosterone Replacement Therapy?
Testosterone replacement therapy was approved by the FDA to treat conditions regarding deficiency with testosterone levels. Such symptoms include low libido, fatigue, depression, loss of muscle, and erectile dysfunction.
To combat low testosterone levels, drug companies released a testosterone replacement therapies in a variety of forms, including:
- Skin patches
- Gels
- Injections
- Mouth patches
- Implants
These products became increasingly popular over the last decade, with the number of men over 40 using these types of drugs tripling.
But in January 2014, the FDA announced an investigation into testosterone replacement products. Research found serious adverse effects associated with testosterone replacement therapy, particularly related to the heart.
These studies linked testosterone medications to heart attacks, strokes, and death. According to a study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, there was a 30 percent increase in the risk for stroke, heart attack, and death for men aged 60 and older who reported using testosterone replacement therapies.
In addition, there are some health conditions that medical experts think testosterone replacement can aggravate, including:
Prostate cancer. Since testosterone can cause prostate cancer to worsen, testosterone replacement treatments should not be used by men with prostate cancer or elevated prostate specific antigen.
Blood clotting. Testosterone replacement products can cause blood clotting, which increases the risk of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. These conditions cause clots to develop in the deep veins of the legs or the lungs, which could result in serious injury.
Sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a serious sleeping disorder where breathing frequently stops during sleep. This disorder can be made worse by testosterone replacement therapies.
Benign prostatic hypertrophy. Men with benign prostatic hypertrophy may experience difficulty urinating because of growing prostates. As testosterone stimulates prostate growth even further, it can cause this problem to become worse.
As we uncover more about adverse events from testosterone replacement therapies, many testosterone replacement products have come under scrutiny. Studies found that many testosterone replacement drugs could be harmful, including, but not limited to:
- AndroGel®
- Axiron®
- Fortesta®
- Bio-T-Gel®
- Depo-Testosterone®
- Methyltestosterone®
- Testopel®
- Testosterone Cypionate®
- Testred®
If you or someone you care about has suffered a heart attack, a stroke, or other unwanted side effects after using these or any other testosterone replacement drugs, you may be entitled to reparation. You and your family shouldn’t have to suffer due to negligent manufacturers. Drug companies are responsible for informing and warning their consumers of the potential side effects of their products, and if they fail to uphold this standard, they should be held accountable.
Don’t let manufacturers continue to cause harm by deceiving consumers. Contact a personal injury lawyer with experience in prescription drug liability. Together, you can work to recover damages for your sufferings, and awaken public awareness to the dishonest practices of medical manufacturing companies and prevent future deceptions.
About the Author:
Florida “SuperLawyer”—an honor reserved for the top 5% of lawyers in the state—and to Florida Trend’s “Legal Elite.”