Studies: Testosterone Doesn’t Help Most Men

According to a new group of studies, testosterone therapy may help some men get stronger bones, but it does almost nothing for sexual problems, anemia, and other issues; furthermore, this treatment plan carries serious health risks that can be fatal.

The much-anticipated TTrials surveyed almost 800 men in twelve different locations nationwide. Many men in the group showed significantly higher bone density levels after receiving aggressive testosterone replacement therapy. Many men also reported having more energy, and some findings did indicate elevated hemoglobin levels in these patients, but some professional reviewers questioned the validity of these findings. The studies found no link between testosterone levels and cognition or sex drive, but researchers found a definite link between testosterone and heart problems.

Study author Dr. David Handelsman suggested that “lifestyle measures,” such as losing weight, may help older men much more than testosterone therapy; Dr. Handelsman also urged drug manufacturers to include stronger warnings.

Why Men Take Testosterone

Mostly because of a very aggressive marketing campaign that relies on, among other things, television advertisements during football games, over ten million men have turned to testosterone therapy to treat hypogonadism, a controversial condition that’s sometimes called “male menopause.”

It is a fact that as men get older, their testosterone levels drop. When the Food and Drug Administration started reviewing testosterone therapy drugs for possible approval, AndroGel and other drug makers pointed to some questionable studies that sang the praises of testosterone therapy as an effective treatment for almost everything associated with middle age.

Possible Side Effects

In January 2016, the FDA issued an updated warning about this drug, cautioning doctors to prescribe testosterone therapy only in limited situations that involve verfied hypogonadism diagnoses, because of the risk of side effects. These side effects include:

• Heart Attacks: Many studies show an elevated risk of cardiac events in men who take testosterone supplements. One man even died of a heart attack during one of these studies.
• Strokes: Testosterone enlarges the blood cells in men, raising the likelihood of blood clots and subsequent cerebrovascular accidents or transient ischemic attacks (CVAs and TIAs).
• Prostrate Cancer: Researchers aren’t sure why there is a link between testosterone therapy and prostrate cancer, but the risk definitely exists.

The warning also states that “testosterone is being used extensively in attempts to relieve symptoms in men who have low testosterone for no apparent reason other than aging,” even though there is no evidence to support such uses.

Despite the claims of drug makers, testosterone therapy is essentially useless and very risky. For a free consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney in Leitchfield, contact Attorney Gary S. Logsdon. We do not charge upfront legal fees in negligence cases.