Testosterone Replacement Therapy Associated With Serious Health Risks
Testosterone is a naturally-occurring hormone in the body. It is responsible for male sexuality, stamina and strength among other things. As men age, levels of this hormone drop due to various reasons, such as protecting the aging heart from an increased risk of heart attack.
Over the last couple of years, dubious marketing and advertising agencies have developed campaigns to get older men to check their testosterone levels for “Low T,” and then recommend testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) in order to allegedly recapture the stamina of their youth, but sometimes with disastrous results.
Testosterone Products In The Market
There are various testosterone replacement products in the market, with the most common ones being AndroGel, Testim, Fortesta, Axiron, Androderm, and BioTE (hormone pellet therapy). Some of these are injectables, others can be ingested in pill form, while others come as gels and patches.
Due to pervasive advertising, many men across the country have come to know about these products, albeit in an unbalanced manner.
Consumers Only Told One Side of the Story
What these companies leave out when marketing these products are the adverse health effects that testosterone replacement therapies have been associated with. For example, men taking artificial testosterone are more likely to suffer a stroke. This usually happens due to the stimulant effects of testosterone replacement products, causing increased blood pressure in the brain.
In addition, deep vein thrombosis or the formation of blood clots have been closely associated with testosterone drugs. This is caused by the body making too many red blood cells in a phenomenon known as polycythemia. When there are too many blood cells floating around vessels, they are more likely to clump together. This then causes blood clots which travel to the legs and dislodge in other areas of the body, effectively cutting off oxygen supply and causing heart attacks or brain cell death.
Heart attacks are also common in men taking testosterone replacement products for the simple reason that these supplements may cause an old heart to work at a capacity that is unnatural, sending it into cardiac arrest.
In some cases, doctors will advise their patients to start testosterone replacement therapy. That said, this should be done in a safe environment, and the patient must be informed of all the risks as well as benefits of this kind of therapy.
Recent Litigation Regarding Low-T Therapy:
- AndroGel, the most visible name in testosterone replacement products on the market, has been hit with numerous lawsuits over the years. An Indiana woman filing a lawsuit this January claimed that her husband’s cardiac arrest (coming 4 years after regularly taking AndroGel) could have been prevented had the company issued an adequate warning regarding the side effects of its products.
- Multidistrict litigation targeting AbbVie has been raging since 2014, when plaintiffs from across the country came together to file a mass tort lawsuit in New York claiming that the company failed to inform them of the dangers of long-term testosterone replacement therapy. The defendants are currently asking for more time to allow for discovery and preparation to appropriately address the claims.
Suffered an Adverse Reaction? You May Qualify for Compensation.
Testosterone replacement products have been shown to cause serious, life-threatening harm. If you have suffered a serious injury due to the use of these products, or a loved one has died, you and your family may be eligible to recover significant monetary compensation through a product liability claim or lawsuit.
Please call our testosterone replacement therapy lawyers today at 1-877-659-2580 for more free information on the options available to you and your family.
