A recent fad for men, fed by aggressive pharmaceutical company advertising, involves the prescribing of the hormone testosterone to males who complain of energy loss and a diminished sex drive. In a recent Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine study – over half of the men being prescribed the drug had no underlying medical condition warranting such treatment.
And here is the most troubling part – testosterone therapy doubles the risk of heart attack among men over age 65 and nearly triples the risk in younger men with a history of heart disease.
Harmful Side Effects Of Testosterone Therapy:
- Burn-like blistering of the skin where the transdermal patch is worn
- Skin irritation with patch-wearing that does not get better with time
- Problems with urination, including dark urine
- Swelling of the ankles
- Frequent, prolonged, or bothersome erections
- Nausea, stomach pain, low fever, loss of appetite
- Clay-colored stools
- Jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes)
- Breast pain/enlargement
- Weight gain
- Very slow/shallow/difficult breathing (possibly while sleeping)
- Weakness
- Mental/mood changes (e.g., depression, agitation, hostility)
- Change in size/shape of the testicles or testicle pain/tenderness
- Calf tenderness/swelling/pain
Dr. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, a heart specialist at the Mayo Clinic, described the risks of this therapy as “very substantial”… the equivalent of smoking one or two packs of cigarettes a day or having sky-high cholesterol levels.
Sadly, once again clever and compelling advertising from pharmaceutical giants has trumped common sense and sound medical care.
Perhaps the saddest fact – preventable harm (including death) from conventional medical care, or what is called iatrogenesis, is the third leading cause of death in America, behind cancer and heart disease.
What can you do?
- Don’t rely on advertising messages, and carefully study the risks associated with any drug therapy. Truth is – no conventional drug therapy is risk free.
- If your doctor suggests a particular drug option for any condition, have a thoughtful discussion with him or her and investigate other options, like changes in lifestyle that might bring the same or better results. Often times, a change in diet and exercise patterns can bring profoundly positive whole-person changes.
If you or a loved one is ever the victim of a defective drug or the improper prescription of a drug therapy like testosterone replacement therapy (Low T Therapy), call a qualified Connecticut medical malpractice lawyer. A knowledgeable medical malpractice lawyer can help to ensure that your rights are protected.
RisCassi & Davis has handled hundreds of defective drug and medical malpractice cases over our more than 65 years serving the people of Connecticut.
What’s more, our Connecticut medical malpractice lawyers have received local and national recognition for our handling of these cases including:
- Top listings in “The Best Lawyers in America” and “Best Law Firms”
- Top listing by Martindale-Hubbell as a “New England Top Rated AV Preeminent® Law Firm
- Admission of five of our personal injury lawyers as members in the very prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers. The American College is a professional society of Fellows who become members only by invitation, with admission limited to experienced, outstanding trial lawyers who are unquestionably and eminently qualified as actively engaged trial lawyers. Only 1% of all trial lawyers in any state are offered admission as members to the College… read more.
We have a great team of legal experts dedicated to cases about harmful testosterone treatments. Please contact us if we can help you.
The consultation is free and there is no obligation of any kind.