Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a number of products intended to treat low testosterone, or “low-T,” in men. Reports of an increased risk of stroke, heart attack, and death in men who use these products, however, recently prompted the FDA to announce an investigation into the effects of these drugs on the patients who take them.
The FDA launched its investigation after two separate studies were published in late 2013 and early 2014, both of which suggested that men who were prescribed testosterone therapy might face an increased risk of dangerous cardiac conditions. The studies identified an increased risk of approximately 30 percent of stroke, heart attack, and death in older men who were prescribed testosterone supplements. One study found that the risk appeared to be highest within the first 90 days the patients were taking the medication.
Testosterone is a hormone that affects male growth and the development of masculine sexual characteristics. Several of the FDA-approved testosterone products are intended to treat instances of low testosterone in men who have been diagnosed by their doctors with medical conditions that affect the body’s ability to produce enough testosterone on its own. These include certain genetic conditions, chemotherapy, and problems with the hypothalamus or pituitary. The FDA recommends that any patient who is currently taking testosterone talk to a doctor before stopping the treatment.
If you’ve suffered a stroke, heart attack, or other serious health outcome while using testosterone-related medications, don’t wait: contact the experienced New York defective drug attorneys at Wingate, Russotti, Shapiro, Moses & Halperin, LLP.