Can 'Low T' Drugs Cause The Big 'H,' As In Heart Attack?

Maybe a little ‘Low T’ is something men can live with. How so? For the past several years, elixirs for boosting testosterone levels have been widely touted for curing low sex drives amid controversy over their benefits and research suggesting the malady is less common that advertising suggests. Now, though, a new study finds that the drugs raised the risk of a heart attack, stroke or death by 29 percent. The study, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, reviewed data from more than 8,700 men who underwent an angiography at one of 76 cardiac catheterization labs in the US Veterans Affairs health system between 2005 and 2011. Their average was in the early 60’s and many had underlying illnesses, including prior heart attacks, diabetes and high blood pressure. Nearly 26 percent of the men using a testosterone gel, patch or injection had an adverse outcome within three years, compared with nearly 20 percent of those who did not use testosterone. It was unclear, though, how testosterone may increase heart risks, but possibilities include evidence that testosterone may affect blood platelets and lead to clots, atherosclerosis or coronary plaque (here is the study). The findings come amid years of aggressive promotion of the salves. The study noted that annual prescriptions for testosterone increased by more than 5-fold from 2000 to 2011, reaching 5.3 million prescriptions and generated sales of $1.6 billion in 2011. In addition, professional s...
Source: Pharmalot - Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: Source Type: blogs