As concerns continue to mount about the potential side effects of testosterone drugs like AndroGel and Testim, a new report has been released highlighting the possible risk of side effects from secondary exposure to testosterone gels, creams and other topical low-T treatments. In the case report, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology on January 5, researchers from the Hershey Cancer Institute at Penn State examined the potential for testosterone medications to be accidentally transferred to spouses or partners during sexual intercourse, increasing their risk of high testosterone levels and other side effects. If you have been exposed to a testosterone drug like AndroGel or Testim, and you have since experienced a serious side effect, contact a knowledgeable testosterone therapy lawyer for legal help.
The researchers involved in the case study described attempts to determine why a prostate cancer patient was showing high levels of testosterone despite not taking any testosterone medications. Doctors eventually discovered that the patient’s wife had been using a topical testosterone cream intravaginally, and that the testosterone was being transferred to the patient during intercourse. “We theorized that he was having contact with the androgen cream during coitus, leading to high testosterone levels. We asked his wife to stop applying her topical cream, and his testosterone level normalized by August 2014,” the researchers wrote. “Unfortunately his PSA (prostate-specific antigen) continued to rise despite the reduced testosterone levels, and ultimately he began androgen-deprivation therapy.”
This case report comes amid increasing concerns about the risk of side effects from testosterone replacement drugs like AndroGel, Testim and Axiron, and follows several studies published in late 2013 and early 2014, that found an increased risk of cardiovascular problems like heart attack, stroke and sudden death among men using testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). In it, the researchers focus specifically on topical testosterone gels and cream, which are often applied under the arms or on other parts of the body generally not considered places of casual contact with others. However, because one of the main reasons many men ask for testosterone drugs is to increase their sexual libido, their wives or sexual partners are more likely to come into intimate contact with areas where the products have recently been applied.
A growing number of testosterone therapy lawsuits have been brought against the makers of AndroGel, Axiron, Testim and other controversial TRT drugs in recent months, as users across the country learn about the potentially life-threatening cardiovascular risks associated with the products. If you believe you have been adversely affected by side effects of testosterone replacement therapy, our consumer advocates at the Consumer Justice Foundation can help. We are dedicated to protecting the rights of consumers harmed by potentially dangerous pharmaceutical drugs, and can help put you in touch with an attorney who has experience handling testosterone replacement therapy claims.
[box type=”note” align=”aligncenter” ]Source: http://jco.ascopubs.org/content/early/2015/01/05/JCO.2014.59.7773.full[/box]
