New study shows risks associated with testosterone therapy

A study sheds light on why testosterone replacement therapy may not be safe.

Testosterone therapy has been gaining popularity with men trying to combat male menopause symptoms: fatigue, moodiness, lack of energy and low libido.

But a recent study published in The Journal of American Medical Association, says the therapy, also called the “elixir of youth,” has been linked to health problems in older men.

Dr. Michael Ho, one of the authors of the study, and doctor at the Veterans Affairs Eastern Colorado health care system, said that men who started on testosterone therapy had a higher risk of death, heart attack and stroke, compared to men who weren’t undergoing the treatment.

Researchers reviewed data from 8,700 men in their early 60s.

All of the men underwent coronary angiography -- a test that can detect blockages in blood vessels -– between 2005 and 2011. All had low testosterone.

About a year after the taking the test, around 1,200 patients began testosterone therapy. The remaining men did not receive therapy.

The researchers found that “testosterone therapy was associated with increased risk of adverse outcomes,” according to the study.

Nearly 26 per cent of the men on hormone therapy suffered from a stroke or heart attack, while only 20 per cent of the men not on the therapy suffered from a stroke or heart attack.

Dr. Laurence Klotz, urologist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, wasn’t surprised by the findings in the U.S. study.

“I think this is a very important study, which confirms something that I have suspected for a long time, which is that in fact, there are some real issues about the safety of testosterone replacement,” Klotzsaid.

But other doctors insist that hormone therapy is safe, if treatment is tailored to each patient.

“We are seeing men saying, ‘this is life changing, I’ve got my life back, I’ve got my marriage back, I’m the happy guy that I used to be,’” said Dr. Larry Komer of the Masters Men’s Clinic in Burlington, Ont.

Komer has treated approximately 4,000 men, including Gary Rodger, 50. “I’ve got the zest for life again, my libido has returned, my sexual appetite has returned,” said Rodger, who won’t stop treatment despite evidence of increased health risks. “I’m not as moody, I’m a lot calmer.”

With a report from CTV News’ Medical Correspondent Avis Favaro