Use of prescribed testosterone therapy in US decreases in recent years

Bottom Line: Testosterone use in the United States tripled from 2001 through 2011, mostly in men without a clear indication. In late 2013 and early 2014, two studies reported increased heart attack and stroke associated with testosterone use, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a safety bulletin in early 2014. An examination of testosterone prescribing in the U.S. from 2002- 2016 found that the percentage of men receiving testosterone prescriptions decreased from 2013 through 2016, with the steepest decrease coinciding with the published reports of testosterone-associated adverse cardiovascular events and the FDA safety bulletin.

Authors: Jacques Baillargeon, Ph.D., University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, and coauthors

To Learn More: The full study is available on the For The Media website.

(doi:10.1001/jama.2018.7999)

Editor's Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

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