The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism recently published a study online indicating significant questions about the use of testosterone replacement therapy by men and whether or not the growth in low t treatment matches the actual need.

Researchers reviewed health insurance claims in the U.S. and United Kingdom doctors’ records from 2000 to 2011 and focused on patients who had begun testosterone treatment in each county. More than 1 million American men were tested for low t compared to just more than 66,000 in the UK.

That difference is marked when one considers the differences in population, a factor the study authors noted. They found that even though both countries’ doctors began testosterone replacement therapy for men with identified low levels of the hormone, in the U.S. there are even more patients who have received prescriptions to begin treatment.

As researchers argued, “substantial use is seen in men without recent testing and in U.S. men with normal levels…. in spite of safety and efficacy questions.” They recommend the consistent use of testing and note that “prescribers must consider the medical necessity of testosterone prior to initiation.”

That is especially problematic, according to hormone replacement lawyers, because the side effects of low t therapy can differ between men who allegedly suffer from low t as the medications are not designed like an antibiotic. For example, some studies indicate that patients face a significantly higher risk for stroke and or heart attack compared to others their same age. Research recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association puts the increase at roughly 30 percent.

In spite of that, television commercials that dominate the evening news and other shows still say that low t in men is a burgeoning problem for men, a claim that may play a role in the significant increase in testosterone replacement therapy options on the market that include Androderm and Axiron, among others.