A new study was recently conducted to examine the safety of low testosterone therapy with alarming findings.

The concern of these low-t products surrounds certain side effects they could possibly inflict, particularly heart complications.

This testosterone therapy study is vital to the evaluation of these products, as testosterone therapy products garner more than $2 billion per year from the American market. The most popular products include: AndroGel, Testim, and Axiron.

Study Links Testosterone Injection to Cardiac Risks

Even with the overwhelming following of this market, major concerns over cardiac complications have arisen over the past two years, after recent studies indicated the potential side effects.

Several studies have been published so far regarding the alleged association, with consistent results indicating a high risk of cardiac attack after using testosterone replacement therapy products.

One of the most recent of these studies was published in the JAMA Internal Medicine, conducted by researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The study had examined various testosterone therapy products including gels, injections, and patches; the study indicates that testosterone injections may pose the highest risk of cardiac attacks, hospitalizations, and deaths.

Researchers had collected and analyzed thousands of commercial insurance claims from 2000 to 2012, and Medicare claims from 2007 to 2010, and general practitioner records from the U.K. From 2000 and 2012.

The study examined the different testosterone replacement therapy products prescribed in each treatment, and determined whether or not there were severe side effects in the following 180 days.

The results indicate that the majority of the subjects preferred low-t gel products at 56 percent, followed by 37 percent with injections, and 7 percent for low-t patches.

The subjects who were prescribed low-t injections showed a 26 percent greater risk of experiencing cardiac complications, a 16 percent greater chance of hospitalization, and 34 percent greater risk of death.

Researchers stated that this was not surprising as low-t injections are knowing for causing sudden spikes in testosterone levels, while patches and testosterone gels are known for doing so at a much more gradual pace.

However, researchers stated that this study did not properly determine if the subjects qualified for testosterone replacement therapy, and did not asses the safety of the testosterone users compared to non-users.

Testosterone Replacement Therapy Complications

The concern of low-t cardiac risks had become a recent concern after a study was published in November 2013 issue of the JAMA. This study showed that older men taking these products were at high risk for heart attack, stroke, or death, with certain heart conditions.

However, a study published soon after in the January 2014 issue of PloSOne found that older men were at risk for suffering cardiac complications regardless of heart conditions, while younger men with certain cardiac conditions were also found to be at risk of suffering these complications.

Furthermore, a more recent study published in the January 2015 issue of Pharmacotherapy, found that first time low-t users could face a 40% greater likelihood of heart attack compared to men who did not use the products at all.

FDA Updates Low-T Warning Labels

As public scrutiny over these products mounted, the FDA announced in March 2015 that an update for low-T warning labels would be implemented. This update would describe the alleged link between low-T products and cardiac problems.

The agency went on further to say that testosterone replacement therapy should not be prescribed to men to who believe they need it to improve their lifestyle, but rather to patients who have genuine testosterone deteriorating conditions like hypogonadism.

Low-T Therapy Lawsuits

Unfortunately, these precautions came too late as thousands of men in America suffered these devastating side effects.

There are currently over 2,000 low-t lawsuits filed throughout the federal court system, by former patients who suffered sudden attacks relating to blood-clot formations. As part of coordinated pretrial proceedings, a set of AndroGel cases have already been prepared for trial, with trial proceedings expected to begin around October 2016.