A Florida resident added his low-t lawsuit to the ongoing testosterone product multidistrict litigation after suffering a stroke allegedly caused by using a testosterone gel for a year.

Plaintiff Robert Y. filed a testosterone product lawsuit against the makers of AndroGel for allegedly failing to warn that taking the low-t therapy may increase the risk of stroke.

The plaintiff is accusing manufacturers AbbVie Inc. and Abbott Laboratories of fraud, design defect, and negligent misrepresentation.

Testosterone Replacement Therapy Studies

Low-t therapy products have been marketed to men as a way to increase muscle mass and improve sex drive. However, testosterone products have been the subject of multiple medical studies over the years to determine if there are any possible adverse side effects.

In a recent study published by the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA), researchers analyzed nearly 9,000 men using a testosterone product and discovered that they had a 30 percent  increased risk of stroke, heart attack or death.

In a similar study performed at Harvard, researchers followed more than 50,000 men using a low testosterone treatment and found that when compared to non-users, those men had an increased risk of experiencing a cardiac event.

Testosterone Product Popularity

Over the last decade, testosterone replacement therapy has tripled in popularity. Now more than 5 million men in the U.S. are prescribed a low-t product as a way to treat the symptoms of low testosterone levels.

Low testosterone symptoms include:

• Fatigue
• Hair loss
• Mood changes
• Low sex drive
• Difficulty achieving erections
• Loss of muscle mass
• Increase in body fat

The low-t medications come in a variety of forms including  testosterone injections, testosterone gels, testosterone cream, and a testosterone patch. The therapy products are marketed to increase sex drive, build muscle mass, and improve bone density.

However, there are some in the medical community who believe that low testosterone is simply part of the aging process and using hormone therapy may expose men to health risks that could have been avoided.

Low-T Product Lawsuits

While low-t drugs mention several side effects on their warning labels including depression, back pain and headaches, many consumers believe that manufacturers did not fully warn of the serious testosterone side effects including stroke or heart attack.

This has prompted numerous testosterone product lawsuits to be filed by plaintiffs like Robert who allege his use of AndroGel was the cause of his stroke.

In general, those filing low-t lawsuits claim that drug manufacturers did not adequately warn of the increased risk of life-threatening side effects of taking testosterone replacement therapy.

There are some plaintiffs who allege that pharmaceutical companies paid kickbacks to doctors who prescribed testosterone products.

If you experienced a serious side effect after taking a low-t product, contact an attorney to find out if you have legal claim.

The Testosterone Product MDL is In re: Testosterone Replacement Therapy Products Liability Litigation, Case No. 1:15-cv-06121 in MDL No. 2545, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.