Social media 'promoting unneeded testosterone therapy'

Social media misinformation is driving men to NHS clinics in search of testosterone therapy they do not need, adding to already stretched waiting lists, doctors have said.

- Sarah Marsh Consumer affairs correspondent

Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) is a prescription-only treatment recommended under national guidelines for men with a clinically proven deficiency confirmed by symptoms and repeated blood tests.

But a wave of viral videos on TikTok and Instagram have begun marketing blood tests as a means of accessing testosterone as lifestyle supplement, advertising the hormone as a solution to problems such as low energy levels, poor concentration and reduced sex drive.

Doctors warn taking testosterone unnecessarily can suppress natural hormone production, cause infertility and increase the risk of blood clots, heart problems and mood disorders.

Prof Channa Jayasena of Imperial College London, who is chair of the Society for Endocrinology Andrology Network, said hospital specialists were seeing growing numbers of men who had private blood tests, often promoted on social media, and told incorrectly they needed testosterone.

"We asked 300 endocrinologists across the UK [and] everyone is seeing patients from these clinics every week," he said.

"They are filling our clinics. We used to see people with adrenal problems and diabetes, and it's really affecting NHS care. We are all asking how to deal with this."