How gymgoers are unknowingly pumping themselves full of steroids with trend for ... trends now
Men taking testosterone as a gym supplement are unwittingly putting themselves at risk of heart attacks, experts warn.
Doctors say the danger comes from men not realising synthetic versions of the male sex hormone are a steroid.
Testosterone levels typically decrease with age, with some men in their 40s and 50s getting supplements, called testosterone replacement therapy, to boost their mood, energy levels, libido, and exercise performance.
But taking too much, typically from vials being sold online, can come with a host of dangers, including a heightened risk of cardiovascular problems and testicle shrinkage which can impact fertility in the future.
Despite being illegal to sell in the UK without a prescription, vials of synthetic 'T' or 'test' are ubiquitous on social media.
A TikTok account run by Finbar Marshall-Hawkes, claims testosterone can 'cure' depression while offering some users 'pharmacy grade sources at cheap prices'
In the comments section of his videos Mr Marshall Hawkes offers to connect customers to supplies of steroids including testosterone
MailOnline found doses of testosterone for sale on multiple websites for as little as £30.
Some present it as a gym performance supplement, whilst others have claimed it could help thwart depression.
Dr Jeff Foster, a GP specialising in men's health at H3 Health, told this website men wanting to use testosterone as shortcut to building muscle were playing 'Russian roulette' with their health.
He said many such men misunderstood the seriousness of what they were doing.
'(Testosterone) is a steroid, it is a steroid hormone,' he said.
'If you don’t need to take testosterone because you don’t have a medical deficiency you are simply taking a recreational drug and that comes with significant health risks.
'You will feel great at this time, and you may think you can get away with it, the problem is you won’t know.
'You may not know the damage it has done to your heart, you may not know the damage it has done to your fertility for many years.'
Dr Foster said confusion partly stemmed from T being a natural hormone crucial to men's health which gave some men the false impression that the more you take the better is is for you.
'It’s going to make your muscles bigger, so it looks good, people like that idea,' he said.
'There’s this misconception that if you have more muscles and you’re fitter or faster, it must be better for you.
'But, of course, that's not the case. Like with any drug, if used in the wrong way it becomes unhealthy.'
Dr Foster added that the levels of testosterone taken among muscle-keen men have soared in recent years.
'The volume of testosterone a lot of people are taking on the recreational side is so much higher that what it was 20 to 30 years ago,' he said.
'People look almost un-human.
'If you’re an impressionable younger bloke who doesn’t necessarily know the risks you think "well, I want to look like that", and take this enormous dose.'
There are multiple risks of taking too much testosterone.
Dr Foster said one the most serious is that, as testosterone increases blood production, it raises the risk of dangerous blood clots and other cardiovascular health problems that in turn heighten the chance of heart attacks and strokes.
Another is testicular shrinkage as the testes, which naturally produce testosterone, atrophy as the male body attempts to compensate for the artificially high levels of the hormone it is being exposed to.
This, Dr Foster explained, can leave men suffering fertility problems, sometimes permanently.
'It comes back to bite them years later,' he said.
Dr Foster said it was critical to remember that for a specific group, men with abnormally low levels, testosterone treatment at safe doses is a 'life changing drug' that provides massive boosts to mood and sex lives.
'This is only for (patients) who haven’t got enough, and a doctor has told you that,' he
