Andro Linked To Priapism

Posting Date: 04/04/2000

Here?s another reason for men to avoid the bodybuilding hormone androstenedione. It can cause priapism, a painful and persistent erection that won?t go away.

This is what happened to a 30-year-old man who took the supplement for a week and ended up in an emergency room for treatment.

Now, the guy suffered from this relatively rare condition for some 30 hours before heading to see a doctor, which means he must have really been a glutton for punishment. I mean, this is a situation where the blood circulation gets shut off to the penis and gangrene and loss of the organ could result.

According to a report in the Annals of Emergency Medicine, the patient didn?t take any other drugs except for andro, a hormonal supplement that causes testosterone to be released in the body.

Now, get this, the patient started taking the dietary pills not on the advice of a doctor, but because a friend told him it would help to build muscles. I mean, if someone told you to jump off a bridge would you do it?

Priapism rarely occurs, but there?s always the possibility that taking andro could result in a temporary condition that goes away before becoming too bothersome. Of course, we wouldn?t get men reporting such incidences because of embarrassment.

The fact is there?s no such thing as a benign dietary supplement. They all have some kind of effect on your body and because they?re unregulated, and thus unproven, their use can result in various and surprising adverse reactions.

Source: Annals of Emergency Medicine, April 2000

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