Drug side effects
testosterone Side Effects
The reactions most often reported to the FDA for testosterone (also sold as AndroGel, Testim), with demographics, serious outcomes, and reporting trends.
Data updated 2026-05-15
- 40,954
- FAERS reports
Data from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS), 2004 to 2025. A FAERS report records a temporal association, not proof of cause. See our methodology for how figures are compiled and de-duplicated.
The most commonly reported side effects of testosterone come from 40,954 reports to the FDA, broken down here by frequency, patient demographics, and serious outcomes.
This page analyzes 40,954 reports to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) for testosterone (AndroGel): the reactions reported most often, who reported them, serious outcomes such as hospitalization, and year-over-year trends. A FAERS report does not prove the drug caused the effect, and report volume tracks how widely a drug is used, not how likely an effect is for any one person. Educational information, not medical advice.
Total Reports
40,954
Reports Mentioning Death
1,852
4.5% of reports — not proof the medicine caused the death
Hospitalizations
9,033
22.1% of reports
Top Indication
Product Used For Unknown Indication
Most Reported Adverse Reactions
Who Reports Side Effects
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Reporting Trend by Year
Reactions in Death Reports
Top reactions reported in 1,852 reports where death was an outcome. These are voluntarily reported and do not establish causation.
| Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|
| DEATH | 617 |
| MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION | 366 |
| CARDIAC ARREST | 139 |
| PULMONARY EMBOLISM | 138 |
| PAIN | 127 |
| CEREBROVASCULAR ACCIDENT | 115 |
| INJURY | 80 |
| DEEP VEIN THROMBOSIS | 76 |
| ANXIETY | 75 |
| PNEUMONIA | 74 |
| ECONOMIC PROBLEM | 71 |
| EMOTIONAL DISTRESS | 62 |
| THROMBOSIS | 60 |
| COMPLETED SUICIDE | 58 |
| DRUG ABUSE | 55 |
| ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION | 54 |
| CARDIO-RESPIRATORY ARREST | 54 |
| RENAL FAILURE | 54 |
| RESPIRATORY FAILURE | 53 |
| DYSPNOEA | 48 |
Reactions in Hospitalization Reports
Top reactions in 9,033 reports where hospitalization was an outcome.
| Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|
| MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION | 1,149 |
| PAIN | 1,011 |
| PULMONARY EMBOLISM | 1,002 |
| DEEP VEIN THROMBOSIS | 922 |
| CEREBROVASCULAR ACCIDENT | 899 |
| ANXIETY | 716 |
| ECONOMIC PROBLEM | 530 |
| ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION | 495 |
| THROMBOSIS | 451 |
| INJURY | 414 |
| DYSPNOEA | 398 |
| PNEUMONIA | 397 |
| FATIGUE | 391 |
| CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE | 377 |
| ASTHENIA | 362 |
| EMOTIONAL DISTRESS | 342 |
| CHEST PAIN | 338 |
| CARDIAC FAILURE CONGESTIVE | 331 |
| FALL | 331 |
| ATRIAL FIBRILLATION | 322 |
Nearby, Related Medications
What the FAERS Data Reveals About testosterone Side Effects
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) contains 40,954 voluntary reports linked to testosterone and its brand equivalents (AndroGel, Testim), spanning 2004 through 2025. Of those, 1,852 (4.5%) listed death as an outcome and 9,033 (22.1%) involved hospitalization. The most common indication reported alongside adverse events was Product Used For Unknown Indication.
Demographic breakdowns help contextualize who is being exposed to the drug. Of reports with known sex, 10% were female and 90% male; age distribution skews toward 45-64, with 10,318 reports in that bracket. The single most reported reaction is myocardial infarction with 3,269 submissions, followed by pain and deep vein thrombosis.
How to read these numbers
FAERS is a signal-detection tool, not a scorecard. Reports are voluntary, and a single case may list multiple suspect drugs, so numbers above should not be read as incidence rates or per-patient risk. Widely prescribed drugs naturally accumulate more reports than niche therapies even when individual risk is low. These aggregates are useful for spotting patterns that merit further pharmacovigilance, not for choosing between medications. This page is for educational reference only and is not medical advice, speak with a licensed clinician about any side-effect concerns.
Drugs With a Similar FAERS Report Volume
Other medications with a total FDA adverse-event report count closest to testosterone's 40,954.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.