Androgel Warnings

ANDROGEL is not used for the treatment of male sterility or impotence.
ANDROGEL is not to be used by children or women.
ANDROGEL may increase the risk of benign prostatic hypertrophy (enlarged prostate gland) or prostate cancer, and regular examinations of the prostate gland should be performed in accordance with the doctor's recommendations.
In people suffering from severe heart, liver or kidney disease, treatment with ANDROGEL may cause severe complications in the form of oedema (water retention in the body) either accompanied or not accompanied by congestive heart failure (fluid overload in the heart).
As ANDROGEL may cause a rise in blood pressure, it should be used with caution in patients with high blood pressure.
Worsening of breathing problems during sleep has been reported during treatment with testosterone in predisposed individuals, particularly people who are very overweight (obese) or are suffering from respiratory disease.
If the patient is suffering from cancer affecting the bones, the patient may develop increased levels of calcium in the blood or urine. ANDROGEL may further affect these calcium levels. The doctor may wish to check these calcium levels using blood tests during treatment with ANDROGEL.
People receiving testosterone replacement treatment over long periods of time may develop polycythaemia (an abnormal increase in the number of red blood cells in the blood). The patient will have regular blood tests to check that this is not happening.
It may be necessary to adjust treatment doses in people who are receiving oral anticoagulants (used to thin the blood), insulin or corticosteroids, as there is an increased risk of oedema (water retention in the body) if the patient has heart, liver or kidney disease.
In patients with migraine or epilepsy, ANDROGEL must be used with caution, as these conditions may deteriorate.