A drug alert has been raised due to reports of premature puberty and genital enlargement in children who were in close physical contact with an adult using topical testosterone and who were repeatedly accidentally exposed to this medicine.
To reduce these risks, we are reminding our patients to wash their hands after application of topical testosterone, cover the application site with clothing once the product has dried, and wash the application site before physical contact with another adult or child.
If the testosterone in the product is accidentally transferred to someone else through physical contact, it can lead to increased blood testosterone levels in the other person. It can cause facial and body hair growth, deepening of voice and changes in the menstrual cycle of women, or accelerated height, genital enlargement, and early puberty (including development of pubic hair) in children
the following precautions can reduce the risk of accidentally transferring testosterone from the patient’s skin to another person:
- after applying the product, wash your hands with soap and water
- once the product has dried, cover the application site with clean clothing (such as a t-shirt)
- before physical contact with another person (adult or child), wash the application site with soap and water after the recommended time period following application has passed