Social media misinformation driving men to seek unneeded NHS

Social media misinformation is driving men to NHS clinics in search of testosterone therapy they don’t need, adding pressure to already stretched waiting lists, doctors have said.

Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) is a prescription-only treatment recommended under national guidelines for men with a clinically proven deficiency, confirmed by symptoms and repeated blood tests.

But a wave of viral videos on TikTok and Instagram have begun marketing blood tests as a means of accessing testosterone as lifestyle supplement, advertising the hormone as a solution to problems such as low energy levels, poor concentration and reduced sex drive.

Doctors warn taking testosterone unnecessarily can suppress the body’s natural hormone production, cause infertility, and increase the risk of blood clots, heart problems and mood disorders.

The online demand for treatment is so great that medical professionals have now begun to see it mirrored in their clinics.

Prof Channa Jayasena, of Imperial College London, who is chair of the Society for Endocrinology Andrology Network, said hospital specialists were seeing growing numbers of men who had had private blood tests, often promoted on social media, and been told incorrectly that they needed testosterone.

“At the national meeting, we asked 300 endocrinologists across the UK; everyone is seeing patients from these clinics every week,” he said. “They are filling our clinics. We used to see people with adrenal problems and diabetes, and it’s really affecting NHS care. We are all asking how to deal with this.”

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Source: The Guardian, 8 November 2025

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