296 Methyltestosterone
heart malfunction. Like many drugs of this type, methyltestosterone can cause
females to develop masculine characteristics such as facial hair or coarser
voice. Such effects can become permanent if dosage is not swiftly stopped
upon first appearance of the changes. Other unwanted actions of the drug can
include acne, headache, uneasiness, burning or prickling sensations, menstrual
disturbances, nausea, and high blood levels of calcium and cholesterol. In rats
high blood pressure has been traced to methyltestosterone.
Abuse factors.Methyltestosterone is banned from athletic competitions, but
some athletes are tempted to use it, nonetheless. Claims that the compound
produces gains in weight and muscle strength have been difficult to document
in humans, partly because experimenters cannot subject humans to experi-
mental conditions that are as brutal as can be used with laboratory animals.
A robust experiment on rats demonstrated increased strength and stamina
from methyltestosterone.
Drug interactions.A case report mentions that a person using the hormone
along with the anticholesterol medicine clofibrate developed extremely low
levels of high-density lipoprotein (the so-called good cholesterol), a develop-
ment attributed to methyltestosterone. A similar result occurred in an exper-
iment tracking women using this anabolic steroid along with female hormones
called esterified estrogens. Methyltestosterone interferes with blood clotting,
which can be a serious problem for persons taking anticlotting medicine. A
case report indicates that the substance interacts badly with cyclosporine, an
immunosuppressive agent used to fight rejection of organ transplants. A small
experiment using methyltestosterone to increase benefits from the tricyclic an-
tidepressant imipramine went awry when almost all patients became para-
noid, a condition that rapidly disappeared when methyltestosterone dosage
stopped.
Cancer.Researchers have noted liver cancer in mice that received methyl-
testosterone. Other case reports indicate strong suspicion that the drug causes
human liver cancer. The substance has been associated with a person’s de-
velopment of prostate cancer, but “association” is not the same as cause.
Pregnancy.Women are advised to avoid the drug during pregnancy be-
cause the substance may masculinize a female fetus, a discovery made in the
1950s when methyltestosterone was a standard medication for reducing the
likelihood of miscarriage. Nursing mothers are advised to avoid the drug be-
cause it might pass into milk and masculinize a female infant. These effects
of the drug are powerful enough that methyltestosterone is used in tilapia
farming to change females of this fish into males. The drug has also been used
to change female flounder into male fish. Research on rats has demonstrated
that masculinizing effects on females can persist into a subsequent generation
that did not receive the drug. Human males who use the substance may pro-
duce more male offspring than usual.
Additional scientific information may be found in:Black, J.A., and J.F. Bentley. “Effect on the Fetus of Androgens Given During Preg-
nancy.”Lancet1 (1959): 21–24.
Greene, R., and L.S. Carstairs. “Effect of Anabolic Hormones on the Growth of Un-
dersized Boys.”British Journal of Clinical Practice27 (1973): 3–7.