As a middle aged guy, there are times when I feel tired. Sure I wish that I could have my six pack abdomen back, not have to wear reading glasses and be able to throw a ball more than 10 feet. Could it be not just from getting old but from a so called low testosterone?

If you would believe some manufacturers of testosterone gel, I might be one of the countless middle aged guys suffering from low testosterone syndrome. No matter that no such disease has ever been described by the medical profession. There are millions of dollars out there to be made and of course millions of patients, who can be convinced that they need testosterone.

The drug companies marketing the testosterone gel spent over 60 million dollars in 2012 alone to market this product. Much of that money went to direct advertising to consumers, who were advised to see their doctors if they felt tired, had loss of libido or for any of multiple common middle age complaints.

To be sure there is a disease called hypogonadism which results in a low testosterone level. It is estimated that about a million or so men suffer from this. Yet the market for these testosterone gel products recently reached almost 20 million users. You can bet that the manufacturers knew that the vast majority of those who received the medication, didn’t really need it

Why the worry? Well, testosterone other than making our significant others crazy, has some major side effects: heart attacks, strokes, cancer, blood clots to name a few.

The companies making these testosterone gels are being sued by- you guessed it- some middle aged men, who used the products and suffered some nasty consequences.

It turns out you can’t market a drug for a disease which doesn’t exist, even if you can make a boatload of money.