Testosterone in Morocco.. How is it available and who accepts it?

Rabat, Morocco - Testosterone, or “cancer in a bottle,” as trans person Issam describes it, is a hormone that Moroccan teenagers are increasingly turning to in recent years, both people who want to build muscles that match the images of bodybuilding champions and those seeking gender transition. It is noteworthy that testosterone therapy is prescribed for men whose blood levels of this male hormone fall below the normal range.

Symptoms of low blood levels include decreased sex drive, fatigue, loss of body and facial hair, and decreased muscle mass. Pharmacies in Morocco are considered the primary source for these people, according to what some have pointed out, as they cross the red line separating health responsibility and trade, supplying them with these hormones without prescriptions, or obtaining them through specialized merchants on social media sites, gyms, and black markets.

Issam, a transsexual who worked in the medical field in Morocco, before leaving a few years ago for a European country, began taking the hormone when he was 32 years old, saying: “My experience mimics the decision to enter a lush garden whose beauty dazzles you at first glance, but after the first step into its land, you realize that it is a land of deadly mines.” Issam added that he suffered from many health problems, including high heart rate, mood swings, and changes in voice and body levels, which caused him many problems in his surroundings.

Hormones are available to everyone. Moroccan pharmacist Kawthar Al-Makkawi said: “The worsening situation of taking these hormones is due to the incorrect use of the Internet and the influence of alternative media celebrities on teenagers,” explaining that “pharmacies should not provide them with these medical materials, in the absence of a prescription from a specialist doctor.” As for the Moroccan specialist in glandular diseases and diabetes, Al-Khamal Al-Daghri Suhaib, he pointed out the dangers of using testosterone in Moroccan society, saying: “I completely oppose the idea of using testosterone for non-medical purposes,” pointing out that diseases or side effects resulting from the use of testosterone can be distinguished, including a decline or loss of the scalp in both sexes, the appearance of frequent acne, the skin turning oily, the appearance of thick hair in unusual areas of the body, and an increase in nervousness and behavior. Aggression, a sharp decrease and sometimes even a stop to the process of sperm formation in men, the reproductive glands stop working, liver damage and inflammation, as well as the possibility of heart attacks and irregular heartbeats.

Suhaib said, “With regard to cases of sexual intercourse in Morocco through medications, they remain very rare cases, due to several factors, the most important of which is the prohibition of this practice in the Islamic religion, social values, and Moroccan traditions and customs,” as well as the tightening of oversight in the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, and the anti-doping committees for the unregulated use of hormones, especially testosterone. As for the Executive Director of Atyaf “Adma”, an organization for gender equality and justice, founded in 2018 in Morocco to work on the rights of the LGBT community, she explained that the organization considers that taking the hormone outside medical supervision constitutes a danger and a risk in light of the lack of medical advice due to the lack of recognition of this segment in Morocco.

She pointed out that the organization conducts some awareness sessions about the right to medical treatment and sexual and reproductive health for the LGBT community. Black markets offer hormones at the lowest prices. For his part, Issam said: “I used to buy the hormone from the pharmacy, and get it without a prescription,” explaining that the pharmacist would sometimes sell him the hormone at double the price due to the lack of a prescription.

Issam pointed out that there are other ways to obtain the hormone, such as gyms, which bring it from other countries illegally, and the danger of using it is evident in the fact that these gyms offer testosterone-type hormones that contain higher percentages of growth hormone, which are called “cancer in a bottle.” On the other hand, Kawthar confirmed that the Pharmacists Syndicate cooperates with the local authorities to monitor the sale of many medical, quasi-medical, or narcotic materials brought from outside the country and sold in secret ways, where quantities of these drugs that are not suitable for consumption are found, and sellers whose goods are seized are arrested and their stores are closed.

In this regard, the President of the Moroccan University for Consumer Rights, Bouazza Kharati, explained that blue space has facilitated the promotion of contraband and some medications on the black market, and this dilemma cannot be put to an end except by stimulating consumer awareness about its dangers, pointing out that the Moroccan University for Consumer Rights contributes to formulating the national policy to combat addiction, especially resulting from the consumption of muscle stimulants. Issam confirmed: “I have many friends who are undergoing the experience of crossing in Morocco, and I always communicate with them, but they cannot obtain medical assistance,” explaining that the transgender person must undergo intensive medical monitoring, before and during the experience.