Effectiveness of Tamoxifen?

[Cisco]

I read that tamoxifen can stop and reverse early stage gynecomastia.  Has anyone had any experience with tamoxifen? Has anyone tried it while waiting/saving to pay for the surgery?

[canadianmoobs123]

If there was a pill or a drug that we on this site knew about that could cure gyne, we'd be talking about it other than surgery. There's a bunch of so-called "miracle pills" that DO NOT work, AND WASTE your money. I'm sure the doctors on this forum , that have spent YEARS in surgery and have A LOT of knowledge related to gyne wouldn't be performing surgery if there was such a "miracle" pill

[hatemymoobs]

First of all let me start by saying this site is owned by a plastic surgeon- and you don't see any endocrinologists or GP's on here. Only surgeons. So anything you read just be aware of that fact.

Secondly- tamoxifen is I believe an estrogen blocker, or it can be used in men who produce too much estrogen. This should be carefully monitored by a qualified doctor who understand how hormones work. They all kind of interfere with each other.

If gynecomastia is new to your body, I would get into an endocrinologist asap, because sometimes if it's new enough it can be reversed with proper hormonal treatment.
Unfortunately if the tissue has been there a couple years or more- it'll likely need to be excised.

In short- yes hormone treatment, if the problem, has the potential to reverse early stages of gynecomastia.

[Raider Fan]

You read correctly.  Tamoxifen is often prescribed by endocrinologists to men in the early stages of gynecomastia because it has been shown to be effective in stopping and sometimes even reversing the condition.  In addition, it is particularly effective with the pain and tenderness that is sometimes associated with early gyne.  It does not help ALL early gyne sufferers, only some.  If a person or doctor thinks it "might" be helpful, all you can do is try it and see.  Sometimes it does nothing, but sometimes it works wonders.  It does nothing to established gyne, or gyne that is out of the swelling phase (fibrotic gynecomastia).  It should only be tried when gyne is first noticed, and should only be used when prescribed (and monitored) by a doctor.    

Gyne hit me at a relatively old age (mid-50's).  I did all the routine things to have it checked out, and like most, it was found to be idiopathic.  One of my main complaints was the very noticeable pain it caused, especially in the left nipple.  When I touched it, it felt like a bunch of little needles or a grass burr were underneath.

I went to an endocrinologist and he said it was unusual for the pain associated with gyne to last more than a few months.  Mine had already been present for 8 months when I first saw him. Nevertheless, he prescribed Tamoxifen and thought it would especially be helpful for the pain.  I never took the drug, however, as I was concerned about its side effects when I read up on them. My doctor respected my decision.  The pain did eventually go away, but I was left with fibrotic gyne which will not go away.  

Bottom line.....if you DO have gyne of recent onset, it might be helpful to consult an endocrinologist about it (a typical family doctor will not prescribe it).  Tamoxifen should be considered as a viable option in such a case.  But if your gyne is well established, however, don't waste your time with Tamoxifen or anything else. Once the gland is established, only surgery (excision) will make it go away. 

[hatemymoobs]

What are some of the side effects of the medicine?

I ask because I'm seeing an endo and found my E levels on the higher side the first test, and more normal the second.
My T levels are low, but in "normal" range, however not for a man of my age... 28 yr old with T in the high 200's...

[corvette09]

There is no sense of having the surgery if you do not check your hormones. If you have high estrogen before you go under the knife you will have high estrogen after the surgery. This is why bodybuilders tend to have this surgery more than once.

Tamoxifen is very effective on blocking estrogen, but it does not stop your body from producing it. On the other hand you have another class of drugs: Aromatase inhibitors. These drugs stop the estrogen conversion in your body. The only draw back is the price. Good luck..

[Paa_Paw]

The point to be made is that there are drugs that may benefit a small number of men with gynecomastia of recent onset. The problem is that adjusting the hormones which control your reproductive physiology requires monitoring by a knowledgeable professional; This is not a do-it-yourself job.

[gabrielsebastian74]

Now hold on a second. this is from an acutal published study
 3ws dot ncbi.nlm dot nih dot gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=15238910&ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVAbstractPlus

3ws = www
dot= .
This is from a government published study that states taht 86% of the men showed some significant reduction of glandular.

There is also Vaser surgery that I have seen dramatic before after results. I dont like the though of having incisions on my chest.

[Paa_Paw]

Get serious, do you believe everything published by the government?

I expect to be challenged. In fact I hope to be challenged. The best information will usually come from someone with nothing to gain as they can be totally impartial.

Hopefull you will investigate this further and get your final information from someone with nothing to gain for misrepresenting the truth.

[gabrielsebastian74]

Misrepresening the truth? Like doctors recommending teenagers to gfet surgery on this website?
No man, Im working my ass off make sure I get my bodyfat down. Tamoxifen is taken by bodybuilders when they get off the juice to avoid
man boobs and the buildup of estrogen. They have more to lose since they are injecting themselves with stuff that makes their testicles shrink to the size of peas.
I put a research study but he government.
One thing bodybuilders also recommend is taking Zinc and DIM.
Here are some before and afters of 30 days, yeah , Im damn proud of my results and I sure as heck would recommend a teen to
get in his best shape rather than asking them to get under the knife.
So now, I don't trust doctors duh. Not a day that doesn't go by where people are complaining about some FDA approved pill that gave them man boobs or did something worse.

[fedex]

Tamoxifen and Letrozole worked for me.

[xelnaga13]

The information on anti-estrogens is very limited on this forum. If you go to bodybuilding forums you will find many threads discussing the use of anti-estrogens to counter gynecomastia.