Andractim and Tamoxifen Diary

[honabe]

I have been reading the board for a few months now and really appreciate all the work people have put into it.  Recently I have decided to do something about my embarrassing chest partially because of what I read here.  What I have found most useful are the personal stories of treatments, whatever route people have chosen.  So I would like to give back and document my expirimentation.  The following is a general overview of my history with gyno.

When I was 14 I started to develop large areola and sensitive nipples.  My Dad made a few jokes and would occasionally titty-twister me but that was part of his normal routine, so I didn't pay much attention.  Once I hit 16 my budding breasts became more pronounced though and I began to feel more embarrassed.  At a routine physical my doctor commented and made note of them (my breasts) and said they would go away over the next few years.  I bet that sounds familiar to many people...

Up to this point I had been a very active kid; basketball, baseball, soccer, track.  Once I started noticing my own chest t-shirts were out of the question so I avoided situations where I had to wear them.  That counted all my sports out.  I gained weight over the next 4 years but luckily had a good group of friends that didn't give a shit.  Then at 18 I decided I wanted to change my life and get active, so I joined the Marines.  Thinking back on it now, I hardly even thought about my breasts in bootcamp even though I was more exposed than I had been in years.  Bootcamp was a good experience for me and I lost over 40 pounds of fat.  I came out feeling better than I had, well, probably ever.

Once I entered the fleet and got into a routine, I noticed that I still had a small compact set of breasts.  Not nearly as noticeable as before but with a shirt off they were still there.  Even when I was below 10% body fat they remained.  That was irritating but I didn't give it too much thought.

As the years have gone by since EASing from the military I have slipped into a lazy routine because of work and school.  I gained weight again but not nearly as bad as when I was younger.  Lately I have been running again 3 times a week and working out 3 days a week, so the weight is coming off.  I also have gone back to layered clothing, jackets, crossed-arms and other breast-hiding techniques.  It finally came to a point that I realized my life and my personality is seriously impaired by my self-consciousness of my chest.  So I started reading everything I could find online.  

After an hour of reading this board I had a better idea of what my situation really was and what I could do to fix it.  I had already started working on it but I revamped my lifestyle and began eating balanced, healthy meals combined with regular running and weight lifting.  I am a good runner and have enough discipline to combine these three elements without too much effort.  

The second thing I decided to try was herbal and/or medical treatments for my gyno.  From what I read here and in a few journals, andractim and tamoxifen (or raloxifene) would be my best bets.  I ordered andractim from All Saints Clinic 8 days ago and the package arrived today in good order.  I looked around for good prices on raloxifene but no matter where I looked tamoxifen was much more reasonable.  So I settled for the tamoxifen (100, 20 mg pills $85) which I ordered 4 days ago and am still waiting on.  I will name the site I ordered from when/if I get the package if anyone is interested.

Surgery isn't an option for me right now.  The money is available but I am in the Army Guard and will very probably be deploying in February to Iraq.  So in preparation for this, my goal is to get back in excellent shape and try to break up some of my gyno.  I know for sure that I have glandular gyno; there is a big nodular object behind my nipples which I had a PA check out.  I am going to run the Andractim for 2 months at the prescribed dose and combine it with 30mg of Tamoxifen a day for the first month, followed up by 20mgs per day for the next two.  Hopefully I will see some difference.  Honestly, any reduction at all will be worth it for me.  

Tonight or tomorrow morning I will post my pictures online and give my initial measurements for day zero.  Tomorrow I start the andractim.

[honabe]

As a side note I have been eating a lot of flax seed (as a snack and ground up in other foods) for the last 2 weeks and have been eating and taking turmeric for the last 7 days.   The main reason I mention this is that I have actually noticed and felt a real difference with these two things alone!  I would normaly try these two things for awhile longer by themselves  to see what kind of results I could end up with, but time is growing short for me.  

I have been eating close to 1/8th of a cup of flax seed a day and have taken 1000 mg of turmeric in pill form and sprinkled another 500-1000 mgs into omlettes and soups.  

I wish I had taken before pictures a week ago because these last few days I noticed a difference in the mirror.  My chest looked a little more saggy than normal and felt mushier than normal when probed.  When I felt the outline of the glands behind my nipples I notticed they felt rougher and there were nodules that have broken away and are free-floating on their own!  I mess with my chest enough to know what it feels like and it was not like this a few days ago!

So if anyone is thinking about a medicinal or herbal remedy before deciding on surgery, if you have glandular gyno, you should give flax seed and turmeric a shot.  I bought of them at the local organic food shop for $8 total with enough to use at my current rate for 2-3 months.    I am going to continue with both until my tamoxifen arrives but will cut back on the turmeric at that time.

[gonnae_nae]

alright honabe, your condition sounds remarkably similar to my own and like you i am about to use tomoxifen and andractim.ive been using andractim for a couple of months and while initially it seemed to work (i.e it broke down the hard disc like structure under the nipple )it still hasnt done anything about the nipple aspect of gynecomastia- there still puffy! so as a result of that i booked an appointment with the nhs (national health service) in the breast unit which was pretty damn heavy you know being the only guy there and was given a 3mth supply of tamoxifen which im starting today ........ so good luck and hopefully we will be rid of this forever

[honabe]

Well I have meant to update more frequently and add pictures but things have been hectic and my camera's USB cord is broken.  So, the pics will have to wait.  Here is an update.

First, I got my andractim from All Saints within 8 days of my order and I live in south-eastern USA.  No major problems, but I should warn people of something I overlooked when I placed my order.  The recommended dosage for the Andractim is 5 gm per day, for 3 months according to the All Saints site.  The initial order for 2 tubes and the PSA kit is only enough for 32 days, a little over a month!  Each tube is 80 gms so about 16 days of 5 gm applications.  For the $250 it cost me for the kit I think that is a little high, but I haven't found a better price yet.  If anyone has, please post the site if you have verified it.

So far so good, though.  One week of Andractim and almost 3 weeks of turmeric and there is a noticeable difference.  The rubbery glands are breaking down some behind my nipples, so there is some affect.  I have also noticed reduced mass in the breast region; in a side profile I am not as noticeably pyramidal, but still not down enough for t-shirts.

The tamoxifen arrived today and I have just taken my first dose of that.  I am going to run 30 mg for a month, then reduce it to 20 mg for two more months.  I ordered the tamoxifen from pharmacygeoff.com which I would definitely recommend to anyone who wants to make an online order.  100 x 20 mg pills was (US) $94 with shipping and took 10 days to get to me.  They carry decently priced Evista as well, but 3 months of Tamoxifen is the same price as 1 month worth.  

That is about it for now.  I will let people know this next week how I am coming along with the combo tamoxifen/andractim.  

[hypo]

Just to let you know that you may reduce the effects of estrogen too much.  If you do you will feel very fatigued, and probably have a lowered libido.

You may even develop a very sore throat, if you do this is an indication of your thyroid function being adversely affected.

Just to put you in a position where you can look out for yourself and know what may be happening.

[Erifcitats]

hmmm is that stuff over the counter? cause ordering online while may be possible for me will be difficult to do :/

iv been trying for the last few months to save enough cash to afford andactrum...and then go get it put on one of those temp credit cards so i could order it...but if i could get stuff online man would that be great...

[Mikeb5551]

To Everyone who is using Tamoxifen and/or Andractim in the U.S.

Just wondering why you aren't getting the DHT and Tamoxifen from a DR ?  My insurance covered both DHT cream and Tamoxifen plus you can get monitored to make sure all is well.  Not to mention you don't ahve to worry about getting arrested for importing drugs from another country

[steini]

Same here in switzerland.

[hypo]

You two have to be careful, you both act reasoned and intelligent...dangerous

[steini]

Any Updates?

[SHOCKTROOP-0311]

I to was a marine 0311 stationed in hawaii. 1/3. I just ordered andractim. let me know your progress. Semper-fi.  P.S. my dad is a col. in the national guard set to go over in feb.

[elian23]

Update please!