Steroid induced hormonal gynocomastia

[lookingforanswers]

Hey guys. Just joined the forum looking for a little help.


At the start of the year I used Pro hormones (steroids) to gain muscle size due to being a very self conscious person with a pretty low body image. I assumed I followed correct PCT (therapy to help prevent this issue)


Since Feb I have started ever so slightly to notice very firm lumps developing behind my nipples, now so much that they are completely protruding. And I can't stop noticing it getting worse and worse. Obvious to say my self esteem and body image couldn't be lower. I am mid 20's.  


I was wondering if anyone has ever had success with getting this treated on the NHS and the time frame from visit to surgery completion? (I saw a Dr 3 weeks ago, came back a week after to be given an urgent referral to a specialist and still yet to hear anything).  


Also if anyone has had this treated publicly in Australia (because I am originally from Australia (British citizen now, and will be heading back for Christmas)

If anyone can share some help on overall cost of private treatment also, in the UK and in Australia?

Im not a wealthy person but don't know how long I can go getting pushed back and forth between medical professionals before I completely breakdown. I suffer from moderate anxiety so this also doesn't help me keep a clear head.  


I'm trying to hide it from my girl friend. I can't even imagine telling anyone that I am developing breasts.


I am now severely mentally affected by this especially because I know it was  completely self induced, loosing hours of sleep each night  because I cannot lay on my stomach (painful) and crying daily when I look in the mirror. I feel like a broken man.

Any advice, experiences and assistance would be greatly appreciated. Apologies for the long post.

Thanks guys

[hammer]

You know, just because you have excess breast tissue and fat as well as extra skin does not make you any less a man then you were before!

I was one of the guys who has had gynecomastia as a teens and put 11 years in the USA, military. I was a Navy diver and had breast, and after that I own 3 businesses and I had breast, I have fathered 5 children and now have 4 grandkids and due to health issues I've grown to a 46H bra size and I'm still just as much the man I was when I was jumping out of helicopters with full SCUBA gear on in my 20s!

If you have issues with your felling that your not a man because of little boobs you may also want to talk to someone about that!


My health issues have put me into a wheelchair and I still feel like a man, oh ya, I forgot to mention that the reason my breast grow so big, I lost my testicles after having a problem with them after a vasectomy! And I still feel like a man!

After giving up a business I loved due to disability and ending up in a wheelchair, but still feeling like I'm a man, having breast is no big deal!

I'm also told that as a diabetic I my lose my legs too some day as I'm having trouble with them as well!


I wish you well in finding happiness!

[Slamberton1]

Tried to get mine done on the NHS, they wouldn't do it apparently. They arnt trained in gyno and I would have a deformed chest and my nipples would sink in apparently. So it would look more worse than before they told me so they don't do that surgery anymore.  I'm going to Poland mid November to get it done and it's costing me £1400 for liposuction and gland excision.

[rrr]

OK, let me get this straight. You had "poor body image" so you purposefully took dangerous chemicals instead of just spending the time and effort to work out? Now, those same dangerous chemicals have given you "poor body image"?
What I saw in your post was "poor body image", and I think that needs to be addressed as a mental/self-esteem issue. People die (mostly females) in significant numbers due to the affects of "poor body image", and it's a concern you should look into.
Bummed and $0.02 US (@ 3p UK)

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

What's done is done and I would not chase any OTC or internet-suggested remedies to try to fix things -- they don't work!  You learned a lesson.

Best advice is to stop all steroids/prohormones, etc.  Let things stabilize -- which may be some months.  Then consult a gyne surgeon for an opinion re surgical removal.

Dr Jacobs

[Paa_Paw]

I second what Dr. Jacobs said.  Sometimes when the offending drugs are stopped while it is still just Swelling, the swelling will gradually diminish after a few months.  If the condition lasted long enough that you actually have tissue growth and not merely swelling, then the only way to get rid of it would be surgery.  The problem is you will not know where you stand for several months. 
The good news is that safe and effective surgery is available. Being the resident old man here at the age of 78, I can remember when that was not true. 

[lookingforanswers]

I appreciate all the positive messages. The steroids were stopped back in February and this has slowly developed since.
So its been about 8 months so far.  


I saw a doctor today (a very expensive one I might add) regarding the issue.  
Was interesting, both good and bad. I guess the dream answer for me was a medication to get rid of it.


He mentioned that this can happen to people of all ages (which I was aware of) regardless of steroid use or not, however this can be a negative side affect of steroids, which it might very well be.

He told me that he really thought it would resolve its self on its own over time, as he mentioned that the body normally counteracts any imbalances like this. I told him at 8 months in i'd be surprised if it just started going away...

I brought up the topic of tamoxifen to treat the issue as there are many studies that show positive effects in reducing even eliminating gynecomastia. He mentioned that he was weary of treating a hormonal issue with more hormonal therapy.

I discussed if I should see an endocrinologist due to it being hormonal and he thought that because it was more related to the breast, that seeing a breast specialist surgeon to get an opinion would be the best idea (as their field of expertise is breasts and things that happen to them).

The doctor could clearly see this is affecting me negatively and I was prescribed some low dose of non habit forming anxiety medication,  I asked if it would interfere with what is going on and he said it would.

I mentioned that I wouldn't want surgery and it is definitely not on my to do list. He said that the referral was only to get a second opinion. He also mentioned that he has referred me to this particular breast surgeon as he is not someone who would do surgery for the sake of it unless they believed it was completely necessary. He asked me to discuss tamoxifine treatment with him but thought that he would be giving me the same answer (that it will go away).


It is positive to have take a step to figuring this thing out, but unfortunately I don't know what direction.

One nipple is clearly protruding, not a little, like someones squeezed my chest and its filled up (obviously the lump behind it). The other nipple as a very tiny lump.

Although it would seem stupid to take non prescribed drugs (which is what got me here in the first place) I feel that if I am told that it will go away on its own or the only other option is surgery then my only option is to self treat with tamoxifine.

Mainly because that it has higher chances of working if you have had gyno for under a year.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3526085
http://anabolicminds.com/forum/steroids/97254-if-you-think.html

[DrPensler]

Hey guys. Just joined the forum looking for a little help.


At the start of the year I used Pro hormones (steroids) to gain muscle size due to being a very self conscious person with a pretty low body image. I assumed I followed correct PCT (therapy to help prevent this issue)


Since Feb I have started ever so slightly to notice very firm lumps developing behind my nipples, now so much that they are completely protruding. And I can't stop noticing it getting worse and worse. Obvious to say my self esteem and body image couldn't be lower. I am mid 20's.  


I was wondering if anyone has ever had success with getting this treated on the NHS and the time frame from visit to surgery completion? (I saw a Dr 3 weeks ago, came back a week after to be given an urgent referral to a specialist and still yet to hear anything).  


Also if anyone has had this treated publicly in Australia (because I am originally from Australia (British citizen now, and will be heading back for Christmas)

If anyone can share some help on overall cost of private treatment also, in the UK and in Australia?

Im not a wealthy person but don't know how long I can go getting pushed back and forth between medical professionals before I completely breakdown. I suffer from moderate anxiety so this also doesn't help me keep a clear head.  


I'm trying to hide it from my girl friend. I can't even imagine telling anyone that I am developing breasts.


I am now severely mentally affected by this especially because I know it was  completely self induced, loosing hours of sleep each night  because I cannot lay on my stomach (painful) and crying daily when I look in the mirror. I feel like a broken man.

Any advice, experiences and assistance would be greatly appreciated. Apologies for the long post.

Thanks guys

Steroid use typically induces glandular tissue development which is resistant to diet and exercise. The problem in most cases like your requires surgical correction. Other remedies while costly do not produce the desired results.

[lookingforanswers]

Hey everyone. Thought I would share my recent experiences with the breast specialist I visited last week. He is a top surgeon who specialises in breast cancer but also has a lot of experience with gyne.



I ended up having an ultrasound done to determine the size of my condition. I have the development of 3.5 X 3.7cm of breast tissue under both nipples, and have been diagnosed with idiopathic gynecomastia. As unfortunate as the news was I was told some very interesting things that I didn't really know.




Gynecomastia occurs when there is a hormonal imbalance in the body, which causes the glandular tissue to grow. I was under the impression that my hormones would still be wavy but was told that once the growth is triggered it doesn't matter and can still develop and run its course even once the hormones correct themselves.




Now here is the BIG catch, supposedly the growth period can last anywhere from 12-18 months and once that is done, in 95% of cases of idiopathic gynecomastia, it goes down and resolves itself! But only if the offending drugs (steroids) are stop and discontinued.


He said in the small amount of cases it continues to develop and surgery is then needed. But there is no need to get surgery so soon (even 8 months after the first signs). He also mentioned that surgery should only be considered as a last resort as complications and visible scars (done by lesser experienced surgeons) can be worse than the gynecomastia ever was.



I was shocked to hear this. Especially from a surgeon.



I mentioned that the idea of waiting it out is not something I would like to risk and brought up the research regarding Tamoxifine as a treatment option. He mentioned that although the research is positive, especially with lump (idiopathic compared to fatty), there is no understanding of the long term affects of tamoxifine treatment on the male body. Also that there is no such thing as a free lunch and the treatment could come with its own side effects  He mentioned that there was only one case of gyne in which he prescribed tamox and it worked.

So here I am, 10mg tamoxifine ED until I see him next week, then we will asses and potentially go to 20mg.


Very positive. Appreciate everyones support and knowledge from the members to the surgeons.

[TigerPaws]

Not to try throwing gasoline on a fire but it sounds like you understand what you have done to yourself.

A good start. But the more drugs that you put into your system the greater the risks you are taking with the law of unintended consequences.

With all due respect for the MD's no one can exactly predict the outcome of adding chemicals to your body as you have already discovered there can be unintended consequences.

Your safest course of action is to eat healthy, work on supporting your body with proper but controlled nutrition. Let your system stabilize, this will take some time, at least a year. Have your hormone levels checked regularly and photo document your progress so you have a reference point.

If you are still dissatisfied with how how you perceive yourself in the mirror, your choices are surgery, acceptance or hiring the best friend money can buy a psychoanalyst.

Just keep in mind that you caused your Gynecomastia, so whatever decision you come to is up to you.