gyne from supplements

[gymrat]

I was wondering if I could get gyne from using animal m-stak and also stacking with a nitric oxide/ creatine supplement or is it just imbalanced hormones that I can straighten out with strong medications?

[Litlriki]

I can't say that based on the ingredients, the Animal M Stack should cause gynecomastia, and typically, I would tell you that a Nitric Oxide/Creatine product should be safe.  I hesitate, however, as one of my patients who had previously developed gynecomastia from steroid use showed up with a significant recurrence on one side related to use of an NO2 product from Gaspari Nutrition.  On the label, "Propriety Blend" is a prominent ingredient, and this could include something hormonally active, though it might not be readily obvious due to the lack of detail.  If you're only noticing something early, you should just stop everything and give yourself at least six months to see if it resolves.  If, on the other hand, you're concerned that you may have hormonal imbalance for some other reason, then you should see an endocrinologist for an evaluation.  Remember that supplements are not drugs with extensive unbiased research backing up their use.  They are "nutritional supplements," which are deemed to be relatively safe and beyond the scrutiny of the FDA, yet they can still have significant side effects, so caution is in order.

Hope that helps.

Rick Silverman

[DrPensler]

I am not familiar with Animal M Stack. What is it and where is it made?
Jay Pensler,MD

[DrBermant]

I was wondering if I could get gyne from using animal m-stak and also stacking with a nitric oxide/ creatine supplement or is it just imbalanced hormones that I can straighten out with strong medications?

According to the hype from those selling it:

Animal M Stak can help potentiate your body's production of all five anabolic hormones: (1) Testosterone; (2) Human Growth Hormone (hGH); (3) Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1); (4) Luteinizing Hormone (LH); and (5) Insulin. Best of all, Animal M Stak can do this without the androgenic side-effects associated with prohormone use or even over-stressing the liver. But Animal M Stak is more than just an anabolic primer. It can help your body block the conversion of testosterone to estrogen and dihydrotestosterone (DHT); support your liver; increase energy for unreal performance; and provide key vitamin and mineral support for your growing muscles. If you want to be an Animal, you've got to train like one. Now, you can without all the prohormones or ephedra.

Anything that changes the hormone balance of the body can cause gland growth. Add exogenous hormones, and the effects are obvious. Switch to prohoromes, and you can still cause problems. The prohormones were banned by the FDA because of the problems they created. The nutritional supplement industry is not regulated and offers claims not substantiated nor with studies of risks involved.

I work with many bodybuilders with gynecomastia.

https://www.gynecomastia.org/smf/index.php?topic=8774.0

There are so many variations on the different nutritional supplements, that it is not realistic to track. Each item does not have a predictable strength, ingredients change over time, and most patients could not remember just what they were taking. I have no specific tracking of that particular one, but I have had patients tell me that they had breast tenderness, growth, and sometime nipple discharge after only using a "over the counter" nutritional supplement. Symptoms reversed when stopping. For those individuals, you could make a case that there was a problem, but until someone forces a more careful documentation of that industry, the question will never be proven until, like prohormones,  enough people are hurt that the FDA actually does something.

If the substance actually changes testosterone, HGH, and other hormone levels, then it can cause other problems, should be studied, tested, and standardized so risks of using it can be better understood.

Just because the FDA is not tracking it does not make the substance safe.

Hope this helps,

Michael Bermant, M.D.
Board Certified
American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member: American Society of Plastic Surgeons and American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons
Specializing in Gynecomastia and Surgical Sculpture of the Male Chest
(804) 748-7737