ANDRACTIM AND ANDRODERM

[losANGELES]

I WENT TO THE PHARMACY AND THEY TOLD ME THAT HERE IN US ANDRACTIM IS NOT AVAIBLE AND THEY SAY THAT THEY HAVE THE SAME PRODUCT WITH OTHER NAME ANDRODERM IS 180 $ . ANYBODY HAVE USED IT (ANDRODERM)?

[hypo]

The person at the pharmacy has made a big mistake!!!!

Andractim is dihydrotestosterone, whereas Androderm is testosterone.

Andractim is used as a treatment for gynecomastia because it increases the androgen to estrogen balance in favor of androgens.  It can do this because it is what is known as a non-aromatizable androgen, meaning it cannot be converted to the female estrogens hormones, the most potent of which is estradiol.  The better androgen to estrogen balance is what helps to reduce/resolve gynecomastia.

Androderm on the other hand is the pro hormone testosterone.  Supplementation of testosterone in some people results in an increase in the androgen to estrogen balance as with DHT and a reduction in gynecomastia.

BUT!!

In just as many people testosterone has the opposite effect as it aromatises/converts to estradiol and actually exacerbates the problem by altering the androgen to estrogen balance in favor of estrogens which promotes breast growth.

This is the reason why it is no longer used as a treatment for gynecomastia.

Below is a quote verbatim from Glenn D Braunstein M.D endocrinologist from his 1996 paper 'gynecomastia'.

Testosterone therapy was among the first treatments to be attempted, but the response rate was no higher than that in a control population of untreated patients and testosterone carries with it the risk of being aromatised to estradiol, which may stimulate the breast further.