FU** - 10 days on dutasteride and my left nipple is puffy

[dougfunny]

DAMNIT!!! I am such a moron. Just great now I am going to be bald and have breasts.

This sh*t stays in your system forever! WTF should I do?

It's only my left nipple too so I'm apparently not imagining it. Kind of been noticing it feeling weird but figured I was being paranoid since I've been reading all about gyno and breast cancer.

I'm going to go to bed and if I'm lucky maybe I will die in my sleep and not have to deal with this tomorrow.

Ugh!

 

[let-it-grow]

First stop taking it and see a doctor. I know that there's a gel that could fix it, no surgery required, if it's the beginning and it is (only 10 days). Why are you using dutasteride? Have you tried finasteride and didn't get good results? Had any side effects with finasteride or only with dutasteride?

 

[dougfunny]

I tried finasteride about 5 years ago for a week or so but had trouble with it because it made my skin so oily.

Hair loss picked up recently, so I thought I would give dutasteride a try since it was reported to dry out you skin (which it actually did quite nicely).

I'll probably make a doctor appt next week. What is this cream you are referring to? My doctor is going to think I am a real dumbass for ordering this stuff off the internet!


So if it is gyno and hormone induced, this should show up in blood labs, correct?

I have an Rx for unrelated bloodwork sitting around that I could add a couple of labs to.. Are Prolactin and Estradiol what I need to check for? Anything else?

 

[follicle84]

You could take a SERM like tomaxifen, which is used to prevent breast cancer. It binds estrogen at the receptors in your breast without effecting estrogen else where. It may even reverse enlarged breast tissue but be aware it too has its own possible side effects.

A safer option would be taking something like DIM which is a natural product that corrects estrogen imbalances. I have know idea how effective it is though.

 

[dougfunny]

I hope my doctor on Monday will prescribe something fast - I'm going to be screwed if he wants to refer me to an endocrinologist.

It's getting worse too - my right nipple is now affected.

And all this from 7 dutasteride tablets...

 

[Mew]

A safer option would be taking something like DIM which is a natural product that corrects estrogen imbalances

No, the safest option would be to quit Dutasteride, which is causing the problem.

 

[dougfunny]

A safer option would be taking something like DIM which is a natural product that corrects estrogen imbalances

No, the safest option would be to quit Dutasteride, which is causing the problem.

It's not that simple. Obviously I am going to quit it - but it has a half life of over a month. In other words in six months I'll still have some in my system. It will be half a year until my hormone levels returns to baseline.

 

[follicle84]

A safer option would be taking something like DIM which is a natural product that corrects estrogen imbalances

No, the safest option would be to quit Dutasteride, which is causing the problem.

It's not that simple. Obviously I am going to quit it - but it has a half life of over a month. In other words in six months I'll still have some in my system. It will be half a year until my hormone levels returns to baseline.

Thats exactly my point dutasteride is long lasting compered to finasteride. Quiting would be the right choice but it will be a while before those hormones reach normal levels. Dim or tomaxifen might be able to help deal with that in the mean time.

 

[dougfunny]

Ugh it is seriously getting worse. How long do I have until I do permanent damage?

I'm not going to be able to see a doctor tomorrow at the best. Maybe I should go to one of those emergency clinics or something? Better to make an idiot of myself now than to have given myself the proverbial b**ch tits.

 

[dougfunny]

Well much as I suspected my doctor had no interest in prescribing any anti-estrogen drugs. And much as I suspected it was in fact gyno.

The guy was actually a PA and I didn't even realize it until afterwards. The receptionist told me I was going to see a "Dr" whoever to so I'm kind of pissed that they are calling PA's doctors. The guy wasn't even sure which labs to do and had to look it up. Ugh.

I had them test for estriol and prolactin, but as I recall there was some other important one.

His advice was that it would go away once the meds were out of my system. I was like that's great, you realize that will be a YEAR FROM NOW!

 

[Mew]

You missed the most important test -- Estradiol (ultrasensitive)

Oh well, live and learn. dutasteride is an insanely stupid choice for a cosmetic problem like hairloss... systemically obilterating both 5AR enzymes is just asking for trouble hormonally and health-wise, especially considering 5AR1 is found in the human brain.

Hopefully your gyno reverses otherwise live with it, get surgery, or find a Doctor willing to assist with estrogen management if your labs come back elevated.

Sorry man, you sound like an intelligent chap but took a big gamble here and lost. Now you have to pay the price, just as others have before you.

 

[dougfunny]

It actually was Estradiol, not Estriol. But he did not test for testosterone, and I think you need a ratio for it to be of any use. Not to mention since you can still get gyno and be in range, any lab is pretty useless without a baseline.

Hopefully I'll see the real doctor in the next few days, and if he is going to be a pain in the *** then I'll have him refer me to an endo who should be willing to be more proactive. Worse case scenario the anti-e pills I ordered will be here in a couple of weeks!

Certainly not screwed nor do I have any intention of paying too big of a price.

5AR in the brain. That is certainly interesting, we'll see what kind of brain damage I have later in life! I have enough as it is so it's not of a particular concern. unk: