has anyone here gotten surgery to remove gyno and continued with finasteride or another systemic treatment? specifically, those who had gyno prior to starting treatment, but i'd be interested post-treatment gyno as well. i've seen a few posts about it here and there, but without much follow-up.
my situation is that i've had a very minor case of it since adolescence, which was my biggest concern with starting finasteride because i was nervous i would be more susceptible to undesirable side-effects. anyways, i decided to give it a shot figuring i already had gyno and have considered getting the surgery down the road. if it started to get worse i could just stop. i started at the recommended dosage, after a few weeks i noticed a tenderness behind my right nipple (this side of my chest always seemed slightly worse, but interestingly enough the tissue was more diffused then my left side which seemed a little lumpier.. funny, my right temple had always been slightly more receded, and i've always felt my right side was my "bad side"). i also noticed the diffuse tissue on that side had turned into a small lump, similar to my left side. anyways, the tenderness turned into a soreness, only when it's touched though (no burning or itching). i decided to cut down to 0.5mg. after a few days, it was less sore but still noticeable. i cut it to 0.25mg. better, but still there. no aesthetic difference, though. still looked the same. after about a month, i decided to stop finasteride altogether and see if the soreness went away. if and when it did, i would try and start at 0.25mg and see if that did the trick. the soreness stuck around, in varying degrees, for the next month and recently my hair started going to sh*t so i freaked out and have been taking 0.25mg daily again*. i think the soreness has gotten a bit worse, but it's tough to say because it seems to fluctuate, even when i was off of finasteride. i can't tell if it looks any different, it seems about the same. i'm a really skinny guy, but i'm not in the best shape either.
my initial inclination was that the diffuse tissue i already had was sort of solidifying, but that i wasn't necessarily gaining tissue. it's still been a short amount of time. i was kind of hoping that i was at my worst and that finasteride couldn't affect me that way. another theory i had was that i could maybe ride out the tenderness, much like some people ride out libido issues. at some point my body would just plateau and adapt. the only time it was unbearable was at points on 1mg.
what i'm wondering now is.. is my body only reacting to gyno i had prior to treatment, or is this a seperate issue that is just cumulative to my condition? in other words, does this mean that had i not had gyno to begin with than i would've gotten it on finasteride? the "advantage" of already having gyno has sort of backfired and now i'm left with more questions. has anyone with gyno taken finasteride and NOT had effects such as this? my optimitist side is telling me that it just reacting to what was already there and if i got it removed than chances are it would not return. i'd have the same shot at getting it as someone who never had gyno to begin with. my pessimist side is saying that it's just going to keep coming back. any insight?
*i feel the need to add a disclaimer about my choice to get back on finasteride. gyno is something i've lived with for a good chunk of my life. granted, my case i barely noticeable, especially when wearing a t-shirt. however, as stressful as it can and has been, i'm accustomed to dealing with it at this point. i know how to be confident in spite of it, and i know ways to make it less noticeable. it wasn't something that was going to get any worse, and i've kept the option of surgery open if i ever have a surplus of cash. hairloss is a new thing for me. minor to moderate cases of gyno are fairly easy to mask, especially in typical social situations. hairloss is a bit more tricky. there's also a limited amount of excuses you can give before people see it's getting worse or even figure out that you are on treatment. most people are unfamiliar enough with gyno that you can sort of get away with just seeming like you're not in good shape and if you ever get it removed than it probably just seems like you started working on it. also, after a few weeks of being off finasteride and the soreness staying relatively the same, i decided i might as well just be on it. that way i can at least potentially solve one problem.
my situation is that i've had a very minor case of it since adolescence, which was my biggest concern with starting finasteride because i was nervous i would be more susceptible to undesirable side-effects. anyways, i decided to give it a shot figuring i already had gyno and have considered getting the surgery down the road. if it started to get worse i could just stop. i started at the recommended dosage, after a few weeks i noticed a tenderness behind my right nipple (this side of my chest always seemed slightly worse, but interestingly enough the tissue was more diffused then my left side which seemed a little lumpier.. funny, my right temple had always been slightly more receded, and i've always felt my right side was my "bad side"). i also noticed the diffuse tissue on that side had turned into a small lump, similar to my left side. anyways, the tenderness turned into a soreness, only when it's touched though (no burning or itching). i decided to cut down to 0.5mg. after a few days, it was less sore but still noticeable. i cut it to 0.25mg. better, but still there. no aesthetic difference, though. still looked the same. after about a month, i decided to stop finasteride altogether and see if the soreness went away. if and when it did, i would try and start at 0.25mg and see if that did the trick. the soreness stuck around, in varying degrees, for the next month and recently my hair started going to sh*t so i freaked out and have been taking 0.25mg daily again*. i think the soreness has gotten a bit worse, but it's tough to say because it seems to fluctuate, even when i was off of finasteride. i can't tell if it looks any different, it seems about the same. i'm a really skinny guy, but i'm not in the best shape either.
my initial inclination was that the diffuse tissue i already had was sort of solidifying, but that i wasn't necessarily gaining tissue. it's still been a short amount of time. i was kind of hoping that i was at my worst and that finasteride couldn't affect me that way. another theory i had was that i could maybe ride out the tenderness, much like some people ride out libido issues. at some point my body would just plateau and adapt. the only time it was unbearable was at points on 1mg.
what i'm wondering now is.. is my body only reacting to gyno i had prior to treatment, or is this a seperate issue that is just cumulative to my condition? in other words, does this mean that had i not had gyno to begin with than i would've gotten it on finasteride? the "advantage" of already having gyno has sort of backfired and now i'm left with more questions. has anyone with gyno taken finasteride and NOT had effects such as this? my optimitist side is telling me that it just reacting to what was already there and if i got it removed than chances are it would not return. i'd have the same shot at getting it as someone who never had gyno to begin with. my pessimist side is saying that it's just going to keep coming back. any insight?
*i feel the need to add a disclaimer about my choice to get back on finasteride. gyno is something i've lived with for a good chunk of my life. granted, my case i barely noticeable, especially when wearing a t-shirt. however, as stressful as it can and has been, i'm accustomed to dealing with it at this point. i know how to be confident in spite of it, and i know ways to make it less noticeable. it wasn't something that was going to get any worse, and i've kept the option of surgery open if i ever have a surplus of cash. hairloss is a new thing for me. minor to moderate cases of gyno are fairly easy to mask, especially in typical social situations. hairloss is a bit more tricky. there's also a limited amount of excuses you can give before people see it's getting worse or even figure out that you are on treatment. most people are unfamiliar enough with gyno that you can sort of get away with just seeming like you're not in good shape and if you ever get it removed than it probably just seems like you started working on it. also, after a few weeks of being off finasteride and the soreness staying relatively the same, i decided i might as well just be on it. that way i can at least potentially solve one problem.