Paranoid about gyno

[freshfromthegrave]

Hey guys i'll try and keep this short and not waffle on for too long. so i've been on finasteride for a month now at 0.5mg every 3 days and i'm completely paranoid about gyno after noticing my nipples looked puffy. problem is i can't be sure if it's gyno or just fat since while i'm an extreme ectomorph and very skinny, i've been taking a supplement for muscle/weight gain (high carb, high protein and high calorie drink) that has actually managed to pack on some fat on me even while working out heavily. i actually had some of this nipple puffyness even before starting finasteride because of the supplement but it is worse now. i don't have any pain or sensitivity and can't feel any lumps. there is an occasional itch on the pec area but that seems consistent with other itches around the body. is this all in my head??? is a month even sufficient time to start developing gyno and if there are no lumps etc can it still be gyno? i'm going to quit the supplement and switch to whey protein only and do more hiit cardio to get rid of the new fat but i'm thinking of quitting finasteride too... at least for now but i don't want to go off and on again. any thoughts? :shock:

 

[Ende]

If you don't have any pain, or feel any lumps, it's nothing to worry about. That's symptoms of gynecomastia.

 

[freshfromthegrave]

*phew* thanks enden appreciate the reply man. so you rate it's impossible for the only "symptom" to be puffy nipples?

 

[Ende]

Increased estrogen level may cause more defined nipples, but it's nothing to worry about, and besides, people usually experience sexual problems before developing gynecomastia. It's possible to develop gynecomastia without the sexual side effects, but it still involves pain and lumps. Slight DHT deficiency may cause lack of tissue maintenance. Estrogen activates the breast tissue, and DHT deactivates it. Tissue which grows by stimulation from estrogen, may accumulate if you don't have enough DHT.

 

[Ende]

For those who're in trouble with gynecomastia, I recommend treatment with Andractim.

 

[Wuffer]

I went through the same thing a few weeks ago; I noticed a lump by my right nipple, maybe 2 inches up and towards the armpit. It felt a bit like a small bean. It didn't hurt at first, but constant rubbing/poking seemed to make it hurt more, to the point of where I thought I had gyno. My nipples didn't hurt, and didn't look swollen at all. No breast enlargement that I could see. I do have pre-existing 'glands' possibly from puberty that never went away, resulting in larger than normal breasts.

Where do gyno lumps usually grow? From what i've seen of gyno descriptions, it always occurs directly behind the nipple (since the gland is connected to the nipple). It starts with nipple itchyness, then pain. When pressing on the nipple, one would almost always feel sharp/burning pain, and a definite lump behind it.

I still have the lump there (its actually in the same place on both breasts), and it occasionally aches. But i'm pretty sure it's in my head, maybe i'm tripping myself out over it. I also have no sexual/ED problems, and normal morning wood.

How did your gyno start, Enden? What point did you first notice it, and what symptoms did you have? I am pretty sure I am not having gyno, but I want to be sure just in case.

 

[Ende]

Lumps usually grows above the areola, and at the side - towards the armpit. I think I've experienced every side effect of finasteride, and some which wasn't discovered during the trials, like hyperprolactinaemia, secondary hypogonadism and hyperthyroidism.

I noticed changes to my body after one or two pills (nothing related to gynecomastia). I lost morning erections, libido was reduced, and I developed ED within the first month. I developed gynecomastia between the third and fourth month. I was impotent at that point. That's when I developed secondary hypogonadism.

 

[Wuffer]

Strange, from most descriptions i've read on the internet, Gyno grows either directly behind the nipple or below it. I guess it isn't an exact science? I assume your lumps were large and very painful / sensitive to the touch? The lumps I have aren't painful, and you have to really dig deep to feel them.. It usually takes me a bit to even find them, but they are definitely there. I do feel glands in my breast that have been there since puberty. However, when I am in good shape (160-170 pounds) it is almost non-existent.. I am 200 pounds right now, but working hard to be lower. May I ask what weight you are at? I hear that being overweight increases estrogen, so i'm wondering how much weight loss would help your case (if you are indeed overweight). I know it causes all sorts of problems for me..

Sorry to hear about your experiences on this drug, but from what I have read in your other thread, you are able to manage the side effects relatively effectively. Are you still on finasteride?

I have been on it for 2 months; the only side I experienced defininitively was a testicle ache, maybe 2-3 weeks after I started. This was constant for about 3 days, and it freaked me right out. I would say it was a slightly mild case of blue balls, which is very uncomfortable. However, seemingly overnight that went away and I haven't had any issues since. I think my 'junk' seems slightly withdrawn in a flacid state (maybe not hanging out as much as it usually does) but I haven't had any problems 'in use' thankfully.

 

[Ende]

Maybe it's individual where the lumps grow. I've had them all over, but to me, they usually pops up like I described. I didn't think it was painful to touch them, but it hurt like hell when they grew.

I'm overweight (at least 10 kg), and I believe excessive body fat increases the chance of developing estrogenic side effects. I think it'll be easier to manage estrogen now that I'm on TRT too, if I lose weight. I'm working on it. I just haven't had the proper motivation with everything else going on at the moment.

I was able to manage most side effects, but I was unable to hold an optimal testosterone/estrogen ratio for more than a couple of days. This affected the sexual function negatively, and I had to quit. I believe that DHT is what maintaines the testosterone/estrogen ratio, because it's the estrogen antagonist.

 

[Wuffer]

Strange, well that sort of describes what i'm having, but probably not as severe. The pain is very dull, and definitely not a 'hurt like hell' sort of thing, so it's hard to say what's up. I've read people have had success with DIM, or simply eating 2-3 servings of Broccoli every day. As a general healthy choice, I may start to do this as well, and it may help with maintaining normal estrogen levels in the long run.

I understand that Broccoli contains DIM and I3C, both anti-estrogens. I even read a study that claims 500MG's of I3C can reduce estrogen by half. You get this amount in 2-3 servings of broccoli. I figure i'll give this a shot, just in case. Broccoli is hella good for you anyway, cheap, and I enjoy the taste!

Did the lumps grow to where you could see a breast/nipple size increase, or did you quit before that?

It's strange that this causes random small lumps to appear around your breasts. All the literature i've read on traditional Gyno points to a single gland behind the nipple growing.. This sort of makes me think this isn't gyno, but i'm really no expert.

 

[Ende]

You should use zinc picolinate, if you need something to control the estrogen.

I had lumps all over the chest. I didn't grow breasts. It was diagnosed as gynecomastia by my GP.

 

[Wuffer]

I see; were these lumps also in areas not around your nipple/breast area? Anywhere else like your armpit or sternum? That's very strange, but good information as I know what to watch out for.

I am going to start the broccoli thing for the next couple weeks; if I find more lumps, i'm going to start on Zinc.

Good luck on your journey to fixing your hormones, hair loss and all that! I appreciate the advice. Sometimes life deals some really shitty cards, doesn't it.

 

[freshfromthegrave]

ok so luckily i had some photos that i took prior and during my workout phases and i took some more now to compare. it's EXACTLY the same and it's all in my head so folks while you're taking photos of your hair, take photos of your pecs too. it helps with the finasteride induced paranoia

i've also heard about fat holding more aromatase or estrogen. if you guys don't already know it, HIIT is a good way to go for fat burning. steady state cardio like running actually isn't so great, in fact it can reduce muscle and make things worse. HIIT (high intensity interval training) is much better and preserving muscle and burning fat well after the workout is concluded. it's also significantly shorter in terms of actually working out. you can find out plenty about it on the net but it's basically doing cardio like running, skipping rope, exercise bike etc at your absolute 100% intensity for very short intervals, say 30 seconds, coupled with 90 seconds rest and that gets repeated until you reach 20 minutes or so. you don't have to go 100% right off that bat though you can work your way up to it over time and of course clean diet is a must

sorry if you guys already knew all that stuff xD

balding sucks but finasteride only sucks slightly less, or potentially even more :shock: