What is Gynecomastia?
Let’s start with what gynecomastia is. This is the enlargement of the male breast tissue, which occurs when there is an imbalance between estrogen action and androgen action at the breast tissue level. Males have small amounts of estrogen in their bodies – that’s normal. When you take steroids or synthetic HGH supplements excel estrogen can be produced through the amortization.
The problem is that when the body develops large amounts of estrogen, undesirable side effects can occur. One of those side effects is gynecomastia or the enlargement of the male breasts. Others include female pattern fat distribution and water retention. Gynecomastia occurs because you have higher concentrations of estrogen relative to your testosterone levels.
Symptoms of Gynecomastia
Symptoms of gynecomastia include swelling and tenderness of breast tissue and the nipples. Your nipples can also become itchy. Should you have any of these symptoms you need to see your doctor as soon as possible to begin treatment, because once breast tissue begins to form it’s permanent.
Just because you use steroids or synthetic HGH injections doesn’t mean you will find yourself dealing with estrogen issues. There’s no way of knowing how your body will react. Some take only small doses of steroids and instantly develop breast enlargement. Some have only one cycle while others have undergone a number of cycles before the breast enlargement occurs. In other cases, men take high steroid doses and many cycles without ever experiencing gynecomastia symptoms. There is no way to know whether you will develop the symptoms or not.
Preventing Estrogen Formation Will Prevent Gynecomastia
If you prevent estrogen formation you can prevent gynecomastia. Stop the formation of estrogen either by using an aromatase inhibitor or by blocking estrogen, so it can’t bind to your body’s estrogen receptors. It’s important that you receive prescription medications from your doctor to achieve either one of these, because the non-prescription anti-estrogens on the market cannot be relied on.
Taking Anti-Estrogens With Steroids
If you take steroids then take anti-estrogens to prevent gynecomastia. Nolvadex (tamoxifen citrate), Proviron (mesterolone) and Arimidex (anastrozole) work as anti-estrogens.
However, most bodybuilders prefer to block estrogen from forming, because it will prevent gynecomastia and decrease water retention, The reduction in water retention means a much harder looking body. Nolvadex is an anti-estrogen, but it also stops estrogen from being able to bind to the estrogen receptors in your body.
If you take steroids you should always keep an anti-estrogen on hand. Even when you take an aromatase inhibitor like Arimidex or Proviron, make sure you have Nolvadex on hand, just in case you’ve been prescribed too low of a dose and gynecomastia symptom begin to appear.
Dosage for Aromatase Inhibitors
Arimidex typically starts as low as 0.25 mg a day and goes up to 1.0 mg a day, with the average dosage being 0.5 mg a day.
Proviron is generally 50 mg a day. You take a tablet in the morning and in the evening.
Don’t Stop Steroids Mid Cycle
If you start to have symptoms of gynecomastia and you don’t have anti-estrogens, stopping your steroids mid cycle won’t help. Stopping can actually make it worse. Even if you stop there’s going to be remaining estrogen in your body, which will cause the breast tissue to keep building. Your steroid injections will stay in your body for another 2 to 3 weeks, which will keep converting to estrogen and therefore continue to increase breast tissue.
By the time the steroids are metabolized, you are going to have almost zero testosterone levels and you will have very high estrogen levels, which will cause the breast tissue to keep growing. So instead of stopping your steroids mid cycle, take anti-estrogens with your steroids and that will ensure you don’t develop gynecomastia.
You should always make sure you have Nolvadex on hand. When you use aromatase inhibitors your prescribed doses could be too low or you might miss a dose and Nolvadex can help. If you don’t use an aromatase inhibitor during your cycle having Nolvadex on hand is even more important.
What to do if You Develop Gynecomastia Symptoms
If estrogen has already formed in your body, taking an aromatase inhibitor isn’t going to stop the estrogen that has already formed from causing gynecomastia to develop. Nolvadex is the only drug that can stop gynecomastia symptoms once they begin. Nolvadex works by stopping estrogen from binding to estrogen receptors. To be clear, Nolvadex is generally taken just in situations where there are already gynecomastia symptoms present.
Dosage for Nolvadex
Nolvadex is normally prescribed when gynecomastia symptoms are present. Doses run between 20 mg to 40 mg a day and you will keep taking it until your symptoms disappear. Some doctors will tell you to take Nolvadex after the symptoms are gone, up until your cycle ends.
If you take a low to moderate steroid dosage (200-900 mg/week,) this is the schedule most doctors will prescribe.
Day 1 - 40 mg
Each day until the symptoms are gone -20 mg
Until the end of Clomid therapy - 10 mg/day
If you take a high steroid dosages (>1000 mg/week) your doctor could prescribe double the dosage.
Keeping Your Anabolic Steroid Gains
Steroids temporarily shut down your testosterone production. Once you complete the steroid cycle your body will stop the production of testosterone. If your body isn’t producing testosterone you will be extremely tired, have low to no libido and experience loss of muscle.
Why Synthetic HGH Injections Can Cause Gynecomastia
Just like steroids can cause gynecomastia, because they alter the estrogen, testosterone balance in a man’s body, so can synthetic HGH injections. Many times this balance cannot be reversed without surgery to remove excess breast tissue. This can lead to gynecomastia.
Before you start an HGH regimen your physician will not only determine the correct dosage but also whether you can take HGH and steroids together. There must not be lapses in HGH administration, because it can lead to hormonal imbalances that could lead to gynecomastia. Your pituitary gland excretes growth hormone, which also regulates your sexual hormones. When HGH is not properly administered I can cause an estrogen, testosterone and Prolactin imbalance that can cause the development of gynecomastia.
HGH and Steroids Should Not be Administered Together
Steroids and HGH should not be taken together, because if the two are taken together your risk of developing gynecomastia increases. Since both HGH and steroids cause hormonal imbalances the imbalance is likely to be far worse. If you can’t avoid taking steroids with HGH, make sure your doctor prescribes one of the drugs earlier talked about to help reduce the likelihood of developing gynecomastia. In The case of Prolactin induced Gynecomastia you may also need to use vitamin B6 and/or Pramipexole.
Other Reasons You Might Develop Gynecomastia
Steroids and HGH aren’t the only causes of gynecomastia. If you are overweight your body creates higher levels of estrogen from your adipose tissue or fat. This leads to a hormonal imbalance, which can cause you to develop gynecomastia.
If you have tumors, liver disease or genetic disorders or if you use marijuana you could develop gynecomastia.
Knowing the causes of gynecomastia, the symptoms and what to do when gynecomastia develops is very important. Know the risks of steroids, synthetic HGH injections and some medical conditions and the roles they play in the development of gynecomastia.
