Mental Health I think zyprexa gave me man boobs... What do i do???

[nancy145]

Just to be clear, I'm a guy named Joe. I couldn't think of a name when I was making an account, then my grandma named Nancy called me, so I just made my name nancy145.
Anyway, I got on 20 mg of Zyprexa about 4 months ago, and just got off it last night (for a different reason). I went from 120 pounds to 180 pounds between a month before I got on it and a month and a half after, because of a number of medication changes. All the weight initially went straight to my stomach, chest, and face, then started to even out over time. I noticed it didn't even out around my chest though. I started to loose some weight recently, and now I'm really concerned because I'm not loosing weight around my chest. I have man boobs now, that are noticeable without a shirt on. I'm gonna tell my doctor about it, but I don't see him for another 2 weeks. Will this go away over time? What do I do about it? I also just got on seroquel too, will that worsen it? Should I stop taking it?

 

[T. Calderone]

I've heard of this happening after prolonged use. Did you suddenly stop using Zyprexa or wean off it? I'm going to move this to Mental Health as they may have better insight on this medication.

 

[mokele]

Maybe a aromatase inhibiter will
help if you dont have full blown gyno, which i doubt. that shiz normally takes years to develope

 

[nancy145]

I went from 20 to 10 2 weeks ago then from 10 to none

 

[RogerSigval]

ANTIPSYCHOTICS ARE EVIL!!! I was on Zyprexa (though I know this is not a true antipsychotic but close), Geodon and Risperdal for limited periods at a time, basically until I recognized the negative effects and gave them up. Zyprexa, like Geodon, made me a "zombie" who couldn't think intellectually and felt tired all day but could only sleep at night. Risperdal made me afraid of everything in the world - subways, alleyways, my own family!

My cousin took Risperdal for many years and developed the "man boobs" you're talking about. He actually got in on a class-action lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson for this side effect and got several thousand dollars, which he quickly spent on drugs...

At any rate, I'm no scientist but don't personally recommend ANYTHING reminiscent of an antipsychotic.

 

[Theroux]

A lot of typical anti-psychotics cause increased prolactin levels which in turn can cause breast tissue swelling, even in men. Seroquel has a lower effect on prolactin levels compared to Zyprexa so you may see a reduction in the swelling. Best thing to do is to see your doctor when you can and ask him to test your prolactin levels, he/she may suggest switching antipsychotics or including low dose aripiprazole for example.

Taking an aromatase inhibitor in this situation will probably not help as the swelling is most likely due prolactin and not oestrogen.