I am getting breast pain ans feel lump in the nipple area since 4 weeks ago. I am taking dutasteride and bicalutamide. Are they called gynecomastia? Is there anybody who knows what do do? I see my doctor in the middle of December, but is this an emergency ? Do I have to the doctor now? My breasts also aseem to be getting bigger a little by little. Is this a breast cancer???
Domas
The majority of patients who take bicalutamide without Lupron get gynecomastia. You can add 10 mg of Tamoxifen to avoid this.
What about the clots potential and toxic side effects from the Tamoxifen?
In this review of several studies they do not report the side effects from Tamoxifen you mention: opus4.kobv.de/opus4-fau/fil... They were not observed when Tamoxifen is used by men.
I see. The longer term side effects remain not noted on the study ( like many) and only suggest further research is necessary.Not sure if female / male makes any difference in the study honestly.
You may even want to start with 20 mg tamoxifen, right away, to reverse any growth that's occurred. Then move down to 10mg. You should continue it for a few weeks even after you stop bicalutamide.
Thanks. I have found an article. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...
Am I supposed to stop Bicalutamide? I am scared of stopping Bicalutamide.
No, you do not have to stop the bicalutamide. The tamoxifen is added to it, to suppress the side effect of breast growth/pain.
You should realize, this breast growth/pain is not a major health concern that will cause great harm. Rather, it is an annoyance. It results simply because the bicalutimide causes an increase in your estrogen levels (along with the increase in T). It is not a good reason to stop bicalutamide if the bical is working well... rather, address it by adding the tamoxifen (which, like bical, is now a cheap generic drug).
It is a common side effect of bicalutamide. The sooner you get treatment, the better. You would start with tamoxifen 20 mg/day and when the breast tissue disappears, change to 10 mg/day. If clotting is a concern (i.e., if you have afib), try to get tamoxifen patches instead of pills.
yes you get big boobs and I had pain in one at the nipple.
One of my least favorite things about this crap was sitting in the women’s center waiting room with all the ladies to get a mammogram. There was no breast cancer and they never told me what caused the pain but it went away after a few months.
Boobs, no pain.
I had painful nipples after coming off ADT and would smack them into doors and furniture occasionally (ouch) as I adjusted to my new body size (even though they aren't that much larger than before). With the passage of time, the extra fat gained on ADT is slowly leaving while my moobs are painless and less susceptible to collisions.
Yes, very mild and on one side only. I was told radiation will fix it but there's no reason to go that route unless it gets a lot worse. Best of luck.
Yes, also with Lupron. The pain leaves the moobs remain (man-boobs).
Consider it a badge of honor. The meds are getting to work in your body.
You are right.
The thickening and tenderness around the nipple area is a fairly normal side effect. Have your doc take a look at it at your upcoming appt. just to be sure.
Domas, please do follow the advice here, with your doctor's consent, of course.
I didn't have this forum and my doctors replied with a blank stare when I complained about my sore nipples. It finally got so bad I couldn't wear a t shirt and then I had to have them nuked!
Following the radiation things returned to normal in another year or so.
Too many doctors treat the disease and don't care about the side effects and don't even bother mentioning those side effects. It was only on this forum that I learned about tamoxifen.
Absolutely, it happened to me with chemo -- I was reduced to crawling around on my hands and knees to get stuff done at home but the medical "professionals" in charge of me at the time were very happy because my "labs are great!" When I finally saw my MO (of a couple of years and we have talked about my home situation), he was astounded to realize that I was living alone and due to his staff's insistence I was isolating from everyone so had not made any friends in my new location. I left that practice on the grounds that they didn't give a hairy rat's ... eyebrow about me. Now my urologist is apparently punishing me because of his high regard for that MO. Sigh. As if terminal cancer isn't enough...
I'm experienced gynecomastia and breast pain under left nipple right now. In addition, I'm scheduled for the mamogram in 9 days. I doubt the mammogram is really needed but I'm going. NP with the radiation group suggested i take vit E for nipple sensitivity. I haven't had a lupron shot in a year and half so i dont know why im having these problems now. Goodluck domas, maybe try the tamoxifen.
I visited Hospital today with an emergency appointment . My doctor said "no. No.no." to Tamoxifen. He said no way. He said it may promote the cancer spread, and all of our effort so far may evaporate literally. Plus, tamoxifen will make the blood way thick if taken with ADT and may create blood cakes. He said that the best way is to a little bit slow down Bica, for example, 2 or 3 weeks off. Our meeting was postponed to December, as he want to test PSA, when I actively take Bicalutamide. I was off Bica for last 1 week.
I think it is not necessary to take Tamoxifen as it will break the Bicalutamide works. You can tolerate until you see the docs. Docs may decrease the dosage of Bicalutamide.
I have a doctors appointment on Dec. 22. Thanks.
I too have swelling behind my nipples which are permanently hard as a result of Bicalutamide. I am now constantly aware of my new boobs and while they are a novelty in the shower it is a concern. Having read this thread, I intend to discuss them with my Oncologist and will be curious to see what options he comes up with, thanks everyone, cheers DD 😎.
I had my boobs radiated and the pain stopped it only took two sessions
My doctor suggested I take less bicalutamide by around 15%, if the pain is severe. I told him I want to continue "as is", provided that the pain does not increase. I was so scared PSA may go up once I reduce bicalutamide. And, I did not want to lose the momentum. In December 2022, my PSA decreased to 0.17, as I increased to 1 tablet per day for 3 weeks with 1 week vacation. It was 0.37 before, when I took 1 tablet per day for 2 weeks with 1 week vacation. I go to the doctors office again in February, to find how long the 1 week vacation program with 3 weeks 1 tablet per day will work. The doctor predicts it will work for "several" years; he said I may switch this to an injection and then switch to Xtandi. Is this a normal ADT course? He said Xtandi is an "advanced" form of bicalutamide.
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