Hi friends,

I'm in a pickle. I had my top surgery in 2003. Since then I've been on Risperdal for certain reasons. I can't really function without the medication, it helps me to focus, read, and stops certain behaviours, but the effects have really shown outwards. There are other antipsychotics that don't cause the breast development, but they cause weight gain, and I'm already overweight as it is.

What type of exercise can I do to help them go back to being flat? My original surgeon did a bum job on them any way. He tried to "sculpt" them anyway, and wanted me to come back for a second surgery. I told him to make me flat. I paid $5,000 in 2003. Also, since then I've now got 2 herniated discs in my lower back which makes it hard to do much of anything. It adds to my pain in exercising.

Does anyone have any advice?

Thank you so much. I do appreciate it, honestly I do.

Alex 

If he didn't remove the milk making bits then exercise won't get rid of them. Any exercise that you can do will help overall, I guess anything that won't irritate the discs.

The reason you're having this happen is because of an increase in the hormone prolactin.  This happens in both men and women and I'm wondering if it's an actual increase of breast tissue, not just normal fat. I don't really understand all the biology behind it so maybe someone else can fill you in there. If so, exercise won't help. I take Invega which is essentially Risperdal and had the same thing happen - chest got bigger - and I'm very lean. I had to lower my dose and it's not enough to be therapeutic so I'll probably have to try something else.  Have you discussed this with your doctor? S/he would be the one to help you out with this.  Weight gain on APs is not a given on all of them.  I was on Latuda for a long time and it was completely weight neutral for me for example. Not recommending anything, just saying.  It's absolutely something to talk about with your doctor though.

There's  a class action suit on Respirdal causing gynocomastia. You might look this one up and see if you can get on it.

--Jay

Quote from: Evan of Spades on December 19, 2014, 10:46:52 AM
The reason you're having this happen is because of an increase in the hormone prolactin.  This happens in both men and women and I'm wondering if it's an actual increase of breast tissue, not just normal fat. I don't really understand all the biology behind it so maybe someone else can fill you in there. If so, exercise won't help. I take Invega which is essentially Risperdal and had the same thing happen - chest got bigger - and I'm very lean. I had to lower my dose and it's not enough to be therapeutic so I'll probably have to try something else.  Have you discussed this with your doctor? S/he would be the one to help you out with this.  Weight gain on APs is not a given on all of them.  I was on Latuda for a long time and it was completely weight neutral for me for example. Not recommending anything, just saying.  It's absolutely something to talk about with your doctor though.

I talked with my doctor about it, he tried to put me on Lamictal, and then I broke out in rashes. Thanks for cluing me in on the prolactin and breast tissue stuff. He checks my prolactin when I get the 5-6 months bloodwork done to check my T levels and other meds and all. I have another friend who's told me about some other meds that might work but I'm just not sure. I've heard of Latuda. I had forgot all about that though! My doctor, he likes to try to keep me on the same meds as long as he can, and he's not fond of trying to see if anything else might actually work in it's place. I live in a small town that's growing, but the doctors and people aren't getting any better. A town that's like... stuck in time. 

I appreciate your words. Thanks for the info and all.

Quote from: aleon515 on December 19, 2014, 11:49:27 AM
There's  a class action suit on Respirdal causing gynocomastia. You might look this one up and see if you can get on it.

--Jay

I saw that on t.v. but I wasn't sure if I should or not. Risperdal has helped in so many ways, but only hurt by the gynocomastia. Thank you for the reminder, though

Quote from: Alexthecat on December 19, 2014, 07:07:08 AM
If he didn't remove the milk making bits then exercise won't get rid of them. Any exercise that you can do will help overall, I guess anything that won't irritate the discs.

I didn't even think about that!

See when I had them, before the mastectomy, they both always felt like they had these large kinda hard things in them, sorta like implants without the implants, because I've never had implants, I had bound them since I was 11. My right one still has, at the bottom under the nipple and areola, it still has that hard stuff underneath it, from where he tried to "sculpt" it, using the breast tissue that was already there.

You are right though, overall exercise will help, just gotta be careful of my back. Thanks so much.

I doubt they'd take that useful a product off the market. Might make a stronger label or something.


--Jay

Quote from: cherubean on December 19, 2014, 11:33:05 PM
I talked with my doctor about it, he tried to put me on Lamictal, and then I broke out in rashes. Thanks for cluing me in on the prolactin and breast tissue stuff. He checks my prolactin when I get the 5-6 months bloodwork done to check my T levels and other meds and all. I have another friend who's told me about some other meds that might work but I'm just not sure. I've heard of Latuda. I had forgot all about that though! My doctor, he likes to try to keep me on the same meds as long as he can, and he's not fond of trying to see if anything else might actually work in it's place. I live in a small town that's growing, but the doctors and people aren't getting any better. A town that's like... stuck in time. 

I appreciate your words. Thanks for the info and all.

Np man.  I hope something that works for you will come around, whatever that may be.  These kinds of medications can be a tough no-man's-land sorta thing.  It's always a bit of a Russian Roulette in a way, you never know what'll happen.  That's how it's been for me, anyways.

I have no experience or advice for you on the meds issue, but if you have a swimming pool available that would be a GREAT way to get some exercise while taking the pressure off your back.  Firming up the pec muscles may give your chest a little tighter look, despite the unpleasant (awful, actually) side effect of your medication. 

Hi, thanks for posting this topic. When you say the "milk making bits" are you referring to the breast tissue? I am also not familiar whats behind of the breast makeup due to it causing me additional dysphoria so I am wondering if I were to have top surgery and then be on birth control pills that contain estrogen,will I gain growth?!

Nope. The OP had a peri. With a DI they take off so much breast tissue there isn't much to grow back, also the ducts and so on are out (there's more to them than just "fat"). The OP has a very unusual situation, imo. It's almost as though we were talking to a cis man who had severe gynecomastia (enlarged breasts in a natal male). The medication he took mostly causes this in natal males.

--Jay

Quote from: makipu on January 24, 2015, 09:37:56 PM
Hi, thanks for posting this topic. When you say the "milk making bits" are you referring to the breast tissue? I am also not familiar whats behind of the breast makeup due to it causing me additional dysphoria so I am wondering if I were to have top surgery and then be on birth control pills that contain estrogen,will I gain growth?!

Even xy males can get gynomastia.

The exercises I have found that help the most are bench presses and butterflies. Your back will be supported by the bench, and you can use lighter weights with more repetitions. To develop the upper chest, put the bench on an incline so you are isolating the upper pectorals. That will help balance off any swelling of breast tissue.

If you have reason to believe that your Dr. did not remove all the breast tissue, get copies of your records, (they are yours so you should be able to get copies), and then get a second opinion.

Sam2