What is Gynecomastia?
Gynecomastia refers to the medical condition in the endocrine system that will result to the abnormal enlargement of male breasts. This is also the condition that is described as the man boobs.
This condition is common in people in neonatal, puberty or late adult stage. This is not a very serious condition, however, there are some cases, that some men experience pain and nipple discharge along with the breast growth, and this already requires medical intervention. Gynecomastia, in common cases, usually goes away after a few months or a year.
However, gynecomastia can cause a serious emotional problem for those who are suffering from it. This may cause them to feel embarrassed and ridiculed.
Causes of Gynecomastia
There are several causes of gynecomastia. Some people inevitably experience it because they are at the stage of puberty or late adult. There are also some instances that gynecomastia can be a complication of a more serious disease like testicular cancer.
Gynecomastia is caused by the hormonal imbalance. Most often, those men who have higher levels of estrogen than testosterone suffer from it. There are some other artificial factors that can cause gynecomastia, just like the use of certain drugs like marijuana and other narcotics.
Antipsychotic drugs can cause genitourinary side effects like gynecomastia. Some of these antipsychotic drugs are risperidone. According to research, risperidone can cause greater gynecomastia risk. Olanzapine affects males like the way does quetiapine (Seroquel; Seroquel XR) cause gynecomastia.
Does quetiapine (Seroquel; Seroquel XR) cause gynecomastia?
Gynecomastia is most commonly found in people who take antipsychotic drugs like risperidone and amisulpride. These drugs are prolactin raising antipsychotic drugs and inhibit dopamine. This results to the increase production of prolactin. Prolactin is a hormone that stimulates milk production and breast growth in women.
Excessive intake of risperidone can cause gynecomastia in males. Quetiapine, compared to risperidone, can still cause gynecomastia in some men but not as much as risperidone does.
According to studies, Majority of men who take quetiapine along with risperidone and other antipsychotic drugs, have gynecomastia. 81 among the 76, 385 people who take quetiapine alone, have gynecomastia.
How does quetiapine (Seroquel; Seroquel XR) cause gynecomastia?
Quetiapine is an antipsychotic drug that is used to treat psychotic illnesses like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Quetiapine is described as an atypical antipsychotic drug. It is the generic name of Seroquel and Seroquel XR. Atypical psychotic drugs are alson known as second generation antipsychotic drugs. These drugs are major tranqulisers.
Atypical antipsychotic drugs, like quetiapine and risperidone, block dopamine, but unlike the typical antipsychotic drugs, atypicals also block the serotonin. Dopamine affects the production of prolactin, which is responsible for the enhancement of breast and its production of milk.
Quetiapine is proven to cause gynecomastia but not as much as the risperidone. Quetiapine is proven to induce lactation and can cause galactorrhea.
Others side effects of quetiapine include chills, confusion, dizziness, blurred vision, chest pain, cough, and drools. This may also cause constipation and headache.
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