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Weight Gain, Low Testosterone, And Man Boobs

A myHIVteam Member asked a question 💭
Savannah, GA

I'm having problems with weight gain and getting man boobs. Since being on HIV medications for the past 3 years I have gained 65 pounds. Part of the problem was my high blood pressure and the medications (spirolactone) used to finally get my blood pressure under control. I'm not sure if it is entirely the blood pressure medicine or also from the antiviral medications that killed my testosterone levels and also caused me to gain weight. The doctors didn't do anything when I complained about my… read more

October 2, 2018 (edited)
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A myHIVteam Member

I also had issues with my weight increasing once I committed to taking my HIV drugs as prescribed. I also have been on some form of testerone therapy since I was told that my pain meds were robbing my testerone. I honestly think the man boobs thing is a part of growing older if you live a sedentary lifestyle because you begin to produce estrogen which could result in man boobs. I was lucky enough to gain control of my weight and testerone levels.Once my viral load became undetectable, testerone levels near normal the weight began to drop.Having a positive body image can be hard when you are so focused on staying healthy and the challenges of living with a chronic disease. I wish you well on your journey and I hope this helps.😀

October 3, 2018
A myHIVteam Member

@A myHIVteam Member I had success with intermittent fasting. I started this past October. I do all of my eating in 8 to 5 hours a day. It's great for removing fat if your consistent.

February 10, 2019
A myHIVteam Member

The latest update is that I stopped taking the testosterone injections after 8 month since it was starting to effect my prostate. The doctor still won’t switch my medication since my blood pressure is stable at around 115 over 78. I’m trying to eat healthy, exercise and lose weight. My goal is to go from my maximum weight of 270 down to a healthy 175. I’m not sure what I will look like at that weight, if my man boobs will decrease or if I’ll look like a woman with C cups, but my focus is to get to a healthy weight and then deal with whatever comes with it. The only question I still have is if my man boobs don’t shrink and I opt for surgery to remove them, can they grow back? From what I have read if they are caused by hormones or hiv meds, they can grow back. If this is the case it may not be worth the risk and cost of surgery to have them removed.

February 9, 2019
A myHIVteam Member

I don't know your age, but try push -ups to help better define your chest. It may not help with the nipples but it will help masculinize your chest Although I haven't had much luck with my lower body fat, it has given me some control over the over-all shape of my body. Try googling up workouts for men of a certain age (over 35), that encourage more natural testosterone production.

October 8, 2018
A myHIVteam Member

Spironolactone is a testosterone blocker. They give it to trans women (male to female) when they transition. Why are you taking this? That's what's causing your female characteristics. FYI, I'm a medical laboratory scientist with a healthcare education.

October 2, 2018

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