A Case of Unilateral Idiopathic Gynecomastia Aggravated by Low-dose Finasteride (1mg/day, Propecia$^{(R)}$)

January 2004 in “ Linchuang pifuke zazhi ”

Hyup Kim, Kyung‐Chae Kye, Young‐Joon Seo, Ki-Beum Suhr, Jeung‐Hoon Lee, Jang-Kyu Park

finasteride 5-alpha-reductase dihydrotestosterone androgenetic alopecia Propecia DHT

TLDR Low-dose finasteride can cause painful breast enlargement in men, which resolves after stopping the medication.

The document reported a case of a 23-year-old man who developed painful unilateral idiopathic gynecomastia after taking low-dose finasteride (1 mg/day, Propecia) for male androgenetic alopecia. Finasteride is known to inhibit 5-alpha-reductase, which is responsible for converting testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Two months into the treatment, the patient experienced painful enlargement of his right breast. Upon discontinuation of the treatment, the symptoms resolved after two months.

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