One of the more common pharmaceutical treatments for gynecomastia, whether prescribed by a doctor or obtained under the table, is Nolvadex, which is the trade name for the cancer-treating drug Tamoxifen. Other trade names for this compound also include Valodex and Istubal. They are all essentially the same thing.

Like Letrozole, Nolvadex is principally used to treat breast cancer by impairing the total function of estrogen in the body. However, it works in an entirely different manner. While Letrozole reduces the body’s actual production of estrogen, Tamoxifen is a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) that binds to estrogen receptors in the body and impairs the effects of estrogen that is already circulating.

Tamoxifen is not to be taken lightly and is best considered in consultation with your doctor. Side effects can include liver problems and diminished sex drive. Furthermore, if you are considering tamoxifen as a treatment for gynecomastia, you should not dive in expecting the Holy Grail of man-boob reduction.

Any course of treatment such as this is typically most effective when the breast tissue is just developing. The longer the tissue has been around, the more time it has had to solidify and become a permanent fixture that will not disappear with drug treatments alone. Think about it. Tamoxifen will not simply make a woman’s breasts disappear. Bodybuilders who are experienced in body chemistry manipulation typically turn to treatments such as Tamoxifen or Letrozole at the first hint of tingling or puffiness in the nipples.

A couple years of stewing about the issue and tripling up your t-shirts will probably mean that the tissue you so despise has long solidified itself and made pharmaceutical treatments quite possibly not worth the slightest of health risks.