Gynaecomastia occurs when male breast tissue expands. This occurs when male hormones (testosterone) are low or female hormones are high (oestrogen). The potential causes include- puberty, ageing, medicine, and health disorders influencing hormones. In this post, we will find explore what are the DISCO drugs causing gynaecomastia and explore all other drugs such as anti-retroviral drugs.
Drugs causing Gynaecomastia
The mnemonic for drugs causing gynaecomastia is as follows:
DISCO
- Digitalis
- INH
- Spironolactone
- Cimetidine
- Oestrogen
Mechanism of Gynaecomastia by Drugs
Digitalis
Digitalis has Estrogen-like activity and hence stimulates the breast.
Isoniazid
It has Anti-androgenic activity.
Spironolactone
It is an Androgen receptor antagonist.
Cimetidine
Similarly, cimetidine also is an Androgen receptor antagonist.
Oestrogen
It stimulates the breasts directly.
Check out our Anatomy Mnemonics!
Additional Drugs
Some drugs which are not covered in the DISCO mnemonic but cause gynaecomastia are:
- Haloperidol
- Amiodarone
- Calcium Channel Blockers (verapamil, nifedipine, diltiazem)
- Diazepam
- Methyldopa
- Phenytoin
- Reserpine
- Vincristine
- Methotrexate
- Ketoconazole
- Metronidazole
- Penicillamine
- Theophylline
Drugs causing Gynaecomastia based on mechanism
List of drugs causing gynaecomastia based on the mechanism of action:
Estrogenic Properties
- Anabolic Steroids
- Diazepam
- Digoxin
- Estrogen agonists
- Estrogen
- Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists (GnRH agonists)
- Human Chorionic Gonadotropins (hcg)
- Phenytoin
Anti-androgenic properties
- Alkylating agents
- Bicalutamide
- Cimetidine
- Cisplatin
- Flutamide
- Isoniazid
- Ketoconazole
- Marijuana
- Methotrexate
- Metronidazole
- Omeprazole
- Penicillamine
- Ranitidine
- Spironolactone
- Vinca alkaloids
Increase metabolism of androgen
- Alcohol
Increase sex hormone-binding globulin concentration
- Diazepam
- Phenytoin
Induces Hyperprolactinemia
- Haloperidol
- Metoclopramide
- Phenothiazine
Unknown mechanism
- Amiodarone
- Amlodipine
- Amphetamines
- ACE inhibitors
- Anti-retroviral drugs
- Atorvastatin
- Didanosine
- Diltiazem
- Etomidate
- Fenofibrate
- Finasteride
- Fluoxetine
- Heroin
- Methadone
- Methyldopa
- Minocycline
- Minoxidil
- Mirtazapine
- Nifedipine
- Nilutamide
- Paroxetine
- Reserpine
- Risperidone
- Rosuvastatin
- Sulindac
- Theophylline
- TCA
- Venlafaxine
- Verapamil
We hope this post helped you with DISCO drugs causing gynaecomastia. If you have any feedback or queries, please leave them in the comments.