Bicalutamide

[Beth]

ON average, how long does it take for one to feel the effects of Bicalutamide and for testosterone to start converting to estradiol?

[Jackie C.]

Bicalutamide is an anti-androgen. Without an estrogen substitute to back it up (the literature only mentions the possibility of some estrogen-like effects) you can expect breast tenderness, maybe some growth and hot flashes. Pro Tip: Hot flashes suck.

 

We're all different, but when I went off HRT it took about two weeks for the side-effects (hot flashes & night sweats) to kick in. I do not recommend either. Bleah.

 

You're about my age so I'm going to add that WITH estridiol, I started to experience (slow) breast development at around two months. At a little over two years it's still ongoing. Soreness at about one month (and oh my goddess were they sore). Mental effects were quicker. About a month or two before I really started to notice. I would very much miss the sense of calmness and self that I get with my HRT regimen. Even so, it took two tries for my endocrinologist to get me on a dosage she liked so call it four months or so before my hormones leveled out. 

 

Hugs!

[SaraAW]

T does not convert to E. Bica as Jackie mentioned is an AA, meaning it suppresses androgens through some mechanism. You body already produces E, but not in any significant quantities for feminization. In order to increase your E levels and experience feminization, you will need to supplement E from an external sources such as pill, patch or injection. Most AA's will allow a little feminization as a result of T being lowered and the little bit of E you naturally produce to have an effect. Most AMAB do not naturally produce enough E though, so while YMMV, expect very little if anything if on AA only. 

 

Also, you can't safely suppress T for any real length of time without adding E, as it is very unhealthy to go for extended periods without a primary sex hormone. I highly recommend you discuss all of this with your doc(s).

 

Similar to Jackie, it took me a little over a month to start to really notice any changes. I am on Spiro amd not Bica, also on E.

[SaraAW]

Sorry, I should clarify a little more for accuracy, T does aromatize to E, but you need T do this and T has much stronger effects than E so, by suppressing T, you limit how much T is available for aromatization and the T remaining will most likely negate the little gains in E levels you may experience.