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[jennyr265]

Hi everyone,
I have posted before about my problems with absorbing the gel - i was on 2 pumps for 3 months and then 3 pumps for about 2 months and my Estradiol levels went down so my menopause consultant put me on Elleste Solo with Utro. I'm 54 and post meno - last period was July 2014.
I have been taking them for 6 weeks and nothing has improved. Since last week my general body pain has become much worse and i am now hardly sleeping at night. i have also started to get hot flushes. As I didn't suffer with hot flushes or poor sleep before going onto Elleste I'm concerned that this is causing the problem!  Has anyone else had similar issues with Elleste?
Help! TIA

[KiltedCupid]

Hi jennyr265 - like you, I'm a bad Oestrogel absorber, I've also tried tabs but find they peak and dip too much so I've landed on patches which seem to give a more steady delivery which is definitely absorbed, and absorption is the name of the game in this meno business.

If you prefer to stay on gel, there's Sandrena gel you could try. It's a slightly different consistency and I found I absorbed it but just couldn't find the right dose, I may go back to it though.

Your doc should be able to prescribe it for you although there's shortages of some hrt products just now, not sure if this is one, some members keep us updated on another thread called HRT supply issues.

Good luck.

[Hurdity]

Hi everyone,
I have posted before about my problems with absorbing the gel - i was on 2 pumps for 3 months and then 3 pumps for about 2 months and my Estradiol levels went down so my menopause consultant put me on Elleste Solo with Utro. I'm 54 and post meno - last period was July 2014.
I have been taking them for 6 weeks and nothing has improved. Since last week my general body pain has become much worse and i am now hardly sleeping at night. i have also started to get hot flushes. As I didn't suffer with hot flushes or poor sleep before going onto Elleste I'm concerned that this is causing the problem!  Has anyone else had similar issues with Elleste?
Help! TIA

The thing is your consultant should not be testing for estradiol but going by symptoms - and this is borne out by the fact that your flushes presumably were controlled on the dose of gel you were taking, but have returned now. What were your levels actually? They really are not important per se but instead symptoms should be taken into account. Levels vary from day to day and during the day too. Also depends where on body the blood was drawn in relation to where you apply the gel and how soon after etc etc

What dose Elleste solo are you on? I would go back onto gel post-haste. Sandrena is actually more  concentrated as well as being different consistency - so you need slightly less of it to put the same amoint of oestrogen onto your body - not to say how much you will absorb - more or less but worth a try or go back to oestrogel if you were not experiencing symptoms. Is this a private consultant?

Hurdity x

[jennyr265]

Thanks for your replies.
My menopausal symptoms (assuming that they are caused by the menopause) are:
- dryness of eyes, lips, feeling constantly dehydrated, headaches (but no vaginal dryness)
- joint and body pain, particularly my hip and lower back
- dreadful nasal congestion, lots of allergic type issues, acid reflux and general feeling of ill health.
I have always had the allergy issues but they have become so much worse since my periods stopped.
Hot flushes, night sweats etc have never been a symptom for me. Neither have sleep problems.
My estradiol levels on the gel were - 87pmol/l after 3 months on 2 pumps and then 76.2pmol/l after a further 2 months on 3 pumps.
The only relief i had from the gel was for my hip and back pain which did improve.
As my levels were so low the consultant decided to swap me to pills for better absorption. I'm on Elleste solo 1mg. I have felt no better on the pills ( 6 weeks in) and my hip pain has returned. I have emailed the consultant and yes she is a private consultant and she wants me to stay on the pills until the 3 months are up and i can have my levels re tested.
The situation is complicated by the fact that the consultant thinks that I have histamine intolerance/ mast cell activation syndrome and she thinks this is causing all of my issues. I'm not convinced by this but have been following a low histamine diet for almost a month as I decided that I had nothing to lose by doing this. And I'm also on lots of anti histamines. So far the nasal congestion and the acid reflux have improved slightly but nothing else has. So my guess is that her diagnosis is correct for the 'allergy' issues but  that my body pain is caused by a lack of Oestrogen and in spite of the fact that I clearly wasn't absorbing the gel properly it was helping me!
So my choices are:
- hanging on until the 3 months is up and then getting re tested; or
- asking to go back on the gel now and just ignore the levels ?
Apologies for the long post and if you have got this far then i salute you! I'm so fed up by it - it's all consuming. I just want to get on with my life!!!

[KiltedCupid]

jennyr265 - the equivalence in doses is off. It's difficult to be pin point accurate but roughly, 1mg oral = 2 pumps gel or around a 50 patch, also classed as a medium dose. You were on a higher dose with 3 pumps and even though you had low blood readings, it could explain why some of your symptoms have returned. You could call your consultant and ask if you can up your oral dose. I certainly found a big difference between 1mg and 2mg oral.

[Hurdity]

Gosh that is low jennyr265! However it's strange that even with levels ( apparently) that low - you were not experiencing flushes and sweats - which is usually the first symptom to show that oestrogen levels are insufficient. You hadn't been taking other meds eg ADs previously or anything like that?

Liked Kilted cupid said that is a v low oestrogen dose. Personally I would go for Sandrena gel or maybe an oestrogen patch - if you would prefer to stay with transdermal oestrogen. Can you go to your GP rather than wait for the private consultant and the 3 months?

Hurdity x

[jennyr265]

Thanks Hurdity and KiltedCupid for your advice. That's interesting about the dosage equivalence. I have a GP appointment next week for something else so I will ask her about the dosage and maybe changing back to the gel and if no joy with her then i will go back to the consultant.
I haven't taken any other meds at all. I have been very fortunate in that respect. I had hyperparathyroidism and a parathyroid gland removed last year but I can't see how that would affect my Oestrogen levels!
Thanks again for your help.

[KiltedCupid]

jenny265 - your problems and symptoms sound like a simple low oestrogen issue. You're a pretty simple case in that you have no other medical problems or drugs to balance. I think the treatments section of the forum shows how the equivalencies work and you could show that to your doc. Defo sounds like you need a bit of a hike in oestrogen. 

Good luck.