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[Letmein]

So eased to see this thread. I started on the gel 9 weeks ago and my experience is quite similar.

I wanted to take it as I felt constantly wired, unable to relax and consequently slept very badly.

I was very wary as I'd tried the patch 3 years before, didn't feel much of an improvement and the progesterone part was horrible.

I started in the lower dose but couldn't believe it when I started to get bad hot flushes, something I've only rarely suffered from. Same with night sweats. I've j creased the dose, reduced it again, but ultimately, I've reached the point 9 weeks later where some days are better and I feel more relaxed and suddenly I'm back to feeling completely wired up. I cannot find any trend at all but I have more bad days than good.

Odly though, I am tolerating the progesterone fine. I did sleep better than in along time the first week of taking it but it then lost its benefits.

I'm very tempted to stop as I don't feel better, just more tired and have put on weight. I'm still so desperate to feel more calm and relaxed, it's so frustrating. I don't know if I have the mental energy to give the patch another try so would love to know if it's made any difference to you.

[EllaAurora]

Hi Ella! How are you doing on the estradot? I also got it! I am though on 50mg and will work up if need to. Only applied it yesterday morning and so far been ok but bit tired! How about you? X

Hi Margaret, good to hear you're on an updated regime. Hope it'll work for you better!

And thanks for asking about me! I feel its still too early to say much about the patch, as I've only had it less than a week. What I can say already, though, is that it does feel more stable than the gel, which gave me the strange 'rushes' 1-2 hours after application, sometimes making me feel very unwell. Patch feels milder and hopefully, over the next weeks I'll start feeling a difference.

I'll update again in couple of days. In the meanwhile, hope you stay well and do let us know how you get on! xx

[EllaAurora]

So eased to see this thread. I started on the gel 9 weeks ago and my experience is quite similar.

I wanted to take it as I felt constantly wired, unable to relax and consequently slept very badly.

I was very wary as I'd tried the patch 3 years before, didn't feel much of an improvement and the progesterone part was horrible.

I started in the lower dose but couldn't believe it when I started to get bad hot flushes, something I've only rarely suffered from. Same with night sweats. I've j creased the dose, reduced it again, but ultimately, I've reached the point 9 weeks later where some days are better and I feel more relaxed and suddenly I'm back to feeling completely wired up. I cannot find any trend at all but I have more bad days than good.

Odly though, I am tolerating the progesterone fine. I did sleep better than in along time the first week of taking it but it then lost its benefits.

I'm very tempted to stop as I don't feel better, just more tired and have put on weight. I'm still so desperate to feel more calm and relaxed, it's so frustrating. I don't know if I have the mental energy to give the patch another try so would love to know if it's made any difference to you.

Hi Letmein,
sorry to hear you're not feeling well. But as you'll see in the forum, there are so many of us in the same situation, so at least you'll have lots of peer support. 
I know many women get on very well with the gel, even I did at the beginning when I only applied 1 pump. Then something happened with my own hormonal levels in the background (felt like oestrogen just crashed to a very low level) and I started having all kinds of new horrible symptoms. As I tried increasing the gel, it no longer worked and I started feeling worse and worse on it. Now I'm on the patch, but I'm afraid its still too early for me to say anything about it, as its been less than a week. My early experience, though, is that it feels more stable and providing better balance, but the coming weeks should tell if this is the case. It's been a rough couple of months, so even a small improvement would make a big difference now.

Perhaps for you giving the patch another try could still make sense? The guidance I've seen is that we should give a regime 3 months time to see if it works. You'd still have couple weeks to go, but if you're not feeling any improvement, then perhaps the gel is not for you. Do you have a chance to discuss with your GP or meno specialist about the situation?

Take care and let us know how you get on! xx

[Nas]

I think the gel is prone to give rushes of estrogen and I personally have experienced this with both sandrena and the pump gel. The minutes after application, I feel hot and wired. With the patch, I am calmer. I’ve been prescribed sandrena gel, but have found some Estradot and an going to give them another go. Will probably bleed in a few days but feel if that can be overcome, the patch is definitely a better option.

I do not see how you can achieve a stable dose of hormone with the gel, but that’s just my thought!

Good luck everyone battling this relentless menopause journey!

Xxxx

[Mindfulmoomins]

Hi, how are you all doing on Estradot?

I was prescribed it last Friday (75 micro grams) to use instead of 4 pumps of Estrogel.

I felt better quite quickly for a few days but then had to take my progesterone (only managed 4 days of utrogestan this time) and now feel bad again (really low and anxious).

I feel like my hormones are going up and down dramatically and it’s so hard. I am also on antidepressants. I know a week isn’t long and my body is probably adjusting.

Any reassurance would be really welcome as I am just feeling so sad and tired of feeling low and anxious.

Xxx

[EllaAurora]

I think the gel is prone to give rushes of estrogen and I personally have experienced this with both sandrena and the pump gel. The minutes after application, I feel hot and wired. With the patch, I am calmer. I’ve been prescribed sandrena gel, but have found some Estradot and an going to give them another go. Will probably bleed in a few days but feel if that can be overcome, the patch is definitely a better option.

I do not see how you can achieve a stable dose of hormone with the gel, but that’s just my thought!

Good luck everyone battling this relentless menopause journey!

Xxxx

Hi Nas,
based on what I've read, it actually should be that one gets quite even absorption also with the gel. It's supposed to be absorbed and then released gradually into blood circulation, and once steady state is reached, the estradiol levels should stay quite stable. But it seems for some of us it doesn't work that way, for whatever reason that might be. Or maybe we are particularly sensitive to even smaller fluctuations, so that we get symptoms from fluctuations which would go unnoticed for others.

Hope you're feeling better today and do keep us posted on how you feel with the patch! Take care xx

[EllaAurora]

Hi, how are you all doing on Estradot?

I was prescribed it last Friday (75 micro grams) to use instead of 4 pumps of Estrogel.

I felt better quite quickly for a few days but then had to take my progesterone (only managed 4 days of utrogestan this time) and now feel bad again (really low and anxious).

I feel like my hormones are going up and down dramatically and it’s so hard. I am also on antidepressants. I know a week isn’t long and my body is probably adjusting.

Any reassurance would be really welcome as I am just feeling so sad and tired of feeling low and anxious.

Xxx

Hi again! sorry to hear you're feeling worse  It's so hard and exhausting to just feel bad all the time.
 
Is there anything you could plan for the weekend that would really distract you? I've noticed that even if I feel really bad, if something very important comes along that requires my full attention, it helps with the anxiety. Kind of takes the space away from brain which would otherwise be focused on feeling bad.. Difficult to explain but you know what I mean I hope.

Regarding the patch, for me its too early to say anything definitive as it's only been less than a week (started last Sat evening). But at least I don't feel worse and last night I slept like a baby, plus overall feel a bit more stable and calm (no longer the rushes after applying the gel). Trying to take it now day by day and keeping expectations modest (difficult, as I'm so much hoping this would be the right solution for me!!!).

Take care and keep us posted! xxxx

[Kathleen]

Hello again ladies.

Like many of you I continue to deal with mood problems whilst using Oestrogel and Utrogestan. There are occasions when I feel normal and other times when I feel positively good but for the most part I have low mood and anxiety. For the life of me I cannot figure out what causes these sudden changes, it can only be hormones and I agree that it is exhausting!

I thought the gel stays in the blood stream for eighteen hours so in theory there shouldn't be fluctuations but we all respond differently so it must be possible. The patch is a much more attractive alternative if the Oestrogen is also body identical.

 I hope to be speaking to my meno doctor next week and will of course pass on any useful information to the forum.

Take care ladies.

K.

[Mindfulmoomins]

Thank you Ella and Kathleen. It’s so helpful to know I am not alone. Today has been a pants day but I have a bleed so I really hope I start to feel better and things feel more manageable soon.

Yes, sometimes distraction is really good!

Take care xxx