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[Hannah2]

Hi

Post Hysterectomy, been on Estradot 75 for 4 years which stopped hot flushes, had blood tests for private specialist to try Testosterone and turns out my Oestrodiol levels are very low at 96.  Was upped to Estradot 100 for 4 weeks but new blood tests show very little increase suggesting i am not absorbing properly.

What would people recommend, Lenzetto or oestrogel??? Both are currently available in my area, but not sure what would be best.  I worry about rubbing large amounts of gel in as i do have sensitive skin so not sure if i will be ok with it, but have read that lenzetto can be hit or miss with spray amounts and may be weaker? 

Anyone have any experience of swapping to spray or gel after not absorbing from patches properly?

I am in my first week now of Testim testosterone gel so not sure how that is going yet!

Thank you!

[joziel]

If you might need quite a high dose you would probably be better with the oestrogel. The Lenzetto is only licensed to be used up to 3 sprays so if you have a non-expert GP they might not want to prescribe you more.

[violetbat]

i can't help that much as my situation was the opposite. I switched to lenzetto after the gel became unavailable. I was on 4 pumps of gel and ok. lenzetto was awful, even on 6 sprays a day , all my symptoms returned with a vengeance. I went on patches which are working better. So of you have to choose i would defo go with the gel.

[Pippa52]

Hi Hannah,  I was swopped onto Lenzetto last year when Oestrogel (which I had been on for over 20 years) became unavailable.  I found Lenzetto a lot weaker than Oestrogel and then that too became unavailable and I was swopped yet again onto patches (2 different sorts both of which I found a nightmare) and then 3 weeks ago I was put back onto Oestrogel.  Out of the spray or Oestrogel for me personally I hugely prefer Oestrogel as it is so much easier to control the dose and I find it is stronger as well.  Lenzetto is very hard to control dosage if a whole spray up is too much (I ended up taping off half the opening )  Oestrogel is so easy to control as you can always weight it out on mg scales if you need less than a whole pump up or down.  xx

[Gilla999]

I've always got on well with Lenzetto but as other ladies have said here, the general consensus is that it is weaker than other HRT products - certainly when I experimented switching to a patch that in theory should have been a smaller dose, I absolutely felt like my Estrogen level soared. It sounds like Oestrogel would be the best option for you out of the two. Could it be an option adding either Oestrogel or Lenzetto on top of a 100mcg patch? Are you/we allowed to use two different methods? Just wondering if that could be a way of not having to use so much gel (I found that a faff too!)

[Hannah2]

Thanks everyone.  I have just spoken to a GP and she has prescribed Lenzetto as she actually prefers that to the gel and it is in stock locally.  She said that 4 sprays is equivalent to the 100 patch..... I did say that it looks like i am not absorbing properly from the patch so may not need the full equivalent, but she said to start on the 4 sprays and see how i felt.  I pushed to have my blood levels done again in 4 weeks to see if they have increased at all.  She was not happy about that and said she treats the symptoms not the levels, but i argued that i just want to know if my absorbtion has increased not necessarily looking at what level I have got to.  We will see.  If I don't get on with the spray I will go back for gel...... trial and error i guess 

[joziel]

Hannah, you can check your own estrogen levels via Medichecks. Only, if you are using the spray or the gel, you will need to be really careful not to contaminate your fingers when you apply it. I suggest using a mini silicone kitchen spatula to spread it on yourself, so you don't actually touch it. Otherwise it can affect finger **** blood tests and you can end up with crazy results in the 2000s.... Washing your hands isn't enough, it is still there for up to 4 weeks (according to Medichecks).

Glad your GP is happy to prescribe more than 3 sprays of Lenzetto 

[Gilla999]

Just to chime in and say since being on HRT I've never been able to do a finger **** test through Medichecks without it being contaminated - I've wasted a lot of money. I even wore plastic gloves for two weeks to apply, and it was still contaminated (and with Lenzetto it's not even like you rub it in with your hands!). Medichecks are fantastic but if you're on HRT I would highly recommend doing a venous blood test so as not to waste your money (as you don't get a refund for contamination). It's really simple and easy - just choose that option at check out and select from a list of local clinics, Medichecks send you the box, you take the box to the clinic and they do the test and you post it off to Medichecks. Results usually in 3 days. Cost for Estrogen only is £79 for a venous test.

In general I have found blood tests absolutely critical for me correlating and understanding things, and have been frustrated at the GPs lack of ever saying they will to do one (though do totally understand there is a limit to what the NHS can pay for). I agree that symptoms are the most important to treat on, and if you're still having periods (which I know you're not) you need to do them at the same time of your cycle to compare. But they have been crucial to me in my experience! Good luck Hannah, keep us posted!

[Hannah2]

Thank you.  So far my GP practice have been ok for blood tests, I thought I would have to pay for the ones before seeing th private menopause consultant for testosterone, but they arranged them for me .  Hopefully I can book the one for 4 weeks time ok too. 

Unsure about what to do for dose to start the lenzetto, think I might start with 2 sprays but I am worried about it not being enough…. I don’t know what I have actually been absorbing so if I go straight in with 4 will I feel lousy…. Who knows! Also it looks like I am meant to do all 4 in one go, not 2 in morning 2 at night…. It is a mine field!  I also didn’t realise that 4 sprays is more than it is licensed for, well I guess that is good news for me if I do in fract need that.  Anyway, I am off to take my patch off and do my first sprays!

[Pippa52]

Thank you.  So far my GP practice have been ok for blood tests, I thought I would have to pay for the ones before seeing th private menopause consultant for testosterone, but they arranged them for me .  Hopefully I can book the one for 4 weeks time ok too. 

Unsure about what to do for dose to start the lenzetto, think I might start with 2 sprays but I am worried about it not being enough…. I don’t know what I have actually been absorbing so if I go straight in with 4 will I feel lousy…. Who knows! Also it looks like I am meant to do all 4 in one go, not 2 in morning 2 at night…. It is a mine field!  I also didn’t realise that 4 sprays is more than it is licensed for, well I guess that is good news for me if I do in fract need that.  Anyway, I am off to take my patch off and do my first sprays!

You are really wise to start low and build up the dose slowly. That was you can give it time to see how you feel on a lower dose and build it up as and when you need to.  I think Lenzetto from what I have read does absorb well for most ladies but the dosage in it is a bit weaker than Oestrogel.  Good luck and please let us know how you get on xx

[Gilla999]

That's great that your docs are good about blood tests!

If you're anything like me you'll know pretty quickly if the dose is too low and then you can just increase slowly. I always think it makes sense to err on the side of starting lower and increasing than the other way around.
I took 4 sprays of Lenzetto for the last year and my NHS Meno doc was fine with it - not really sure why it isn't actually licensed. I'm back down to 3 sprays now.

[Hannah2]

So as an update, I was on 2 sprays in the morning and felt ok so I started taking a 3rd spray in the evening, but having read some other posts I am wondering if I should be taking all at one go in the morning?

I feel a bit light headed a bit after using but I am also only on 2nd week of testim gel so not sure if that is caused by lenzetto or testim! Lol!

I am hoping things will settle in a few weeks, but should I take all 3 sprays together in the morning??