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[Flamingo]

Anyone else having problems with balancing HRT?

100mg everol patches -  after 3 years now developing sore skin reaction under patch

Changed to gel 4 pumps (2x2 a day) feel better but symptoms return, night sweats, difficulty sleeping, itchy skin.

1 month later return to patch 100mg estadot, symptoms relived but now sore eyes and throat.....feels like allergy!

Really liked the gel but just not enough Estrogen:(

Thinking about tablets but tried Femeston years ago and again not enough Estrogen...wonder about starting this again and topping up with gel?

Anyone else struggling with absorbing and allergies?

Thanks

[Mariab]

Hi...
I have been on hrt for a year..I am on the gel as patches didn't work for me..unfortunately I'm still trying to find a good balance by altering my dose 2 to 3 pumps.
I have noticed I have more allergies and worse allergy reactions than before...
Are you able to speak to a meno nurse to see if you can go beyond the 4 pumps?,
There are a few ladies here that have had to do that.maybe worth a try to see if it helps.

[Nas]

It’s a total nightmare. So much time lost, in an effort to  find the right balance. Have you tried going without HRT, to see how that feels? Are the allergies related to the HRT?

Maybe see a menopause “specialist “ to see if more oestrogen can be prescribed via the gel or spray ? 

[bombsh3ll]

Are you sure the sore eyes and throat are connected to the patch?

It is hayfever season.

What dose of Femoston were you on? It comes in two strengths but the 2mg dose is only available cyclically.

If you just got estradiol tablets alone and continued whatever you currently use for the progestogen, you could take the dose that works for you.

Everyone has their own preference but personally I prefer the convenience of oral and wouldn't mess around with transdermal, I found the patches unreliable, high maintenance and itched like a bitch when I was on them for IVF.

In my experience the dose equivalence charts also grossly overestimate the potency of a given transdermal dose compared to oral - for example comparing a 50mcg patch to a 2mg tablet.

[Hurdity]

Flamingo - if your symptoms are relieved by a 100 mcg Estradot patch then why not continue with this and see if the eyes and throat resolve? This doesn't sound like an allergy to a patch to me?

Hurdity x

[Flamingo]

Definitely not hayfever.  My eyes are very sensitive to certain things, fish oil, carrageenan make them sore.  When you goggle the difference between Everol and Estradot one is yam based and the other soy - maybe reacting to soy?

I'm also very sensitive to progesterone (no surprise here), I'm on crinone sequential regime at the mo which is the best of a bad lot!  Although the progesterone in Femeston was great but you can't get that separately. I was on 2/10 but night sweat/sleep/itching returned. Can you take more than 2mg oral?

Thanks all x

[sheila99]

Sandrena? A lot of oestrogel uses seem to have switched to sandrena when oestrogel became weaker.

[bombsh3ll]

Yes, you can take more than 2mg orally.

This is unlikely to be prescribed by a GP though, you would probably need to see a menopause specialist.

[Flamingo]

Thanks bombshell

What estrogen pill would you recommend for a sensitive type!? X

[Furyan]

I know the hassle of trying to balance HRT especially when trying to manage and recover from another health condition. I’ve temporarily switched from patch/progest/testosterone/local oestrogen to Livial tibolone. My previous regime works ok apart from horrendous fluid retention and weight gain, which is also a deciding factor for me. I just want some simplicity for a change so hoping that Tibolone will give me a break from all the juggling. Even generic Tibolone didn’t work! 
Hope you find a regime to settle on soon

[joziel]

Flamingo, if you liked the gel but just needed more estrogen, why didn't you increase to 5 or 6 pumps? Many women need that. I'm on 12 at the moment although blood levels are the same as when I was on 6, so I'm about to swap to Sandrena...

It kind of sounds like you are with a doctor who doesn't want to prescribe more than the licensed amount so is just swapping you around from the max of one licensed product to another. You need to see a meno specialist to get higher doses if your NHS GP won't prescribe. They should refer you...

[Mary G]

Flamingo, I know what I would do and that is go back to Femoston and top up with Oestrogel.  I did it successfully with Angeliq (oral HRT) for several years.  At least you know that you tolerate the progesterone component of Femoston well so it's worth sticking with that and topping up the Oestrogel. 

I've noticed quite a few women on here have found the oestrogen dose in Femoston is too low and I wonder if it's being drowned out by what looks like a very high progesterone dose? 

It was brought to my attention by another member on here that the US version of Angeliq had a much lower progesterone dose (0.5mg as opposed to 2mg) so I knew I had plenty of capacity for oestrogen dose flexibility and my TVS uterine scans always came out well under 4mm.