Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Charlie62]

Hi ladies. My question is: Is it a good idea to halve my patch?

I'm 56 and do not know when my menopause journey started as i was on the mini pill until i was 55 so had not had a period for years although i did get some meno symptoms.
I started on femoston conti but changed to everol conti patches. I have been suffering with anxiety and very low moods so have tried sertraline and venlaxafine but could not tolerate either even on the lowest dose (i halved the tablets but the side effects were horrendous) so i am now taking citalopram 10mg. i started with half a tablet but now increased to half in the morning and half at night. they seem to be helping, especially with sleep and the anxiety. I am also using vagifem, 10 days in and seen a slight improvement.

The reason for my question is that i have been suffering with hair loss, shedding when washing and drying. As the everol patch contains Norethisterone could this be the cause of my hair loss as i read on this forum that it can cause it so have decided to halve my patch. i am 2 weeks in and have not had any night sweats or hot flushes. My skin doesn't seem as dry and i have a few new strands of hair growing (i hope it's not just wishful thinking) but i am getting headaches, my aches and pains have returned, especially in my hip and the tiredness/fatigue has returned.

I have a follow up appt next week with my gp to see how i'm getting on with the AD but she isn't very helpful with the HRT. I have had blood test and all came back as normal. she has referred me to a meno clinic but my appt isnt until october and i don't think i can wait that long to get it sorted.

Has anyone tried halving their HRT dosage and has it worked for them?
TIA

[Dotty]

Hi yes Norethisterone can cause hair loss x

[Catcc]

Hi.

I'm not an expert here but I did ask the same question to Dr Currie in an email consultation.  I asked if I could use half the Evorel Conti patches (when I started them).  She said that yes I could do it for a short time (I think she said a couple of months) but after that it was not a good idea as I might not be getting enough progestogen to protect the womb.

I'm sure others on this forum will give you some helpful advice/suggestions. x

[Katejo]

Hi ladies. My question is: Is it a good idea to halve my patch?

I'm 56 and do not know when my menopause journey started as i was on the mini pill until i was 55 so had not had a period for years although i did get some meno symptoms.
I started on femoston conti but changed to everol conti patches. I have been suffering with anxiety and very low moods so have tried sertraline and venlaxafine but could not tolerate either even on the lowest dose (i halved the tablets but the side effects were horrendous) so i am now taking citalopram 10mg. i started with half a tablet but now increased to half in the morning and half at night. they seem to be helping, especially with sleep and the anxiety. I am also using vagifem, 10 days in and seen a slight improvement.

The reason for my question is that i have been suffering with hair loss, shedding when washing and drying. As the everol patch contains Norethisterone could this be the cause of my hair loss as i read on this forum that it can cause it so have decided to halve my patch. i am 2 weeks in and have not had any night sweats or hot flushes. My skin doesn't seem as dry and i have a few new strands of hair growing (i hope it's not just wishful thinking) but i am getting headaches, my aches and pains have returned, especially in my hip and the tiredness/fatigue has returned.

I have a follow up appt next week with my gp to see how i'm getting on with the AD but she isn't very helpful with the HRT. I have had blood test and all came back as normal. she has referred me to a meno clinic but my appt isnt until october and i don't think i can wait that long to get it sorted.

Has anyone tried halving their HRT dosage and has it worked for them?
TIA

I am also 56 and definitely in meno (5 years past periods). I only started HRT in April (Vagifem since last september).  The meno consultant specifically told me to use half patches. After noticing no benefits (or side effects) by the end of May, I did experiment with a whole patch for 1 week so 2 applications. For 1 day I didn't feel well at all. This may have been a coincidence but I decided to go back to half patches until my follow up appointment.
I have just started to notice a slight improvement/difference this week in that I haven't needed to use Vagifem every day and the discomfort around my hip/groin has improved/subsided. I need to wait a bit longer to be sure.
I have my follow up appt. with the meno clinic in July (10th) so i will can let you know what is said then about continuing with half patches or going to full ones.

[Charlie62]

Thank you ladies
Katejo, that would be very helpful to know how you get on. I have been using a whole patch since I started last October. Had a wobble now & again so reduced it to half then went back to a full patch.
Good luck with your appt 

[Katejo]

Thank you ladies
Katejo, that would be very helpful to know how you get on. I have been using a whole patch since I started last October. Had a wobble now & again so reduced it to half then went back to a full patch.
Good luck with your appt 

Remind me if I forget to give you an update. 

[Charlie62]

Thank you ladies
Katejo, that would be very helpful to know how you get on. I have been using a whole patch since I started last October. Had a wobble now & again so reduced it to half then went back to a full patch.
Good luck with your appt 

Remind me if I forget to give you an update. 

Hi katejo. Did you have your appointment yesterday? If so, how did it go?

[Katejo]

Thank you ladies
Katejo, that would be very helpful to know how you get on. I have been using a whole patch since I started last October. Had a wobble now & again so reduced it to half then went back to a full patch.
Good luck with your appt 

Remind me if I forget to give you an update. 

Hi katejo. Did you have your appointment yesterday? If so, how did it go?

Hi Charlie62

Yes I did have my appointment. I told the consultant that 1.  the half patches had made no difference to me at all (benefits or side effects) 2. That I had briefly trialled full patches, firstly a month ago for 1 week (2 patches) and then in the last week.  I didn't initially see any changes during my first trial but then had a really good week in the middle of June when my VA symptoms were much better. After that they returned when I went back to half patches.

I remembered what you had said about Dr Currie's advice on using half patches so I made a point of telling him this and asking why he had started me on half patches. He was dismissive of the idea that half patches of Evorel Conti could only be used for a limited period. He had started me on halves because the usual practice is to start on a low dose and see if that works. He has now increased me to full patches and will see me again in 6 months.

You were concerned about loss of hair. I haven't had any of that yet at all. My hair is particularly thick. Any new hairdresser comments on this every time! I will let you know if I do notice this after being on full patches for a while. I am hoping that my hair might become less dry which it has been for a long time. I also don't know whether I might get slight spotting/bleeding on the full patches. Absolutely nothing yet.
I am also hoping for an improvement in muscle/joint aches and pains, particularly in my calves/feet which I have had for years. When i asked about this yesterday, he suggested that I needed more supportive shoes (I was wearing flat loafer style shoes but i don't want to wear heavy shoes in the summer).
I hope that this is a helpful  update? I will let you know how it goes when i have been on full patches for longer.

[Charlie62]

Thank you for your update katejo. I have decided to stop hrt all together (apart from vagifem) i halved my patches for a while & didnt have any symptoms return so for 2 weeks i quartered the patches & no symptoms. I ripped off my last quarter patch on sunday 🤞no symptoms have returned. I have had some joint pain return but hopefully i can deal with that. I havent seen any improvement in my hair yet but i have seen an improvement in my mood. My gp put me on citalopram but i was only taking a low dose. I have stopped that also & feel ok.
I have a gynae appt in aug & im on the waiting list for a dermatology appt for my hair as that is the only thing worrying me atm.
Good luck & i hope all works out for you x

[Katejo]

Thank you for your update katejo. I have decided to stop hrt all together (apart from vagifem) i halved my patches for a while & didnt have any symptoms return so for 2 weeks i quartered the patches & no symptoms. I ripped off my last quarter patch on sunday 🤞no symptoms have returned. I have had some joint pain return but hopefully i can deal with that. I havent seen any improvement in my hair yet but i have seen an improvement in my mood. My gp put me on citalopram but i was only taking a low dose. I have stopped that also & feel ok.
I have a gynae appt in aug & im on the waiting list for a dermatology appt for my hair as that is the only thing worrying me atm.
Good luck & i hope all works out for you x

  Good luck with this. Hope it does work out for you too. How much did it improve joint or muscular pain for you? I am hoping for that but nothing on the half patches. Will have to wait a bit longer to see if full patches make a difference. My calf muscles/feet are particularly tight first thing in the morning.
I will give it 6 months from now on the full patches to decide whether to continue. I am pleased with the benefits of Vagifem but do suspect that I need more. I am sleeping much better now that I don't have frequent loo visits in the night.

[Charlie62]

Hi katejo. I used to suffer with really bad hip pain, especially on my right side. Had xrays but was all ok. I kept moaning to my OH that it was the bed. I also had pain in my right elbow. Sometimes it felt like it was locking especially after carrying shopping bags.  These oains wdnf on hrt but since iv been reducing the patch the pains have stsrted to come back. I will discuss this at my gynae appt. No oatch since sunday. 🤞im feeling ok atm

[Katejo]

Hi katejo. I used to suffer with really bad hip pain, especially on my right side. Had xrays but was all ok. I kept moaning to my OH that it was the bed. I also had pain in my right elbow. Sometimes it felt like it was locking especially after carrying shopping bags.  These oains wdnf on hrt but since iv been reducing the patch the pains have stsrted to come back. I will discuss this at my gynae appt. No oatch since sunday. 🤞im feeling ok atm

 Hi Charlie

A year ago I started getting hip pain only on the left hand side/groin discomfort. Because my Mum had multiple myeloma at my current age , I got blood tests and a bone scan done as a precaution but nothing found. When i started Vagifem, this discomfort suddenly improved and I now think it is connected to my internal VA discomfort/burning/cystitis symptoms (referred pain). I still get it back sometimes as I have this week but it also improves if I drink bicarb of soda dissolved in water.
I am hoping that the evorel Conti will supplement the Vagifem and help to reduce this. I also have tight calves/aching feet which started during peri meno around 10 years ago and I am hoping that this will get some relief too once I have used full patches for a bit longer. I only started full patches properly 2-3 weeks ago.

[Charlie62]

Hi Katejo
How are you doing on your full full patches? Since i last posted, after stopping the everol conti patches and the citalopram my menopause symptoms have returned, Im getting hot flushes, night sweats, fatigue, anxiety and all the rest. My hair is still shedding when i wash and dry which is the main reason i wanted to stop plus to see where i was at, symptom wise. I have a gynae appointment 19th august so im trying to cope until then. I am hoping they can help as its not an actual menopause clinic.

[Katejo]

Hi Katejo
How are you doing on your full full patches? Since i last posted, after stopping the everol conti patches and the citalopram my menopause symptoms have returned, Im getting hot flushes, night sweats, fatigue, anxiety and all the rest. My hair is still shedding when i wash and dry which is the main reason i wanted to stop plus to see where i was at, symptom wise. I have a gynae appointment 19th august so im trying to cope until then. I am hoping they can help as its not an actual menopause clinic.

Hi Charlie62   I have benefited from the full patches for VA symptoms and I am not needing the Vagifem as often at the moment though I do still need it. I haven't noticed any other changes yet. I was hoping for an improvement to my aching calves/feet but the consultant was sceptical about this. He suggested that i needed to see a podiatrist/change my shoes (flat loafers on that day). However the aching calves first started at exactly the same time as my peri and reduced frequency of periods (way back in about 2009).
This weekend I haven't been feeling that good. I have had a persistent headache, fatigue  and slight stomach discomfort.   I suspect that this is a HRT side effect issue but I am not sure. I haven't had any loss of hair since starting Evorel but mine is exceptionally thick and fast growing so perhaps I either won't get that or it will take longer to have any effect.  I also had slight flushes last night and had to keep throwing the duvet off.

there is a severe supply problem of patches at the moment. I have just written a long reply  to another member in the New Members section. Do have a look there. I won't type it again here.  I hope that this is helpful.

[Charlie62]

Hi Katejo, im sorry to hear you are still having problems with your calf muscles. I get pain but only if i'm wearing flat shoes for a long time so a small heel (especially a wedge) really helps, I have also been taking short walks (this has been less since i started my new job) i miss my walks  The weather may not be helping your symptoms, especially the headaches, I have sinus problems and find the heavy weather causes headaches, maybe you could get that checked out. I have also found eating too much wheat causes stomach problems, my daughter has coeliac disease so was tested myself, tests came back clear but i definately feel better if i reduce my gluten intake.
Hope you start feeling better soon x