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[Winnie]

Can anyone help please.  I saw the doctor this morning to have my patches changed as I am really feeling quite crap at the moment hot and cold flushes, aches and pains, mood swings etc feel like I am back to square one.  The doctor said they would change them but it contains the exact amount of
estrogen so how will this help ?  I have a coil fitted which gives me the other hormone needed.
Winnie

[Joyce]

I used to be on oestrogel and was getting flushes. Doctor changed me to patches & all's well. I get odd flush, but that's because I've now got dosage down to lowest prescribed dose, I don't want to go back up again. A change is as good as a rest, as they say.

[andius]

Some patches are different technology than others.  What are the names if the patches?

A

[Winnie]

Estraderm 100 mx is the patch that I am on.  I can't remember what the other one was called get them on Monday they never had them in.  I asked somebody else and they also said that they work in different ways so fingers crossed that they take away this horrible way I feel as i said it's just like befor starting HRT again.
Winnie

[Hurdity]

How old are you Winnie and how far into meno? 100 mcg patch is a fairly high dose for post-meno especially if older although delivers nothing like the levels we experience monthly at ovulation.

Yes they do seem to be the same as the other types ie matrix patches - but maybe these come unstuck a bit more - do they? Estradot for example are much smaller for the same amount of estradiol. I think the other brands are much larger. I wouldn't have thought it would make much difference though.

Have you had blood tests to check other hormones eg thyroid levels?

Hurdity x

[Rowan]

Winnie Estroderm is a Reservoir patch, you can see the gel in the patch its sealed in a protective pouch) ( I did think estroderm had been discontinued) I must be wrong.

It might be that you would get on better with a Matrix type patch (the estrogen is mixed with glue)  which would give you a slower more even dose and a slightly lower dose which may make you feel better.

When I first went on HRT in the eighties Reservoir patches were the only ones available and I did get side effects, felt much better when the Matrix type became a available.

Too much estrogen can make you feel just as bad as too little and even cause hot flushes and palpitations.

I think you must go back to your doctor.

[Hurdity]

You were right silverlady - Estraderm TTS - the reservoir type has been discontinued a while back.

Estraderm MX is a matrix type the same as all the others. It tells you which they are in the menu on the left. http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/treatafter.php

It looks like there are no reservoir patches any more

So Winnie you are already using a matrix patch

Hurdity x

[Winnie]

Thank you everyone who posted reply.

I am 49 been on these patches 3 years now, This is the first thing I was ever given because I have the coil fitted I only need one of the hormones.  I am not very clued up on any of this but I just feel awful
every bone in my body aches, I feel shivery and cold then I am roasting very short tempered and very irritable.  I was thinking about asking to be referred back to the menopause clinic who were told what I had been prescribed.  I get the new patches tomorrow so I will be able to tell you the name of them.
Regards
Winnie

[Winnie]

Update

Feel a bit of a fool really but then if the doctor would have explained things properly then I am sure
anxiety would not have stepped in.  I have changed from Estraderm Mx 100 which delivered 3 mg
3000 microgram of estradiol in 24hrs to Evorel 100 which has 6.4 mg of estradiol 100 micrograms in 24 hrs.
I presume Evorel is better as it has 6.4 mg of estradiol.  Still can't say I feel much better my face flushes and the rest of me is cold and clammy still have the aches and pains in all of my joints and feel very low
and can't be bothered the joys of pre menopause.
Winnie

[Hurdity]

Hi winnie

Re the dose of oestrogen in the patches - it's not the total amount the patch contains that's important but the daily dosage it is designed to deliver - so Estraderm and Evorel are exactly the same in that respect ie designed to deliver on average 100 micrograms per day. Having said that if the patches are different sizes then maybe your body will absorb slightly different amounts from each type.

However I would doubt that your symptoms will be alleviated through a change of patch - particularly those listed. I note the Estraderm is a larger patch so maybe more of it was coming unstuck, but the symptoms you describe sound quite extreme.

How far are you into meno - or rather how far were you when you started the coil and patches? had your periods stopped and for how long? Maybe something else is going on - have you had your thyroid levels tested? Perhaps you are on other meds too?

Maybe you are still in peri-menopause and your own hormones have kicked in? Mood swings are indicative of fluctuating hormones whereas insufficient oestrogen would be characterised by persistent low mood. Patches should deliver a fairly consistent dose of oestrogen.

I would definitely ask for a blood test ....

Hope this helps but particularly that you feel better soon - hang in there as there will definitely be a reason why you are feeling like this - just a question of diagnosing it!

Hurdity x