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[damejean]

Hi Liz
Just read your post..I had the very same problem. I Am on the same patches.
I looked up this problem and found the answer. Go to your chemist and buy TEGADERM FILM 6cm x 7cm read how to apply and you will never have a patch come off again.
I went on the patches over a year ago and the first few months i lost more patches than i can count, i was not given any extra from the doctor so i was not getting the results i needed from the patch. I also wish too add...The TEGADERM does NOT affect the patch in any way. The only down side is that the patches cost me 68p for one. But well worth it at any cost. Please try just one  and you wont look back. Hope this was helpful to you...
Good Luck but i am sure you wont need it. xxx

[Taz2]

Useful info damejean.

When I contacted the manufacturers about the poor stickability of the femseven patches they did say that sticking something over it to hold it in place would mean that the hormones would not be entering the system at full strength as the hormone is contained in the adhesive. If the adhesive is not working properly then the hormone is not released. They didn't give me any information on how to actually get them to stick stressing that they had not been made aware of this problem by anyone else - which we know must be a fib because so many of us on here have problems with them sticking.

This one has stayed in place for six days - the last one fell off after 24 hours! Grrrrr!

Taz x

[Rowan]

I have used the tape that I mentioned and had no problems with this method of keeping the patches on, even when taking bathes and I have used my patch for years.

I first read about this years ago and many women use this way to keep patches on, it seems to me that the manufacturers are shooting themselves in the foot by saying hormones will not be absorbed if adhesive is not working properly, why produce a product that so may women find so frustrating and expensive and findthat the adhesive does not stick so women have to find a way to keep the patch on. I was getting through my six months prescription of patches quite quickly until I started to use tape, and since I have started to use a patch a week instead of changing it twice a week this suits me fine.

I did a search for a UK version of the American tape , which you can get for a few pence, my tape seems to be lasting forever but if I do need some more I will get it from the UK tapeup site.

[Liz]

Thanks for the tip re. the tape.  I'm going to see how it goes...... I put a new one on yesterday, but much lower on the buttock away from top of knickers, etc. and so far, so good.  Will see how long this one lasts.  Seems like this is a very common problem.  I will be reporting it to the Doc when I see her and hope she gives me a few extra.  I got enough for 3 months, but they won't last this long as I've used 2 extra patches already.

[Taz2]

Both the menopause clinic and my GP first mentioned it so I contacted the manufacturer SL. I suppose it depends on how much adhesive is activated in the first place. I'll make a note of the UK tapeup site - thanks 

Liz - my doc actually took me off them a couple of years ago because I kept asking for extra ones and they were costing the practice too much money. 

Taz x

[Liz]

Useful info damejean.

When I contacted the manufacturers about the poor stickability of the femseven patches they did say that sticking something over it to hold it in place would mean that the hormones would not be entering the system at full strength as the hormone is contained in the adhesive. If the adhesive is not working properly then the hormone is not released. They didn't give me any information on how to actually get them to stick stressing that they had not been made aware of this problem by anyone else - which we know must be a fib because so many of us on here have problems with them sticking.

This one has stayed in place for six days - the last one fell off after 24 hours! Grrrrr!

Taz x

Does your Doc prescribe you any extra because of this problem, Taz? 

[Taz2]

No - I was actually taken off them a couple of years ago due to the high cost and put onto pills. This coincided with me being referred to the menopause clinic and on her recommendation they were re-instated and no more was said. I find that the femseven sequi stick slightly better than the femseven conti. I am back on sequi at the minute as I couldn't tolerate constant progesterone - well not without eventually murdering someone anyway! 

Taz x

[JoJo42]

Hi Liz,

I'm on fem7 Sequi patches too. I put the patch "packet" in my palm and hold it for a few seconds against the side of a lukewarm cup of tea! Just to give it a little kick start of heat before I take the patch out. I've not had any problems with patches sticking at all - I put them on the outer side of my thigh at the top and every patch has stayed in place, no curling edges, right up to the next change. When I do a change, I make sure that I don't handle the patch too much ie I just hold it right at the edge with the tip of my thumb, "lay" it on the skin, then palm over the top to press in place to keep it as flat as possible.  Hope you're doing OK with the Fem7  I had a couple of "teething" problems, but feel loads better with the treatment. Best Wishes, Jo Jo  x

[Hurdity]

I'm lucky in that my doc prescribed me 6 months worth of patches when I said could she prescribe a few more for the ones that go missing!
I can see the issue re not sticking something over it - but all they are saying is - if it's not stuck properly to your skin then sticking something over it won't help it stick

But.... if stick it on properly the first time, and you are sticking something over it to stop the edges coming uncurled then should be OK.

I think the thing is, if you stick something over it - then make sure the patch hasn't come unstuck from your skin underneath the over-tape - eg if you get hot or chafing through exercise.

Hurdity x

[Rowan]

The point to me is that the adhesive should stick to the skin with every patch (as the hormone is in the adhesive)  that is manufactured and clearly this is not the case as they say that if the adhesive is not working properly the hormone is not absorbed.

They have the patent for this delivery and it should work with all patches, I have used patches and a soon as I put them on my skin I know that adhesive was not right and other times stuck one on and know for sure that its really stuck no matter what, so I do think its a manufacturing problem and at least enterprising women are getting round this as we usually do.

[Liz]

Hi Liz,

I'm on fem7 Sequi patches too. I put the patch "packet" in my palm and hold it for a few seconds against the side of a lukewarm cup of tea! Just to give it a little kick start of heat before I take the patch out. I've not had any problems with patches sticking at all - I put them on the outer side of my thigh at the top and every patch has stayed in place, no curling edges, right up to the next change. When I do a change, I make sure that I don't handle the patch too much ie I just hold it right at the edge with the tip of my thumb, "lay" it on the skin, then palm over the top to press in place to keep it as flat as possible.  Hope you're doing OK with the Fem7  I had a couple of "teething" problems, but feel loads better with the treatment. Best Wishes, Jo Jo  x

Thanks for that tip, Jo Jo.  I will try warming the patch packet slightly before applying the next one.  Another tip I've read is to wipe the skin with surgical spirit and allow to dry before applying.  I usually apply after a shower, but am wondering if the shower gel leaves a kind of residue (moisturising) behind, so maybe the surgical spirit will help.  Will report back.  Yesterday's patch is still in situ at the moment, though.

As to how I'm getting on with the Femseven Sequi....... very well, although I don't feel quite as "chirpy" on the second Progesterone patch as I did on the first Oestrogen one. Apparently, this is quite common.  I'm Peri, so this probably coincides with the time I usually get my PMT......  How are you doing on them?  Have you been on them long?

[JoJo42]

Hi Liz,

I always apply the patch before I go for a shower. I think you're right about the shower gel leaving a residue on the skin.

I've been on the Fem 7 for nearly 12 months and am doing great now 

When I first came on this site I was desperate: I had started to suffer with awful night sweats, endless extreme hot flushes, joint pains, crashing fatigue constipation, IBS, acid reflux to name but a few on the list!! All of these things had "bubbled gently" in the background on and off for a long time (from my late thirties - I'm now 44) and then my periods went haywire and eventually stopped for a few months and that's when the whatsit really hit the fan and I just could not cope anymore. The night sweats woke me up every single night and I was totally sleep-deprived. I remember going on holiday pre-HRT and I was so exhausted I spent most of my time asleep - like a heavily sedated dormouse!

I went to the GP and had some tests at the hospital etc etc and then went onto the Fem7. I haven't looked back! I felt a massive difference within the first week: the flushes and sweats stopped and things gradually picked up from there. Over time, my energy has increased (I can stay up at night past 8pm now, ha!), the muscle and joints pains have gone, all symptoms either gone or settled down, and my sense of humour has come back.

I have a dog now and am out every day walking with her. When things started to pick up, I went through a stage of re-evaluating my life and life in general. To cut a long story short, I resigned from a job I had come to loathe and in the true spirit of cosmic doors closing and opening, I gained a University Scholarship! I'm very happy to be a student again!

I had a couple of issues in the beginning of the HRT such as a short spell of extreme tenderness in my breasts that eased off after a few days and has not troubled me since. My periods started up again, but they are regular now instead of being all over the place. I think there may have been a couple of other issues, but so minor I can't even recall what they were!
I used to talk about symptoms of Peri all the time as it seemed like every day brought something else weird and not-so-wonderful and that put me into a kind of mindset of expecting bad things to happen - like walking on a train track and feeling the rumbling of something coming. Now I'm on a different track...I'm driving the train!! LoL 

Hope all goes well with your treatment,

Best Wishes,

Jo

[Liz]

Thanks Jo - that post was really interesting.  I, too, have been suffering for a couple of years now.  I lost my Dad last year quite traumatically and this obviously affected me badly and my GP told me that stress/upset can accelerate the menopausal symptoms.  My periods were coming every 14-18 days, sometimes just for a day or so.  I was sweating more or less constantly - even Mitchum deodorant didn't work.  I developed noise intolerance and something like a neighbour's barbecue or music would almost tip me over the edge.

I, too, have a dog and I spend around 2 hours a day walking him - that was the best time of the day for me.  Alone with my dog in the woods and no "noise" around me...... bliss!  Everything irritated me, I almost went off the rails.  The first Dr I saw prescribed me ADs - I took these for around 7 weeks and then came off them myself as I was convinced the problem was hormonal.  Sure enough, I saw a different GP and she took blood tests and these showed I was definitely well into peri-menopause, so she started me on PremPak-C.  Unfortunately these gave me bad headaches on the progesterone phase and after research, I decided I would rather try the patches, hence her prescribing the FemSeven Sequi.

I'm feeling much better after using them for almost 3 weeks......(apart from the sticking issue they've been great, but I will be using your tips and hopefully this will improve).  How many does your Doc prescribe on each prescription, Jo?  I'm hoping for 6 months next time (got 3 months to start with, but obviously used a couple of extra patches, so they won't last that long.  Incidentally, did you pay a double prescription charge for these patches??? I didn't, but I think the Pharmacist may have made a mistake and only charged me for a single prescription.

I'm wondering when my period will come...... I'm almost 3 weeks in now, so I expect it will be in the next week or so.  Did you find they are lighter now?

Sorry for so many questions...... but it's interesting to compare experiences, especially with someone using the same HRT.

All the best.

[JoJo42]

No worries about the questions - ask away 

Sorry to hear about your Dad, Liz. Same thing happened to me - my Dad died in 2010 - 6 months after being diagnosed with cancer, then my Sister in Law was diagnosed with cancer just before he died; she died last year, aged 32. I thought all the issues were stress related at first.

I can also relate to noise-intolerance too: I just wanted peace and quiet all the time - traffic noise made me jump out of my skin!

Before I came on here for advice, I thought I was going insane. I felt sooo old and decrepit and I became anxious about silly things. I seemed to get tangled up in webs of overblown worry that always ended up in visions of devastating catastrophe! I do think it was partly stress, grief, and fighting to regain control...magnified by changes in my body that were out of control. Slowly, I realised that some things are actually out of our control...and there's a need to give in to that and seek help...if that makes sense. I look back and wonder how the hell I managed to get through it all! Finding this site was the start of piecing myself back together - great advice and support from ladies who had been "there" before, and access to Dr Currie's advice service.

As for the prescription - I get 3 months and they do charge me for two items as the Phase 1 and Phase 2 are classed as separate items.

Periods - not lighter, as such, but predictable, no breakthrough, relatively short and less PMT/pain than before. I can't remember properly, but I think I may have had a bit of out of sync bleeding that settled quite quickly.

Jo.  x

[Liz]

Thanks for that, Jo.  I'm sorry about your losses.  Menopause/perimenopause is bad enough in itself, without having to deal with bereavements at the same time.  It certainly all takes its toll on the body and mind.