Hi hrthelps68
I'm sorry to hear that you went downhill when you changed your HRT prescription. There are all sorts of reasons why this might be, not necessarily to do with the preparation you were using. Perhaps you could introduce yourself either in this or the new members section and tell us something about yourself, and where you are on the menopause journey, and we might be able to help?
I have looked at the link and in fact nothing that Dr Newson says in that article confirms that any difference whatsoever has been demonstrated and in fact her wording very carefully avoids this. She uses the word "version" - without specifiying and it has been established that the difference is in naming and packaging - the identical Besins gel manufactured by them for some other EU countries and supplied as a parallel import to UK is called Oestrodose. If you read the thread (which unfortunately goes off on somewhat fanciful and irrelevant tangents sometimes as I recall) you will see that I was in touch with Dr Newson about this and I quoted her response which I will repost here for the benefit of other members.
As previously advised on this thread and more recently on her website by Dr Newson herself - anyone who experiences any form of side effects or allergic reaction on the parallel import Oestrodose rather than Oestrogel - must report it through the yellow card scheme because it is only through this that any improper practices by the importers that might sometimes take place, would come to light.
This thread (and my investigation) was originally started because there were all sorts of odd theories going about eg that Oestrodose was a generic estradiol gel with different ingredients and formulation manufcatrued in Asia or elsewhere, leading to marked differences in absorption and therefore estradiol levels. The detailed correspondence I had with Besins established that in fact this was not the case.
Many members were concerned that they were being given a product that would not work and was inferior and in fact recent media hype by some sort of celeb menopause/health person (can't remember her name) calling this a scandal, only served to cause needless additional worry to probably thousands of women.
My aim was to establish what was known, report on what I found and hopefully allay women's fears at a time in their lives when they need to have confidence in the product they are using. This is not to minimise any ongoing distressing symptoms that some women are experiencing which they feel can only be explained by the change to the parallel import. So far, though we have not got any actual evidence of any differences, notwithstanding women's personal experiences.
I hope everyone who is struggling to find the correct regime and dose of HRT is able to do so in order to feel the best they can as they progress along this sometimes difficult journey
Hurdity x
UPDATE FOLLOWING RECENT DISCUSSION WITH DR LOUISE NEWSON
There has been continued speculation about the differences between Oestrogel and Oestrodose at various times and on various threads on this forum.
Just to recap – Besins manufacture both Oestrogel and Oestrodose at their plant in Belgium and they report that these are both the same product with different names, and have been tested extensively at different temperatures etc. Oestrogel is for the UK market and Oestrodose is for the French and other markets. The Oestrodose in the UK is imported via parallel import companies and repackaged (outer carton and pump pack, not the inner pouch containing the gel). Although stability studies (in terms of storage time and temperature) have been carried out using the Oestrodose/Oestrogel at Besins lab, they have stated they have no control over the product once it leaves their factory so cannot comment on storage conditions.
In view of the ongoing controversy surrounding this, and because she has been mentioned by forum members in the context of this debate at various times, I have been in discussion with Dr Louise Newson and she is happy for me to post her views on this forum.
She tells me that she has personally spoken to Besins several times about the gels, and that she has been given exactly the same information that I have – that the Oestrogel and Oestrodose that they manufacture there are identical in composition and just named differently.
In addition she says the following:
“Many women do not notice the difference between the two types. However, I certainly have several women who have told me that their symptoms have returned with using the oestrodose instead of the oestrogel. I wonder whether the pump action is slightly different so they receive slightly less of the gel. It is for this reason that I only dispense oestrogel in my clinic. So as a general rule if women use the alternative preparation which they have obtained from their GP without any problems then I would not be concerned but if they experience symptoms then I would encourage them to go back to using oestrogel. They can use their NHS prescription www.theindependentpharmacy.co.uk who usually only dispense oestrogel.
I think women should know that most of them will be fine but if they notice a difference then they should get the original pump packsâ€
I raised the issue of the pump pack previously with Besins and they assured me that their pump pack delivered exactly the same amount. However as Louise points out there remains the possibility that the pump packs produced by some of the parallel importers are slightly different meaning some women might get less of the gel – and which some women may be more sensitive to?
The issue of itching is an entirely different matter and remains unresolved – there is no evidence to suggest there is a difference but as we have said several time before anyone experiencing a persistent allergic reaction only on the one product which resolves on changing and re-appears when Oestrodose is used – should report this to the MHRA, take a note of the batch number and also report to Besins because a compositional difference would imply fraud as the patient leaflets clearly state the ingredients, which are identical.
I hope this helps to clarify some of the issues raised. My intention in researching this was to help other women and reassure those who were concerned as well as to dispel rumours about the origins and composition of Besins Oestrodose which turned out to be unfounded.
Here's to a continued flush-free experience girls using whatever product you choose!
Hurdity x
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Topic: Oestrogel and Oestrodose - they are exactly the same (Read 45187 times)