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[Katejo]

I started using half patches nearly a month ago. My next appointment with the consultant isn't until July. I haven't noticed any changes yet. Have other users experimented with full patches before the follow up appointment? I won't do so before the end of May but I am not sure whether to wait the full 3 months or not.

[sheila99]

It seems a bit odd they told you to use half patches rather than a lower strength one. What strength are you on? I was in peri and had the 50. Some symptoms take longer to go than others, flushes were a couple of weeks, anxiety and insomnia took nearly three months. What are your symptoms? Unless you're on a high dose patch if it was me I would increase it. Just be aware that you can get anxiety from too high a dose as well as too low.

[Katejo]

It seems a bit odd they told you to use half patches rather than a lower strength one. What strength are you on? I was in peri and had the 50. Some symptoms take longer to go than others, flushes were a couple of weeks, anxiety and insomnia took nearly three months. What are your symptoms? Unless you're on a high dose patch if it was me I would increase it. Just be aware that you can get anxiety from too high a dose as well as too low.

I am not aware of a lower strength of Evorel Conti. Is there one? The main benefit I am hoping for is improvement to aching joints/tight muscles and further improvement to VA symptoms. Also to reduce the risk of osteoporosis but obviously  i can't tell whether that might work. I don't have flushes/insomnia.

[Katejo]

I was just given Evorel Conti and not asked to follow up.
I became very anxious within about a week so maybe you've been advised to do half a patch to begin is so that your oestrogen does not increase too soon?
But a month in, I would try using a full patch. Good luck! X

I will wait until the end of the month anyway, partly because I am about to go abroad for a week so don't want to change things before that. when I get back, I have to get a blood test done before the GP will let me have another repeat prescription so perhaps I'll wait until I see them. I haven't had any anxiety issues.

[sheila99]

It seems a bit odd they told you to use half patches rather than a lower strength one. What strength are you on? I was in peri and had the 50. Some symptoms take longer to go than others, flushes were a couple of weeks, anxiety and insomnia took nearly three months. What are your symptoms? Unless you're on a high dose patch if it was me I would increase it. Just be aware that you can get anxiety from too high a dose as well as too low.

I am not aware of a lower strength of Evorel Conti. Is there one? The main benefit I am hoping for is improvement to aching joints/tight muscles and further improvement to VA symptoms. Also to reduce the risk of osteoporosis but obviously  i can't tell whether that might work. I don't have flushes/insomnia.

Sorry, I think I'm wrong. I was on sequi and the oestrogen only patches come in different strengths. I hadn't twigged conti is only one strength.

[Wrensong]

Like you I started on only half a patch of Evorel Conti which was my first systemic HRT & I was well postmeno, so wary of initial probs adjusting to the hit of a full patch.  Yes, there is only the one strength btw.  Then went to full patch, I think after 2 weeks & this was fine - no bad reaction.  That said, bloods were not done until 2 years in (to find out why symptoms were never that well controlled) & showed poor absorption, so maybe I never got much from it from day 1, so would not have had much reaction to starting the full patch.  You could try a full patch & always reduce again if it feels too much & wait to increase again a bit later.  You may just be one of those women who only feels better on HRT - not everyone has problems.

[Katejo]

Like you I started on only half a patch of Evorel Conti which was my first systemic HRT & I was well postmeno, so wary of initial probs adjusting to the hit of a full patch.  Yes, there is only the one strength btw.  Then went to full patch, I think after 2 weeks & this was fine - no bad reaction.  That said, bloods were not done until 2 years in (to find out why symptoms were never that well controlled) & showed poor absorption, so maybe I never got much from it from day 1, so would not have had much reaction to starting the full patch.  You could try a full patch & always reduce again if it feels too much & wait to increase again a bit later.  You may just be one of those women who only feels better on HRT - not everyone has problems.

thanks Wrensong. When i collected the prescription from the hospital pharmacy, the pharmacist queried why I only had half patches. She argued that they would be less effective because I also take Tegretol. she tried to ring the consultant but got no reply. However she was referring to processing of the drug by the liver and I was sure that this wasn't relevant because I had patches not tablets. I have since asked a doctor about this on FB and she confirmed that I was right. The same pharmacist had also tried to argue that it wasn't safe to use Vagifem for more than a few months (quoting side effects only relevant to systemic). I challenged this but our conversation was cut short when the phone rang.

Perhaps I will experiment with a full patch when i get back from holiday. I have just got a repeat prescription and see that the GP is assuming that I am using full patches and has given me 3 full boxes (perhaps because the hospital pharmacist suggested it on the printout given to me). I will try to discuss it with a GP after my holiday.

[Wrensong]

You're most welcome Katejo.  Yes, I think I would also wait until after a holiday to make any changes, especially if going abroad.  I think surprisingly pharmacists aren't always up to date.  When I was prescribed Testosterone with my standard HRT several years ago (never used in the end) the pharmacist took me into the consultation room querying why & whether I knew what Testosterone was!  She seemed to think it a mistake that I'd been prescribed it & to have no idea that it can be prescribed to women as part of HRT.  I found that astonishing, but then I imagine it's pretty much like the situation with GPs - they have to have such a wide knowledge base & can be so very busy, that detail of anything non-standard might easily go unknown.

[Katejo]

You're most welcome Katejo.  Yes, I think I would also wait until after a holiday to make any changes, especially if going abroad.  I think surprisingly pharmacists aren't always up to date.  When I was prescribed Testosterone with my standard HRT several years ago (never used in the end) the pharmacist took me into the consultation room querying why & whether I knew what Testosterone was!  She seemed to think it a mistake that I'd been prescribed it & to have no idea that it can be prescribed to women as part of HRT.  I found that astonishing, but then I imagine it's pretty much like the situation with GPs - they have to have such a wide knowledge base & can be so very busy, that detail of anything non-standard might easily go unknown.

I have just reread your earlier reply in which you mentioned limited benefits. 2 years is a long time to wait if no improvements have happened. Did you then change to something else?

[Hvenab]

I jumped from half to a full patch and it was too much. Resulted in headaches and anxiety. The half seemed to keep me ticking o er fine. I e dropped Down to half again. I have had a period on conti presumably. I believe we should listen to our body. Bloating too. X

[Katejo]

I jumped from half to a full patch and it was too much. Resulted in headaches and anxiety. The half seemed to keep me ticking o er fine. I e dropped Down to half again. I have had a period on conti presumably. I believe we should listen to our body. Bloating too. X

How long did you use half before trying a full one?  Same question re. having a period? I haven't had one yet.

[Wrensong]

Katejo, during those 2+ years I tried other regimes but could not tolerate them & each time went back to Evorel Conti.  Even with poor absorption I felt better on it than without.  It wasn't until bloods were finally done after nearly 2 years on systemic HRT that this confirmed I was only getting around 50% the expected amount of oestradiol from the Evorel Conti patch - hence the incomplete symptom resolution.

[Hvenab]

Katejo [ftp]in answer to this.How long did you use half before trying a full one?  Same question re. having a period? I haven't had one yet

I did half patch for one month then jumped to full. It was the wrong decision  and messing around with hormones.  I had a bleed like a period. Not sure what that's about. Gp app booked.

[Katejo]

Katejo [ftp]in answer to this.How long did you use half before trying a full one?  Same question re. having a period? I haven't had one yet

I did half patch for one month then jumped to full. It was the wrong decision  and messing around with hormones.  I had a bleed like a period. Not sure what that's about. Gp app booked.

  Hvenab. I have used a half since April 10th. No bleed yet but the consultant told me not to worry if I did.
Starting to have probs with patches not sticking as well.  Got out of the shower this morning and saw that the patch applied on Sunday had gone. Lost 1 last week too.