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[Pippa52]

Hi All,

I have been back on Oestrogel now for 8 weeks and am at long last getting back to feeling better/more normal.  I have been using bottles of Oestrogel with the yellow square on up till now but my new prescription is the bottles with the green square on.  I read a while back that some ladies are finding the green square bottle weaker and wondered if anyone on here was still experiencing this?  I am concerned (having only just got the dose right) that I will go backwards again should this happen.  Just wanted some advice please to see if anyone has had experience of this happening and if so how much did you have to increase your dose by?  Many thanks in advance for any info xx

[Dotty]

I use both and don’t notice any difference xx

[Pippa52]

Ahh thanks Dotty that's really good to know.x

[sheila99]

I was on 4 pumps and increased to 4.5 for the green square as symptoms were creeping in again. Recently changed to 100 mg estradot and it's stronger.

[Pippa52]

Thanks Sheila99 x

[KatherineW]

Hi Pippa

I am new to this forum. Have had a rotten few months and found this site to try and get some help.

I am 54 and started on 2 pumps of gel/utrogestan last summer with no problems. I caught covid in November and developed fatigue and brain fog which seemed to linger. In May, the fatigue and brain fog seemed to return, which I put down to long covid, but I started to get a host of other symptoms, including dizziness, numbness in my hand/arm, and the fatigue and brain fog got worse. I was then hit by severe anxiety which I've never had before, insomnia, nerve pain, panic attacks in the night, irregular heartbeat, the list goes on. I was in and out of the doctors and hospital, couldn't work, couldn't go out. It has been horrendous.

It didn't occur to me that these could be menopausal symptoms as the only symptoms I had before HRT were night sweats and hot flushes. When I had my oestrogen levels checked they had dropped from over 600 in March to 97 in June. I thought the gel was no longer working and so tried patches, which didn't work at all. My level dropped to 67 by August. It is only by looking at this site and following your really helpful threads that I have tried to work out what has happened to me as the doctors have been useless.

I have been unable to obtain the gel from the pharmacy at my local surgery this year and have been getting it from another small local pharmacy, when everywhere else was out of stock. I have now managed to obtain the gel from my surgery and have noticed that it has a yellow square on the bottle. I restarted the gel very slowly 2 weeks ago. It is still early days but I am hoping my levels are building again. Some of the physical symptoms are easing, although I gather the anxiety and insomnia will take a long time to improve. I checked the bottle from the other pharmacy and it has a green square on it. I am scared to use the bottle with the green square as I can't afford to go backwards, but there is such a limited supply in my area.

I am so pleased to read you are improving Pippa. I am six weeks behind you in terms of starting the gel and am hoping I progress in the same way you have done.

Thanks
Katherine

[Gnatty]

The beauty of the oestrogel is that it's quite straightforward to add an extra half pump if you feel a return of symptoms on the green square. X

[Hurdity]

It is all the same strength with the same ingredients - according to the product info - it couldn't be sold as such otherwise. It's easy to try to blame the bottle - absorption will vary more according to body temp, amount spread, time of day, where you spread it, temp of the room, your own hormone status etc etc .

As Gnatty says - if you feel your symptoms are returning for whatever reason - just add a bit more ( or reduce ) if you need to - try not to get hung up on bottles, and relax and feel the benefit of the gel if you can

Hurdity x

[Pippa52]

Hi KatherineW - welcome to the site which I have found to be incredibly helpful, supportive and informative.  I really feel for you.  All the symptoms you describe I have had too and they were very alarming in fact at one point I was referred to a cardiologist as you probably saw.  The good news is that the symptoms have tuned out to be linked to low oestrogen levels (like you my levels dropped right down to 69 which the Meno consultant said points to not being on HRT at all.)  I found neither patches or the spray worked for me as the gel was unavailable for a long time.  I just kept spiralling downwards - hardly any sleep, crippling anxiety, frightening episodes of very fast heart beats so I really know where you are at.  I started on 2 pumps of gel but as I am ridiculously sensitive to any dose change I am gradually working up to 3 pumps a day under the Meno consultant's advice and am  now up to just over 2 1/2.  She is going to review me after 3 months with another blood test for oestrogen levels before the next consultation.  I truly do feel considerably better.  I have not got my energy totally back but sleep and anxiety hugely improved, mood is still a bit up and down but still better than it was  and no fast heart beats.  I found the Covid vaccine (Pfizer in my case) really affected me and my hormone levels badly and ended up twice in A&E after each jab so did not go back for the booster which my GP advised me not to.  I am undecided whether to have the Autumn booster but will probably wait and ask for the Novavax jab which is made by traditional methods not the newer MRNA types of vaccine which is the one I re-acted to badly.  I hope so much you start to improve soon.  The symptoms are so varied with hormones and it is sometimes so hard to link them.  Please feel free to message anytime if I can help in any way xxx

[Pippa52]

Gnatty and Hurdity thank you so much for your advice.  I will carry on with the green bottle when I run out of my present yellow one.  I feel much reassured - again thank you  both.

[KatherineW]

Thank you Pippa that is very kind. It has and continues to be the most scary experience of my life. I too am waiting for a cardiology appointment. The GP does not have the experience to deal with a complex case like me and there is no specialist in my area to be referred to (I did ask!). I've paid for private blood tests and a virtual consultation but have not found an expert to help guide me through.

Interesting about the vaccines. I had an invitation for my autumn booster today but need to feel better before I consider having it.

I've learnt so much from this site. Reading your comments has given me hope that I will come out of this eventually.

Thank you to all the ladies for the reassurance that the gel in the different bottles is the same.

Katherine

[Pippa52]

Hi KatherineW - I don't know where you are located but the Meno consultant I saw does video and telephone consultations (very thorough they are too) plus wrote to my GP for them to arrange blood tests for oestrogen levels and get me referred for a DEXA scan - just a thought.  It was a private consultant as I don't think we have any NHS ones here locally either unfortunately.  If that is any help please feel free to PM me and I am happy to send you her details.  You don't need a referral from a GP to consult her.  It really is a horribly scary time and many times in the night when my heart was pounding away at 155 beats a minute and I was feeling more panicky than I have ever felt in my life I wondered if I would see the morning but seeing the cardiologist, having the ECG and the tests and the reassurance that brought was priceless.  He told me he is seeing a lot of women with these symptoms now for two reasons - one the shortage of the HRT issues and two people being affected by the Covid jabs (particularly the MRNA ones).  The covid jabs do seem to have affected womens hormones in some cases.  The Meno consultant has been wonderful and honestly without these two consultants I think I would still be struggling now. My GP is lovely and although there are others in the practice that are a bit more knowledgeable he bless him really did not have a clue as to how to advise me.  I truly think that you too with the right help and advice will get through this.  Sending love and empathy x

[KatherineW]

Thank you Pippa. I am definitely interested in finding a private menopause specialist to help me. I will PM you for more details once I have posted enough messages.

Really interesting to hear what your cardiologist said about the shortage of HRT and Covid jabs being possible reasons for these heart symptoms. I am waiting to see an NHS cardiologist and in the meantime my GP prescribed a beta blocker and wanted me to take blood thinners, which I refused to do as I have no other risk factors. Am reluctant to take additional drugs as then it is hard to tell what is causing what!

I hope you continue to make progress and thanks again for your advice.

Katherine x

[Pippa52]

KatherineW - completely understand your reticence re taking some drugs I feel exactly the same. Hope so much your referral comes through very soon and yes of course no problem re the Meno consultant if you decide you would like to go that route just let me know.  Fingers crossed you will start to feel better very soon on the Oestrogel as well xx

[KatherineW]

Thanks Pippa. How long before you started to feel better? Cannot function at all at the moment. The gel seems to give me surges and I’m really struggling with virtually no sleep and constant anxiety. Thanks Katherine x