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[Turkish delight]

Hi gals,

I just looked at my Oestrogel and it's in a cylinder shape and different from the usual shape bottle.
I know some tire of the whole bottle/label changes chat but those are usually ppl not taking this form of estrogen. It may seem neither here nor there to them but I lost half of the hair on my head literally and all my symptoms came back after taking the same high dose I had been on for some time. I've only just got back on track after 9 months by taking half my high dose from the ones produced in Belgium and half the dose from the ones produced in France.

Wondering if any have tried the new packaged cylinder ones, and how they found them? Obv basins will say they are all the same so no need to post that.

Thanks girls

[Cookie25]

Hi TD

I'm onto a new one now too. I've phased into it as my last bottle was running down but am now fully on it. I don't think I've felt any difference - I'm on 4-5 pumps a day. Initially I felt that the dose dispensed looked smaller than the old packs but actually I think it is just that the shape it dispenses is different which distorts my idea of the size. It feels the same amount when rubbing it in.

If anything I would imagine Besins have made the dispensing aspect of the new bottle more precise after all the previous controversy.

Hope you are okay on it
Take care
Cookie xxxxx

[Hurdity]

They have to be the same otherwise they could not be sold as such. It's not like a generic vs a proprietary brand where there is the same concentration of the active substance ( in this case estradiol) with different excipients ("fillers") - it is all the same proprietary brand. Sorry to hear you've been losing hair but it will have nothing to do with different bottles as far as I can see. Packaging of products changes all the time.

I hope your symptoms resolve

Hurdity x

[discogirl]

Hi Turkish Delight,

Im on oestragel, and I have used both the green squared bottle and the amber squared bottle and hand on heart, I
honestly cannot tell the difference.

I read all the threads about the green and amber bottles but I have used both and have noticed no difference x

[discogirl]

Hi Turkish Delight,

If this helps I found this on mumsnet regarding the new oestragel bottles.

"This was mentioned either on the BMS website under the availability of HRT, or on a pharmaceutical website, a couple of weeks ago. Besins issued a statement about it.

It's absolutely nothing to worry about and is being done so the gel is available.

The reason for it is because of the shortage of packaging. Besins have reverted to using some older style packaging (no idea if this is a supply issue with the suppliers of the plastic cartons, or what.)"

Hope it helps xxx

[Nas]

Disco,
Are your sleep issues resolved now you are are oestrogel? Do you feel better?

Im struggling hugely with sleep and contemplating switching to either gel or lenzetto.   

X

[discogirl]

Hi Nas,

Honestly and truly I am sleeping better and my anxiety is improving as well.

I am on four pumps of gel a day and I am still learning about application etc. Besins advise to swap application site to avoid over saturation of the skin.

I have heard lenzetto is  weaker so I don't think that would be any good for me.

I think Nas, as well, that I've realised also that I don't need as much sleep as I did.

But I do like the gel.

I really hope you get sorted xxx

[Pippa52]

Turkish Delight - I had endless problems with Oestrogel.  I was on it happily for 25 years with no problems and then they changed it from estradiol 17b to estradiol hemihydrate which should have made no difference according to the manufacturer Besins as I emailed them.  Felt awful on it and then the shortage kicked in and I was changed onto Lenzetto.  Cutting a very long story short went back on Oestrogel when it became back available but again felt awful.  On a blood test my oestrogen levels were only 53pmol and I may as well not be taking any HRT at all the consultant said.  No wonder I felt so ill I just simply was not absorbing it.  My last script was for the new bottle but I never actually used it and I was swapped onto Estradot patches and am at long last feeling more human.  Its so bizarre as I said I was really good on Oestrogel for all those years till things changed and the consultant said to me that several of her patients are having problems with Oestrogel so I think it does seem to affect some women.  Hope things sort for you xx

[Turkish delight]

Thank you all for helping me, I do feel better about it after reading your comments.

discogirl, the bottle change makes perfect sense now, thanks for the heads up. X

TD

[discogirl]

Thats ok turkish delight, and Pippa52 I'm sorry the changes have affected you.

However, whatever our symptoms, this is one thing that we really are 'all in this together', and we can keep helping
one another as best we can.

My sleep is not perfect far, far from it, I have accepted that hrt is not a magic pill and that as I'm getting older so my sleep is changing xx

[Turkish delight]

Thanks discogirl 
We are all in the club it's true, not sure that any of us applied for membership in this club but there you go! It is so good that we have each other.

So have you tried upping your dose of estrogen a little lately? I can't accept insomnia, and neither should you.
It affects everything in your life and the ppl around you's life if you are cranky from broken sleep.
I had it bad and upped my gel until I hit the sleep jackpot, hit the jackpot don't be a sleep-deprived crackpot is my slogan of the day! 

Peace!
TD

[discogirl]

hi turkish delight

no i didnt want to join this club either.

yes im on 4 pumps. i always slept well until last yr that is.

im working on my sleep but it is much better than it was.

sorry are you post or peri xxx

[Uptick]

Hi Turkish delight, Besins has bought back its original Drogenbos plant in Belgium, so all Oestrogel bottles sold in the UK will probably come from BMB (Besins Manufacturing Belgium), but parallel imports are still around, so be aware that some of them might be the ones manufactured at LBI (Laboratoires Besins International) in France.

https://pf-media.co.uk/news/besins-healthcare-acquire-hormonal-gel-manufacturing-site/

[discogirl]

hi uptick

will you know if you have a parallel import by the labelling x

[Uptick]

Hi discogirl, it depends on how the cartons will look like now that everything has changed (again). The Patient Information Leaflets have the PLPI acronym (Product Licence Parallel Import), whereas the Oestrogel that has been purchased directly from Besins has the acronym PL (Product Licence). But I'm sure pharmacists are aware of which is which so you can ask them.