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Author Topic: Can gel be added with a patch?  (Read 658 times)

Seasidegirl

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Can gel be added with a patch?
« on: August 07, 2024, 10:29:07 AM »

I'm playing with my oestrogen and progesterone levels currently to try to find the magic balance. 

I started on Estradot 50, with a treatment plan to move to 75 if still symptomatic after 6 weeks.

I've tried the increase 3 times because of symptoms with mixed success.  I think my natural cycle is having an impact on the background and because it had become erratic, I can't entirely plot where my natural cycle is.

I'm going to tweak progesterone this month to see if that is the issue but I wonder if it is possible to add oestrogen gel or spray when using a patch?  This would seem to give me the flexibility to increase by a small amount as needed? 

I'll talk to my private prescriber but I wonder what the experience of others is?
« Last Edit: August 07, 2024, 10:32:25 AM by Seasidegirl »
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bombsh3ll

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Re: Can gel be added with a patch?
« Reply #1 on: August 07, 2024, 10:34:48 AM »

Yes absolutely combining estrogen products is fine as long as

a) this isn't resulting in overtreatment (assessed by symptoms and blood level if needed)

and

b) you are on an appropriate dose of progestogen to protect your endometrium.
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Seasidegirl

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Re: Can gel be added with a patch?
« Reply #2 on: August 07, 2024, 10:53:52 AM »

Yes absolutely combining estrogen products is fine as long as

a) this isn't resulting in overtreatment (assessed by symptoms and blood level if needed)

and

b) you are on an appropriate dose of progestogen to protect your endometrium.

Thanks that's really helpful,  it feels like it might be what I need at various points but 75 at other times has made me jittery. 

I'm on 200mg x 14 progesterone so that level should be fine i think.   I'm struggling a bit with the 2 weeks on/off with the progesterone and I want to try to settle that first.   I think I might want to look at 25 or 28 nights of 1 progesterone as 1 per night seems to work well for me.   

I'm not sure if my returning symptoms (anxiety/ joint pain) are being caused by low progesterone or low oestrogen.   It's all reasonably minor compared to pre HRT but it didn't feel quite right at various points of the month and it's really helpful to know what the options are.  Thank you  :thankyou:
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sheila99

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Re: Can gel be added with a patch?
« Reply #3 on: August 07, 2024, 12:46:10 PM »

These are usually low oestrogen symtoms though anxiety can be from both too much and too little oestrogen as well as other non-hormonal issues and joint pain could be arthritis. You could a piece off the 75 patch to give you something between the two. The utro you're on is enough for up to 100mg patch.
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Seasidegirl

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Re: Can gel be added with a patch?
« Reply #4 on: August 07, 2024, 01:34:31 PM »

These are usually low oestrogen symtoms though anxiety can be from both too much and too little oestrogen as well as other non-hormonal issues and joint pain could be arthritis. You could a piece off the 75 patch to give you something between the two. The utro you're on is enough for up to 100mg patch.

Thanks,  my overwhelm and crippling anxiety have vanished generally on hrt along with my hip pain (it isnt arthritis and was always worse in the second half of my natural cycle)  but it creeps back at a lower level now and again.

I've increased by half a patch to try that and it's worked on occasion but on other times I've felt very jittery until I took the half patch off. 

I need to see how I am when I go back on progesterone on Thursday.  It may be that half a patch is too much which is why I'm thinking adding a small amount of gel/spray may be more controllable
« Last Edit: August 07, 2024, 01:38:10 PM by Seasidegirl »
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