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[Vicky81]

Can I ask how could I know if I'm not longer absorbing from the patch?
Im doing alot of crying on my antidepressant so they are reducing it from tomorrow,.
But I guess it was just a thought.
My blood tests have come back in the 400's .
And identity get night sweats (which I have done I the past when low)
Just looking for reassurance really ladies if that's OK? Xxxx

[Vicky81]

Sorry meant to say "I don't get night sweats"

[Dotty]

Hi if your symptoms are reducing or staying the same then that’s a sign that you are absorbing. If your symptoms are coming back then that’s a sign that you might need a higher dose.

[Vicky81]

Thanks Dotty- yeah you just wouldn't stop absorbing from the patch if you've been on it a few years and it's always done yiu good?
My recent oestrogen results were 497

[joziel]

Are you peri? Or post?

If peri, when in your cycle was the blood test done?

[Vicky81]

Hi Joziel I hope you are well?

So I don't have periods as Im on combined pill (yasmin)

Reason I'm asking really is I've been on duloxetine for 10 weeks and had my patch the same mg throughout.  I've had 6 goid daysnext to each other, 11 goid days next to each other, mood great. Then the crying starts again
 
The crying was there before in May when my oestrogen dipped but I was on 65 patch. I've since upped this weeks ago. So I thought "it can't be my patch making me cry otherwise I wouldn't be having the 6 days, then the 11 good days....then the odd 2 days here 2days there.
I just panicked a bit I guess but my work colleagues have said its the duloxetine causing the crying spells. Now we've come to the conclusion that it could be too high gp agrees that the crying has gone on too long.
Plus- to add I'm not getting any night sweats which years ago I would get when low....that was always my sign
So I'm just asking you ladies really you don't think it's my patch ? Xxx

[Vicky81]

I'm peri

[Vicky81]

Sorry to add- when I say we think its too high we mean the duloxetine not patch

[joziel]

Whether you're getting night sweats or not doesn't really mean anything. There are many low estrogen symptoms besides night sweats, it's not really a reliable measure.

I would think it is your own hormones fluctuating underneath whatever the HRT is doing, which is causing it. That much is shown in your blood results varying from 200-something to 400-something. Although if you are on Yasmin, that's going to affect your blood tests and make them not reliable in terms of the estrogen results.

The best way to fix it is to actually take higher estrogen, not lower. That fixes fluctuations by buffering any lows. If you take less you might have greater fluctuations and when it cuts out, it will go lower.

I think it's more likely that you are progressing through peri, your own estrogen is fluctuating more and cutting out lower when it does, causing these symptoms.

Am I right you are on both Yasmin and also on HRT?? That's a bit unusual. I would think getting off Yasmin and fully onto HRT would be best and if you do need contraception, to take a POP or use the Mirena....

[Vicky81]

Thanks Joziel - so you reckon this intense crying is from low Oestrogen?

Yes ive had 3 blood tests in 3 weeks - something like 497 then 291, then 492 (I think - i am at work so cannot look)

Does this suggest my patch is too low? I am currently on 80 (100 cut down) as i was a little afraid to go too high - silly i know. Maybe i  now need the 100 after the way you have explained this to me (so grateful)

The yasmin i have been on since 2022 and has always kept me steady along with the patch, then every 3 months i add extra Provera for a week, then bleed.

I have a scan every 5 months to check - everything always been fine.

[joziel]

What is the reason you're on the Yasmin as well??

I wonder if you could switch Yasmin to Zoely which has body identical estrogen. That way your body could actually use that estrogen. Synthetic estradiol is not body identical.

You can't even measure your estradiol levels accurately if you are taking Yasmin: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/ethinyl-estradiol

You are taking something which adversely affects hormones, is an endocrine disruptor and makes it impossible to accurately measure whether you have enough estrogen or not. Your blood results may come back very decent yet your body is unable to use the estrogen because it is synthetic ethinyl estradiol and not body identical estradiol.

You need to get off the combined pill with synthetic estrogen. If for some reason you really want to take a combined pill, switch to Zoely which has body identical estrogen - or just use HRT with a progestin only pill if needed for contraception. There is zero reason to use Yasmin and it is messing up your results.

[Vicky81]

Oh ok Joziel i did not realise.

The reason i started taking it is because on read on this forum oh gosh maybe 2022 - a lady called Gypsy Rose Lee and Briony i think were saying the combined pill suppresses the ovaries and is good for peri - that was my only reason xx

[Vicky81]

So Zoely is a very low dose pill oestrogen wise - is it strong enough to suppress the ovaries? I remember trying this in the early days and i still felt rubbish hun x

[CrispyChick]

I'd be careful switching Vicky. You are looking for stability and have had that with Yasmin for a while now. You're nearly there. You are having a run of good days. You weren't getting that months ago.

Whilst I get joziel's comments on bio identical versus synthetic, I think when we are having a hellish peri, it's about finding stability. You will have a more stable cycle on the pill.

I've tried all the pills going and could no longer get on with any of them. If you are getting cycle suppression, I'd stay put. You've said yourself you tried zoley before.

And. I also disagree about swapping your pill to only hrt. Hrt does not suppress the system. We can have huge swings in peri...and that extra E simply swings with us. I felt dire on extra E.

Just be careful in your choices. You've been through a lot. You are being told it is the antidepressant causing the crying. I'd consider looking at that first.

Is there a cyclical nature to the crying?

[Vicky81]

Thankyou Crispy - and i am grateful for all responses and yes i have been through hell since May, from severe anxiety, to ending up in hospital through self harming because of Sertraline.
When i was on here a while ago i got criticized quite alot for the upping and downing of my patch and not listening to people on here (i know thats how it seemed), at that time i didnt know if i was me or not, my mental health had took a dive and i didnt know if i wanted to live the anxiety was that bad.

So thank you for understanding and listening to my story/journey - its been so hard on me and my partner to try get everything right and i am learning slowly not to mess too much and to give things time.
Today i started 40mg Duloxetine from 60mg after 10 whole weeks of suffering terrible crying/fatigue/headaches/anxiety. I joined a duloxetine forum whereby i was told by a few to reduce as it seems too high for me., so GP agreed. xxxx