Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => All things menopause => Topic started by: Burchers on July 14, 2018, 09:34:39 PM
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Hi everyone I called into see my regular pharmacist today. I asked him about using the Utrogestan 100mg tablet vaginally.
He told me they are not to be used in this way. It's only the Utrogestan 200mg that can be used vaginally.
I had also asked my doctor the other day and she also said they are not to be taken vaginally.
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Begging their pardon, but that's rubbish.
The official line is that it is not licensed to be used vaginally at all in the UK. However there are many women, including me and others on this forum, who use it vaginally - 100mg or 200mg. More gets to where it's needed vaginally than orally so why would 200mg be allowed, but not 100mg? One reason you might not want to take vaginally is if it irritates your bladder, which happens with some people.
I'm sure someone will be along to hopefully agree!
Jx
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Yes it's nonsense, my meno specialist said it was fine to use vaginally.
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Hello ladies.
I have also been advised by a pharmacist not to use the 100mcg Utrogestan tablets vaginally but my meno consultant said it was okay.
The 200 mcg dose is a pessary but why there isn't a 100mcg pessary is a mystery to me, perhaps there isn't enough profit in it. I also wonder why we aren't prescribed the 200mcg version and told to cut them in half.
I understand your concern Burchers because obviously the stomach and vaginal environments are very different and it's hard to believe that the tablet can cope with both, indeed why manufacture a pessary at all if the tablet is so versatile?
Having said all of that I am putting my faith in my consultant's opinion and that of many others and using the tablet vaginally.
Take care ladies.
K.
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I am just baffled.Who takes 200mg Utrogestan
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The dosage for peri menopause is 2 x 100mg orally. If you take it vaginally then you don't need as much, but your pharmacist is right as it's not licensed for vaginal use in UK.
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Hello again ladies.
I believe the 200mcg Utrogestan pessary is used in fertility treatment but I could be wrong.
Take care everyone.
K.
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Hi all,
I use the 100mg uttogestan capsule vaginally every night. It doesnt cause me any bladder probs and no side effects to speak of. I changed from oral to vaginal use @ 2 months ago. Still getting a bit of break through bleeding everynow and again. But gonna have a uterine acan in august check its doing its job .
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I think you are right Kathleen. The 200mg pessaries are used in IVF treatment .
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It's Off Licence so a Pharmacist won't tell us that it is OK to use vaginally. If your Menopaspeacilst suggest it that way though.
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This pharmacist is completely wrong and in fact Utrogestan works better when used vaginally because most of it gets to the womb and doesn't get lost in your digestive system - up to 50% is lost when used orally.
I think it is only the UK that doesn't licence Utrogestan to be used vaginally. Why don't they change it?
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What would happen if I used the 200mg rather than 100mg daily.
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Hi why do you want to use 200mg daily?
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Would prefer a pessary option rather than orally. It is upsetting my colitis
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Hi Just use the oral tablets vaginally. They are licensed to be used that way everywhere except UK . x
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Just to clarify - there is no Utrogestan pessary as such. The 200 mg dose is a vaginal capsule which is exactly the same as the 200 mg capsule which used to be available for HRT (heaven only knows why this is not available any more since all it needs is a different packet and a different leaflet!) and is exactly the same (but double the dose/szie)as the 100 mg capsule now available for HRT. They all contain exactly the same ingredients. The info re licesned use is as you other members have said. Some women who take 200 mg for HRT get prescribed the vaginal 200 mg because it's easier to stick up one medium capsule than 2 x 100 mg teeny tiny balls which are a right pain!
You can't cut them in half because the capsule encloses a suspension of micronised progesterone in oil ie a liquid.
I am just baffled.Who takes 200mg Utrogestan
I do! I am on long cycle HRT and take 200 mg vaginally for 12 days every 6-8 weeks. Incidentally even if you use vaginally rather than orally the (French) leaflet does not indicate only to use half the dosage, but the same dose as oral use. This (half the dose) is very much off licence based on a limited amount of research - and needs to be supervised by your doc - especially if you are taking larger doses of oestrogen which will require correspondingly larger doses of prog to protect/shed the lining.
There are progesterone pessaries - called Cyclogest which has been available for many years (again for fertility treament)- but again bafflingly these are not licensed for HRT although my GP prescribed me these when I first started HRT as utrogestan was not invented then (not for HRT anyway)! These come as 200 or 400 mg but I think you need slightly higher doses of these as more gets lost (oozing out) than with utrog I think?
I totally agree that it is about time Utrogestan was licensed that way here (vaginally) - but if used at the licensed dose but vaginally rather than orally then this is absolutely fine and needs no more medical supervision than oral use in terms of endometrial protection and monitoring.
Hurdity x