Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => All things menopause => Topic started by: Tc on August 28, 2019, 09:56:09 AM
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Hiya ladies.
I've been on phone to every pharmasist I know. One went through the whole list with me , he tried manufacturer direct for my estradot 100 and couldnt get them. No everol no eastraderm.
The upshot was he told me what IS available ,
Femseven 50
Or Proginova TS forte 100
And that's it!!
Or tablets
Femeston conti
Femeston 2/10
He said he cant get zumarin
Iive got to speak to doc about alternative scrip
I've never heard of proginova.has anyone else?
I'm on 2x100 estradot so femseven 50 would mean using 4 patches.
If I was to change to tablet would femeston 2/10 be a good equivalent.? I believe it's the higher dose of the femeston. Its obvs a different progesterone I'm on utrogestan cycle but I'm not getting on great with it anyway (migraines). The only thing that worries me is a doc put me off the tablets as I'm overweight and smoke.
I know everyone is in the same boat here and all panicking but I'm . Just hoping someone with a bit more knowledge of different HRTs than myself might be able to help me. My doc cant see me for ages so I'm getting a phone call sometime today. And they are pretty clueless when it comes to HRT.
Any advice greatly appreciated.
X
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Hi Tc
If you are on 100 patch then it's unlikely that Femoston would contain enough oestrogen for you as 2/10 is equivalent to a 50 patch.
Progynova is an oestrogen only tablet and each tablet contains 2mg of Oestradiol Valerate. Have a look at the following links which show you the different hrt preparations.
https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/treatafter.php
The following links shows you the equivalent dosages (at the bottom of page 1). The equivalent of 100 patch is 3mg tablet or 4 pumps of gel:
https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/perimeno.php
Hope that helps x
https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/perimeno.php
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Thanks dotty. Thanks for the links.
He said there is a proginova patch. I see it on the list you linked. Its 100 but only once a week. Not sure how that works. Same dose as estradot 100 but that's twice a week.
Thank you.
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Hi Tc
You are right :) there is a Progynova patch....I've never heard of that one before. Maybe that will be better for you if you can get it. The Femseven patches were only once a week too x
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Thanks dotty. Yes. Looking at the list I think it's my only option other than tablet. But as you say the tablet isnt a high dose. Having said that I. Ight not need such a high dose on tablet as I might well absorb it better.
Just the blood clot issue realy. But I've often wondered if the utrogestan carriesthe same risk. I'm going to look into it because if it does I will be no worse off taking the femeston I wouldnt have thought
These shortages have turned into a crisis. !!!
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I don't think the Utrogestan causes a risk when taken orally. I think it's the oestrogen that causes the risk but it's still minimal. However I might be wrong x
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Hmm.. looked it up. Previous thrombosis is listed as a contra indication. . But thrombosis is not listed as a side effect.
Therefore I guess it's about risk. I have no previous history of blood clots (touch wood) but my weight and long term smoking pur me at a higher risk of thrombosis in general so whether oral HRT would increase the risk I already have is the consideration and I think that's the reason the gynae decided against it.
Thanks Dot. Xx
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Tc I can't remember if you said, but do you suffer migraines, it's just I was told I couldn't have the tablets because I got migraines, not sure if it only applies to aura ones or not, but this was why I was offered patches x
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Yes CG. I do. At moment the utrogestan seems to be bringing them on severely again. I had hormonal migraine into my 40s but was relatively free of them until I switched to afrom continous to a cycle HRT.
I read that a continous regime is better for migraine than a cycle. Are you on a cycle?
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I'm on continuous Tc as have mirena as didn't get on with the mini pill many moons ago and found I coped with mirena progesterone x
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CG. I think I'm going to be going to mirena too.
Glad to hear you dont get migraine on it.
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They definitely got less when I started hrt only get the numb face ones now, but no headache so can live quite happily with that x
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Hi TC and countrygirl, sorry to hijack but I have been suffering really badly again with headaches and don't know what to do. I'm on cyclic HRT patches so was wondering whether it may be better to have a continuous regime instead. Also I wondered about mirena but was worried in case it made me feel worse and the the difficulties of having it removed. What do you think? x
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Update. Doc phoned and has sent a scrip for 48 progyNova patches to the pharmacy. Fingers crossed. It dosent fall off the available list by tommorow.
Shropshire lass. I was sent some info re migraine and HRT but I cant link it. I've tried. The general opinion seems to be that a continuous regime is better for migraine sufferers if your migraine has been caused by hormones in the past .as it minimizes the fluctuations with a cycle which can trigger migraine.
But i believe it depends where you are in meno I believe a conti regime isnt usually given to ladies in peri. But i might be wrong in that
As for the mirena. I have no experience of it. but i do know that the mirena can be used in both peri and post.
You are not hijacking at all. I too I would be interested to see how other ladies with migraine have got on with the mirena .
Xxx
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Thanks TC. I've always had hormonal headaches, I could time my peiod by them. I always thought they were sinus ones but apparently more likely to be migraines. I'm 57 and had periods up to starting HRT last year so son't know where I'm at, but must be approaching menopause and am guessing recurring symptoms particularly the severe headaches is an indicator that my natural estrogen levels have fallen.
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Update. My doc didnt want me to have tablets if there is still a patch available so I've managed to get some progynova patches ordered.
It's a new one on me when I searched the forum I could only find ladies talking about the progynova tablet.
Oh well I dont have any choice and it's not as if I've got on great with estradot cos I havent.
Xxx
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Hi Tc there's a couple of ladies yesterday saying they had been given the Progynova patches on here xx
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Let us know how it goes Tc, I had never heard of it either and you never know you might get on brilliantly with it x
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Thanks. Its different as its change once a week.
I found some interesting stuff about patches. I cant link it, but it was talking about the "patch running out too early" issue and the dip some ladies get before or upon changeover.which I definitely do... It said some ladies have enough of a "reservoir" to cover these fluctuations with no effects. But others particularly in surgical meno may have such a low "reservoir" that even slight changes in dosing become apparent. It suggested that "daily dosing" is better for ladies who find this, which I guess is gel or tablet.
It will be interesting to see if I get a more steady state from only changing once a week.
Thanks for all your replies. At this rate all the patch users are going to end up on progynova!!.
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I'm now on the Progynova TS 50 patch and it looks exactly the same as the ingredient in Evorel patch - estradiol hemihydrate? My GP said it's just the same as buying generic ibuprofen vs. Nurofen (which I do with no ill effect). It's only been a day but I feel great. I'm taking Noraday (northisterone) tablets along with it.
Hope for us all. He also said some of this may be sorted by Christmas but everything I read seems to say mid-2020!
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daft question, but I know some patches can't be cut due to the delivery system, any idea if they can be as can't find anything online x
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CG. I have got into the (probably unadvisable) habit of leaving the old patch on for 12 hours alongside the new. I change on 3. But even then I only realy ever notice any eastrogen benefits (obvious ones like lack of flushes) on day 2.
I believe that matrix patches can be cut. There is another type of patch which has a "reservoir" which shouldnt be cut. I think most patches are matrix. My gynae told me I can cut the estradot.
Radoy. Yes. It is the same active ingredient. There is more of it in the 100 than in my estradot 100 because it lasts a week but its released at the same rate per 24 hours.
Did you switch to noraday at the same time. ?
t looks as though we may be among the first of many who are going to be prescribed progynova.patches. I wonder why it hasnt been on the radar before. Maybe it's old and has just fallen out of favour with newer patches, maybe it's about cost.
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Good luck with it Tc. Let us know how you get on. I'm intersted in it being 7 days and whether that means that there's less dip as often, if you see what I mean as recenly my recurring bad headaches / migraines have tended to occur on day 3 of the patch. Intersting what you say about whether daily dosing would be better.
It's all hypothetical with the lack of availablity. i wanted to change my HRT due to recurring symptoms but because of the shortages I'm just grateful I can carry on with something!
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Shropshire lass. Yes. I mean I will only get that changeover dip once instead of twice a week.
It said Daily dosing may get around that changeover dip for some women..i take daily dosing to mean tablets or gel But regarding migraine i'm linking some info where it says for migraine sufferers patches or gel may be preferable to tablets.
Are you on progesterone.?
Progesterone seems to trigger mine
The info ive linked suggests a conti regime is better than a cycle in terms of migraine.
https://thebms.org.uk/publications/tools-for-clinicians/migraine-and-hrt/
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Thanks Tc. I'll have a look.
Let us know if it does help will the dips as I will consider for the future, when hopefully availability isn't an issue. Wierdly I have had the migraines on both parts of the sequi regime. It seems worse when the estrogen level drops, I wake up in the night / early morning with pounding headache around day 3, but not every time. It may be something else is going on as I've not been sleeping well. I'm pretty sure its estrogen related though as this would also explain the nausea, and increased dryness. Probably need to up the dose but there's nothing available so I'm going to have to grin and bear it and change patches more often maybe x