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[dangermouse]

Studd told my friend to put the Oestrogel on her arms and shoulders. She had to use hers 4 times a day and would put it on whilst we were sat in restaurants! Thighs would have been a bit tricky during the day.

My compounding pharmacy has now issued a leaflet on unlicensed meds and meds used off-licence (as a lot of nonsense is written about them) and how to apply transdermal hormones and they now recommend areas where there's no hair growth (inner arms, shoulders, backs of knees, feet) and to rub in for a whole minute. For oestrogen it says to avoid breasts but rest of upper body is fine. I suspect circulation is better on the upper body and thighs may be more dense and so could take longer to hit the bloodstream. Although if always used there then sure it's fine as slower absorption may be suit some people.

[Dancinggirl]

I think that applying any oestrogen to areas close to the breasts allows easy transference.  The instructions do say one should not have skin to skin contact with other people for roughly an hour after application, so if you apply to inner arms, unless you have clothes that cover the area, there would easily be transference to breasts.  Does one have to walk around holding your arms away from you body after application? The inner thighs are hairless, the skin tends to be thinner, so an ideal place to apply the gel - also nearer our lady bits that definitely benefit from more oestrogen.  I  suppose shoulders are possibly the other reasonable area for application but I never had problems with absorption when applying to inner thighs.  DG x

[Dotty]

You put it on outer upper arms and shoulders , not inner arms so it doesn't touch your body. Works very well .

[Rosti]

Just a thought,  I was talking with the doc to discuss increasing the dose of Estradot as I had had some hot flushes and night sweats return and asked whether I could go from 50 to 62.5 mcg by "snipping" bits off the patch.  The doc said no BUT, she also then suggested that I use a 37.5mcg patch together with a 25mcg patch.  Okay so two patches but the dose is achieved and stable.  Since trying the 75mcg patch it seems my body really doesn't like the change in one go so 62.5 looks like the way forward for the time being... In the meantime I have reverted to 50mcg as the 75 was making my heart beat really rapidly and I couldn't sleep.

xxx

[Rosie63]

Hi Hurdity. I hope your new regime is going ok.......from one 60 something to another 

[Dottyaboutdurham]

Wishing you luck Hurdity with your new regime. I have just been prescribed oestrogel & utrogestan after having side effects with the tablet form of HRT. Have not started it yet as I have just started a second period in two weeks ! Waiting till things settle down, despite having a couple of tests to verify everything is okay, I am not impressed having periods at 55 !! I took the pill continuously for so many years.....so periods again are alien. I will keep my fingers crossed for you and be sure to let us all know how you get along x

[Hurdity]

Hurdity, isn't the Lenzetto spray applied to the arms? Mary G says that's where she puts it. I think all this may have to do with the application site chosen for the original trials of the products. I've read somewhere that this was the case with Oestrogel, that the trials were carried out on arms and shoulders, but unfortunately can no longer find the reference.

Anyway, best of luck with your new regime.

JP x

The instructions for Lenzetto  says it should be applied on the inner surface of the arm between elbow and wrist so that is a very long way from the trunk of the body. There are the usual cautionary warnings re transfer. This is not apparently yet on our lst of approved medications so I was referring to these - but did look it up anyway!

The inner thighs are hairless, the skin tends to be thinner, so an ideal place to apply the gel - also nearer our lady bits that definitely benefit from more oestrogen. 

Unfortunately mine aren't since using testosterone - so I have to remove said growth!!!!

Just a thought,  I was talking with the doc to discuss increasing the dose of Estradot as I had had some hot flushes and night sweats return and asked whether I could go from 50 to 62.5 mcg by "snipping" bits off the patch.  The doc said no BUT, she also then suggested that I use a 37.5mcg patch together with a 25mcg patch.  Okay so two patches but the dose is achieved and stable.  Since trying the 75mcg patch it seems my body really doesn't like the change in one go so 62.5 looks like the way forward for the time being... In the meantime I have reverted to 50mcg as the 75 was making my heart beat really rapidly and I couldn't sleep.

xxx

Thanks rosti - I don't know why I didn't think of that. The doc didn't seem very keen on non-standard amounts of things hence the 1 mg sachets rather than an extra box of patches, or 1.5 sachets per day. I'll see how I get on and whether I find it too much of a faff with the gel and decide at my review in 11 weeks.

Only just seen this Hurdity.
You mention "slightly increasing my oestrogen dose due to starting the T and not wanting to be T dominant." How about cutting out the testosterone and reverting to the original prescribed oestrogen dose. I think you have mentioned having retired, do you still need the testosterone? The oestrogen patches will still give the benefits for bone health and density.

Um - thanks for the suggestion, but not sure what being retired has to do with anything?! I don't intend to live for the next 20 odd years or more (hopefully - if I'm lucky) lying around like a frigid old woman with aching muscles or being given a diagnosis of fibromyalgia and told to get on with it - and that it's an expected part of ageing!!!!

The testosterone has restored my response completely  - this had totally disappeared so we can enjoy life in that department. In addition I can now do exercise classes without feeling absolutely exhausted or having to lie/sit down a lot during the day due to muscle aches and having bad back-ache in the eve after a day when I was active. Maybe your testosterone levels have remained high but mine were clearly low. I now do 3 exercise classes per week, go for lots of walks, dig the garden, barrow compost, go to music festivals, generally do stuff without flaking out and aching. At mid 60's I'm far too young to be put out to grass and engaging in minimal activity. Keeping active with body conditioning exercises such as Fitness Pilates, and cardio work-outs are an important part of staying healthy and moving as we age and I'm not ready to be put out to grass yet!!!! I intend to live as full and active a life as I can - even if I don't live to a great age, and the tesosterone is helping me do that!

Thanks everyone for posting - and I will let you all know how it goes - so far so good but if flushes/sweats are going to come back it would be over the next few weeks. Will be going on hol soon and that will be a trial applying gel every morning in the hotel before breakfast!!

Hurdity x

[NorthArm]

Hi Hurdity
I hope everything is going well with your change of regime and you're having a lovely time on hols x

[Daisydot]

Good morning Hurdity hope you are doing well.re the holiday I've just came back from Amsterdam,it was a coach tour holiday.I had no problems at all with using the gel.I put one squirt on each inner thigh and rub well in and it drys very quickly I usually carry on putting in my eye drops or doing my teeth and it's well dry by then.I hope you have a fab holiday take care xx

[Hurdity]

Thanks NorthArm and Daisydot not on hols until next week....! Yes I will be wandering around the hotel room for about 10 mins until it dries and I am trying to get into the habit of putting it on quite early!

Hurdity x

[MIS71MUM]

Good luck Hurdity with the swap.

I'd be really interested to hear how you get on having made the change from patch to gel myself recently.

I find once I've applied the gel, moving about and getting ready speeds up the gel drying. If I lie on the bed doing nothing it seems to take forever to dry.

[Charski]

Hi Hurdity

How are you getting on with the Sandrena gel? I have just switched to it (3 sachets/day to replace 4 pumps Oestrogel, which was out of stock). But it takes SUCH a long time to dry and remains tacky until I dress and transfer the stickiness to my clothes! Have you managed to get it to dry and be fully absorbed?

Charski

[weathergirl]

I'd be interested to hear too.   I had a brief trial of Sandrena and found it took forever to dry in warmer/humid times.  It was a tad frustrating, to say the least!  I hope it is going well for you though!

[Florence69]

I've just started using this 3 weeks ago and I can't remember if I was told to rub it in or let it dry ( peri brain )
I remember where she showed me to apply it, on thigh slightly towards the outside not inner, and I've just been smearing it on and letting it dry but it is still tacky half an hour later.
How you finding it ? I think it is helping my anxiety during the day but it's still there on waking, but as long as it does one once I'm up and about I can live with that.
X

[Night_Owl]

Hi Hurdity - also wondering how you're getting on with the gel.

Not sure I could be doing with the faff of waiting for it to dry.  When I used Oestrogel I found that migraines worsened, the clinic said that the gel may have created more peaks and troughs than the patch - I never really understood that though, as you would think the gel would supply a more even, consistent dose when applied, say, twice daily - as patches start to 'run down' when due to be changed, don't they ...

You are brave after all this time to make a change!  Hope it's all going good.

J x