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Author Topic: I have cut my Evorel Conti patch in half!  (Read 20729 times)

bella mama

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I have cut my Evorel Conti patch in half!
« on: July 15, 2018, 10:54:18 AM »

Hi ladies, I would appreciate a bit of reassurance and advice as I go further down into my menopause journey ::)
My Gp suggested trying Evorel Conti patch 7 months ago.
( was taking oral hrt 2mg before this, wasn't having bleeding on the tablets but was experiencing migraines at night time and indigestion/gastric probs so changed to patches to try them.)
I didn't get bleeding only very slight spotting when changing over to the patch but I had a period bleed 6-8 weeks ago!!

 This is when my breast pain started. My left breast is now larger than the right and feels different because it's wider?! Pain from both wakes me at night time.  I have also put on weight about half a stone. Feel bloated around my stomach. Also past few weeks Getting leg cramps at times, have sprouted hairs on my chin !! Which get regular plucking!!  :-\ . I have brown patches on my face around my cheeks.

I have an appointment on Tuesday to see a male Gp. Have waited 2 weeks for this but unforunately not my usual female Gp. This is for a breast check.

So I have cut my patch in half yesterday as I think I'm getting too much hormones by taking the continuous combined patch. Also my own cycle has suddenly broken through and now my hormones are off again 🙃What do I do about the continuous patch  🤔 is it ok to half it? Will I bleed again now ?

I thought someone on here would be able to help in some way .

Many thanks






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Dotty

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Re: I have cut my Evorel Conti patch in half!
« Reply #1 on: July 15, 2018, 12:35:29 PM »

Hi any bleeding after 6 months should be investigated. It could be that you are not ready for a continuous hrt. It's good that you are going to see your GP x
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bella mama

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Re: I have cut my Evorel Conti patch in half!
« Reply #2 on: July 15, 2018, 02:29:18 PM »

Hi Dotty.
Thank you for replying. I didn't know it would need investigating. I just assumed it was my own hormones breaking through.
 :o
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Dotty

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Re: I have cut my Evorel Conti patch in half!
« Reply #3 on: July 15, 2018, 02:31:50 PM »

If you had the bleeding within first 6 months of being on Evorel Conti then it's nothing to worry about. If it's after 6 months then you should speak to your doctor. It could just be your own hormones especially if you weren't post menopause when you started it. X
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bella mama

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Re: I have cut my Evorel Conti patch in half!
« Reply #4 on: July 15, 2018, 02:46:39 PM »

Thanks Dotty. I did check with gp when she suggested continuous as I was only about a year without any bleeding.

She said it was safer for me to be on continuous rather than sequential. I am not so sure as I think I've got too much now.

I will ask all this on Tuesday but I wanted to be well informed before my appointment as it's a different doctor. 
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Dotty

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Re: I have cut my Evorel Conti patch in half!
« Reply #5 on: July 15, 2018, 03:23:21 PM »

I don't think there is a lower dose patch. An alternative would be oestrogen patch or gel and Utrogestan capsules for progesterone.
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bella mama

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Re: I have cut my Evorel Conti patch in half!
« Reply #6 on: July 15, 2018, 09:38:07 PM »

Many thanks Dotty, I will look into this in more detail now. I may be need it tweaked a bit so hormones settle again.
Thank you for great advice.
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bella mama

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Re: I have cut my Evorel Conti patch in half!
« Reply #7 on: July 15, 2018, 09:42:15 PM »

Thank you jeaniewiggs.
This is what I like about this great site as it's Interesting to read about your experiences too. And also how you got around things to make it better. Thank you for sharing that too.
Yes possibly too much oestrogen is making me feel this way.
I will look into may be a slightly different Hrt prep again.
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Hurdity

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Re: I have cut my Evorel Conti patch in half!
« Reply #8 on: July 16, 2018, 02:00:21 PM »

Hi bella mama

Looking back at your posts I see you are only around 46 or thereabouts?  That being the case, if you have reached menopause or nearly so you should really be on at least the 50 mcg patch to help protect your heart and bones etc - ie take it at least until the avergae age of natural menopause of 51/52.  Also you say you were taking Elleste 2 mg - I presume this was the cyclical type with two weeks of different tablets, designed to give a bleed - but you didn't get one? The thing is once you start HRT  if you are in peri-menopause, unless you are very late peri - then you don't know where you are in menopause so cannot know when you are post-menopause. That being the case then if you start conti HRT (as you have been doing) you may well still have an underlying cycle which can then cause sporadic bleeding  and could be a proper period. The younger you are the more likely that any unexpected bleeding is a resumption of your cycle - and especially if you experience typical period symptoms - although HRT can cause these symptoms too!

I suspect that you are either feeling like this due to your own cycle, or because you are taking continuous progestogen ie the norethisterone in the Evorel conti - which can cause side effects in susceptible women. Breast pain is one such and especially from progesterone (but is also a sign of normal pms). The hairiness could be due to unwanted androgenic effects of this type of HRT - because norethisterone is derived from testosterone.

In your position I would not cut the patch in half. I would have your appt and accept any investigations that are offered - just to check all is OK. I would think about a different hRT preparation - one that gives a regular bleed and also a different progestogen.

You could have a Mirena coil (which also provides contraception) with separate oestrogen patch or gel. Or - you could try another patch such as Femseven sequi (which gives a monthly bleed). Alternatively you could use oestrogen patch or gel with separate progestogen such as utrogestan or Provera taken cyclically - also to give a monthly bleed.

Also if your cycle has restarted you could try stopping HRT and see how you feel and whether your periods have come back properly - although if they were very irregular with long gaps before you started hRT - it is likely you are much nearer menopause and therefore would want to restart asap at your age.

Hope this helps and not too confusing :)

Hurdity x
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bella mama

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Re: I have cut my Evorel Conti patch in half!
« Reply #9 on: July 18, 2018, 10:27:56 AM »

Hi Hurdity, thank you for your message.  I wish I had seen it before the doctors appointment today🙄

I have just been at GP and has given me Evorel conti prescription again.
He not sure if it can be cut in half so he going to check.  He thought that I probably need to take the 50mcg of Estradiol to give full effect but lower amount of Norethisterone.  He was reluctant to start a different progesterone like the Femoston patch as although it would be a slightly different progesterone type but then it's the dosage of progesterone and they all have side effects to some degree.
 He wants me to try on the Evorel half patch to see if there is a difference in symptoms due to the lower progesterone I would be taking. Since I cut my patch on Saturday my bloating and breast pain has eased a bit but on Monday my bleeding started. He does think it's my own hormones which caused the bleed 8 weeks ago and subsequent breast pain.

Yes I am 47 and half now😳 I had been started on the continuous patch to try as I had symptoms since I was 40. I had been taking oral hrt for about 5 years developed migraines and it was over 9 months since a bleed. I did have a break from the hrt to see where I was on the menopause journey😄and it was 9 months with no periods but also in that time I felt like a 90 year old. My joints aches and pains were awful and I had no get up and go. I do feel so much better on hrt, I still take citalopram 20mg alongside the hrt. I remember that i went to get the mirena coil fitted when I was 40 but the doc could not get it in past the cervix and I have a tilted womb. This puts me off trying this method again. 

So my options were to try half the patch but that means I get less oestrogen for a while to see how things settle.  go back to oral hrt but risk having migraine again.  I did not have bleeds on the oral elleste duet 2mg when I took them.

I am a bit confused now to be honest and I want to be sure I am on the safest thing for me which has the fewest side effects so I going to read your message again.

Do a lot of women have problems with progesterone in the continuous Hrt? Is this why they prefer the sequential type ?

Many thanks for all your advice








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Hurdity

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Re: I have cut my Evorel Conti patch in half!
« Reply #10 on: July 18, 2018, 01:37:07 PM »

What a pity - but I did reply two days ago!!!! Although I don't do it as I would get too many e-mails,  you can set your profile to get e-mail notifications of posts on threads you have started or posted on - that way you wouldn't miss a post you want to see :)

Yes lots of women do have problems with prog all the time hence cyclical HRT even when post-menopausal like me in my 60's. The doc is wrong about not changing to Femseven - although some women are intolerant to all progestogens even their own, many women find if they change the progestogen type their sdie effects are different, reduced or eliminated. A better way to tell if you are sensitive to the prog in Evorel is to try it cyclically ie Evorel sequi, before changing to Femseven conti (or just try this anyway!) - and then try the other things if you still have problems. There is no point in reducing the oestrogen just to reduce the prog because you would benefit from at least 50 mcg as I said. If your symptoms/side effects change you won't know if they have improved due to reduction in the prog or worsened due to reduction in oestrogen really!

I don't think your doc will find anything out about halving the patch - if a GP - as this is off licence. However it is fine to do so (off licence) - Dr Currie (leading gynaecologist and founder/manager of this website) has said so on here in the past, and in the magazine to answer a question.

Whatever the eventual outcome I hope you manage to sort it out!

Hurdity x
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bella mama

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Re: I have cut my Evorel Conti patch in half!
« Reply #11 on: July 18, 2018, 04:10:29 PM »

Hi Hurdity,
Thank you I am going to try that with the emails so I can keep track of any messages.  Will figure it out, I didn't know I could do that.
Will be going to go back to GP to talk things over again.  Hopefully my own hormones will settle down and will just need to alter my hrt slightly again.  Hopefully just a blip as things have been going so well until past few months.
Many thanks
Bella mama
X

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Jasmine_2015

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Re: I have cut my Evorel Conti patch in half!
« Reply #12 on: October 05, 2018, 05:06:59 PM »

I have been advised I can cut my everol conti patch in half but just wondered, for those that half the patches, do you throw away the other half or use it afterwards? Thanks in advance!
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ali 61

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Re: I have cut my Evorel Conti patch in half!
« Reply #13 on: October 05, 2018, 05:17:08 PM »

Jasmine 2015, I cut my Evorel Conti patch in half, and put the unused part back in its little packet. Then use that bit 4 days later. My GP is fine about that.
Tho as an up-date I have ripped the patch off this morning. After 6 weeks of severe cramps, nausea, crying and finally chest pressure I have given up and stopped them.
I hope this pain stops soon, as right now I am in agony with cramps.
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Jasmine_2015

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Re: I have cut my Evorel Conti patch in half!
« Reply #14 on: October 07, 2018, 06:01:28 AM »

Ali61,

Thank you so much for your reply. I will do that then because I had thought it seemed very wasteful to get rid of it and if one is careful with it I couldn't see a problem with saving it.

I am so sorry though to hear that you have experienced such horrible side effects on it. I hope the pain stops soon and that you will find an alternative that you get on better with. All the very best
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