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Author Topic: Which dose is THE dose?  (Read 1658 times)

Carnation

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Which dose is THE dose?
« on: March 25, 2019, 07:39:01 PM »

Hello Ladies,

I've just joined so apologies if I'm posting in the wrong place, but I'd really appreciate some advice before seeing my GP this week.
I'm post menopause 2 years and I've tried elleste conti and was only on a months supply when it was changed to Kliofem due to difficulty obtaining the supply. Had to come off as I was cramping every other day and was miserable on it. I then went on Evorel conti patches which gave me really bad cramps from the first day and I felt awful so the patch came off. Feeling so bad right away wasn't great!
So now I'm thinking of femoston conti but I'm confused between 1mg/5mg  and the low dose 0.5 mg/ 2.5mg
My main problem is vaginal dryness as Ovestin helped when I was peri but isn't helping now I'm post so I don't know if the low dose has enough oestrogen to deal with VA? It's  so confusing. Any help would be appreciated x
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CLKD

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Re: Which dose is THE dose?
« Reply #1 on: March 25, 2019, 07:52:45 PM »

OK - with regards vaginal atrophy, how long have you used it and how often?   If it isn't helping then start again, i.e. every night for 2 weeks and then every other night and then see how you feel.  Some ladies find that they require other lubricants as well, 'sylc' or 'yes' products - put the names into the search box and see what pops up.

Where you are in menopause shouldn't make much difference to the atrophy as long as you have the appropriate treatment.  Sometimes I need to use Ovestin in the afternoon and again in the evening  :-\ as well as a pain relief to ease symptoms.

Browse round.  :welcomemm:
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Hurdity

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Re: Which dose is THE dose?
« Reply #2 on: March 26, 2019, 08:00:54 PM »

Hi Carnation

 :welcomemm:

Please don't apologise - your post is just right, and anyway they can always be moved if really in the wrong place!!

As to your question - yes you're quite right - many women find that local oestrogen is not sufficient to control VA (Vaginal Atrophy and all that entails  ::)) and need systemic HRT as well.

CLKD that is incorrect - it does matter where you are in menopause - oestrogen levels fluctuate dramatically and then start to decline overall during peri-menopause and once you reach menopause oestrogen levels continue to drop pretty fast over the next two years and then sort of level out. Some women only start to experience VA at this point, and others find, as you have that you needed more than Ovestin to keep VA at bay now that you are post menopause.

If you're wanting to have a continuous combined HRT and happy with oral preparations ( you haven't said how old you are?) then Femoston is one of the better tolerated pills. Always better to have at least a low dose rather than ultra-low so the 1/5 would be a good one. However Kliofem contains 2 mg oestrogen ( not sure which Elleste Duet you were taking - there used to be a 1 mg version but if you were on the 2 mg one that would be the same as Kliofem) and that being the case the Femoston would be lower.  Patches are not strictly comparable but Evorel conti is medium dose and depending on absorption you may achieve the same relief of symptoms as with the 2 mg tablets.

Another possible reason for your problems with some HRT types is because they are continuous combined which means taking a progestogen every day. Some women get side effects which can differ with the different types. A good option is to start with a similar one but on a cyclical basis to see how well you tolerate it and then if you're fine go onto the conti version. However this does mean you would get a withdrawal bleed!

No-one should need to take pain relief to treat symptoms of VA - as this means that  dosing and treatment are not right. Ovestin is not a soothing ointment to be taken afternoon and evening - it would not work that quickly except as an ointment or moisturiser in which case best to use another product designed for this purpose. The oestrogen takes a while to achieve maturation of the tissues ( "plumping up").

Carnation there are lots of threads and posts on VA - look at Maryjane's and some of Dancingirl's posts and the long-running thread in Private Lives started by Dancinggirl "The Burning Club" which have some great advice.

Do let us know what you decide and how you get on.

Hurdity x
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Carnation

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Re: Which dose is THE dose?
« Reply #3 on: April 02, 2019, 07:48:32 AM »

Thank you for your very informative reply.
I have went on femoston but the ultra low 0.5/2.5 And I'm thinking it's too low. I'm post meno 2 years and 50 years old so think I need more. I've been on Ovestin for just over 2 years and worked great until post menopause hit and then the soreness and UTI got worse not helped by the fact I have lichen sclerosis.
I have recently read that Ovestin is safe to use more than twice a week so I may up that and see if it helps. Sylk does help and then I start to react to it so I got Yes both water and oil based which I've yet to try. Kliofem was great until I got stomach cramps and I'm sure my GP is going to get fed up with me going back saying I want a different HRT coz this one isn't working :o
I got stomach cramps as soon as I used Evorel conti patches and on day 2 of femoston.......so I don't know what to do. Felt a bit nauseous on femoston even though the progesterone is milder.
If I don't settle on this then I will try cyclical......just want something to work.
My mum only tried 2 before she found one which suited her and she felt great I'm worried I'm going to run out of ones to try! Plus trying to actually find femoston ultra low is a nightmare :-\
Fingers crossed and thank you  :)
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Katejo

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Re: Which dose is THE dose?
« Reply #4 on: April 02, 2019, 05:48:19 PM »

Thank you for your very informative reply.
I have went on femoston but the ultra low 0.5/2.5 And I'm thinking it's too low. I'm post meno 2 years and 50 years old so think I need more. I've been on Ovestin for just over 2 years and worked great until post menopause hit and then the soreness and UTI got worse not helped by the fact I have lichen sclerosis.
I have recently read that Ovestin is safe to use more than twice a week so I may up that and see if it helps. Sylk does help and then I start to react to it so I got Yes both water and oil based which I've yet to try. Kliofem was great until I got stomach cramps and I'm sure my GP is going to get fed up with me going back saying I want a different HRT coz this one isn't working :o
I got stomach cramps as soon as I used Evorel conti patches and on day 2 of femoston.......so I don't know what to do. Felt a bit nauseous on femoston even though the progesterone is milder.
If I don't settle on this then I will try cyclical......just want something to work.
My mum only tried 2 before she found one which suited her and she felt great I'm worried I'm going to run out of ones to try! Plus trying to actually find femoston ultra low is a nightmare :-\
Fingers crossed and thank you  :)
I am slightly older than you and 5 years post meno. I haven't yet had any systemic HRT but have a meno clinic appt. very soon. I have been using Vagifem for 6 months. It is working fairly well but i do usually need to apply it daily. I had been trying to reduce it to alternate days but the symptoms were creeping back so I used 1 last night and 1 this morning and it has now improved again. I originally started the VA because of recurrent UTI's which I had been having since peri but no doctor told me about VA.
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