Hrt - Pills Vs Injections?

[Guest JakeB]

The Title pretty much says it all. Does one have a greater effect over the other? I'm going to be receiving my letter of recommendation soon and I'm not sure of what specifically I should be requesting from my doctor. Do I even have a choice and if so should I disregard it and trust that I'm being given what is best for me? I realize there are several other methods of HRT but these two seem to be the most popular. I've spent several hours on google and various forums but most topics are not from a MTF aspect and only list health related benefits and risks. Although I'm not specifically looking for those, feel free to add them in your replies as someone else may be. Obviously I would like to have the most effective med's available. Convenience is not a significant factor for me but may be relevant to others. Thanks in advance. - Jake

[Guest Donna Jean]

.

Well, Hon......

It seems to be like "Which is better, Chevy or Ford?"

Some girls say they have better results with injections....

I personally don't like shots and take tablets....

Make sure that you have a good doctor and then discuss this with them....some delivery systems are advantageous in some cases...

Some people forget to take their pills and a shot once a week is easier for them...

Your doctor may have reasons to give it to you one way or the other...

Donna Jean

[Guest]

Hi Jake,

I doubt that a doctor would force you to take injections. The technique for injections is something that requires training and some amount of self-control. Not my cup of tea! My doc actually recommended that, and I would have learned how to do it, but instead gave me pills, for reasons I can't clearly remember...

I've been on HRT for 6 weeks now and think the pills are doing their thing quite well!

Love, Kat

[Guest Elizabeth K]

If you have a good liver function (most of us do - we get tested for it) - pills are cheaper, more convenient, and seem to work just as well in the long run. I am diabetic and know about needles - and even if you are tolerant of needles at the beginning, they get real old, real fast!

I was given the options of shots, patches, and pills. Patches can cause irritation just like shots. I mean consider this - it's for the rest of your life. I figure I have taken over 6000 estrogen pills - which really, because I have wanted them so badly my entire life, ain't so bad! But what if I had been taking estrogen IM (in the muscle) Way less shots numerically but gosh - all that needle work! And shots have debris - swab, needle and syringe disposal. Shots need to be administered in private.

Besides - Estradoil is such a sweet-tasking pill - makes me smile. I melt it under my tongue.

Wow - such an opinionated woman ...

Lizzy

[Guest JakeB]

Thank you for the suggestions.

So long as the results are relatively similar I'm not really concerned. It had not even crossed my mind until I read that injections were supposedly more effective. For those of you who do use injections, do they seem to fade out towards the end of your weekly cycle?

[Guest jamiejcmo]

I have used all of them before. My Dr. started me on pills for 60 days and due to the fact that I almost wiped out my liver by self medicating before being under a Dr,s care she then switched me to patches which are a pain in hot and humid climates when you are very active. They fall off and left skin irritations. She then switched me to injectibles. I hate needles but was instructed how to do it by the Dr. and I only inject twice a month. It is more convenient but a mistake injecting can be deadly. Injections also cause spikes and dips in E which causes PMS symptoms that took a while to get used to. I think the pills were easier and much cheaper. Your E levels also stay more consistent. I've been on injections now for 19 months and Stijl do not like sticking that huge sharp object into my leg muscles. It hurts! The E is thick so you have to use a pretty large needle. It's all in what is convenient for you.

Oh yea! My cost for the pills was $ 45 month and the injection is $165 a vial but it last a couple months. Congrats on starting HRT and enjoy the ride.

[Guest angie]

I inject every seventh day.It doesn't matter what time that day,

which is Sunday to me now,just as long as it's sometime during

that day/evening.I don't have mood swings because my levels are

at a constant.I am prescribed estradiol valerate,and by the way

her injections are spread,it sounds like Jamie is on estradiol

cyprionate(may have spelled it wrong) which can build up in the

fat cells and dump into the system all at once, and why she has

twice monthly injections instead of weekly like myself.It will

be up to your attending physican and their preferance in how to

administer your hormones.Some like to start with orals to give

the body time to adjust to using the hormone,some like patches,

others like injections.I found injections to be my preferred form

of delivery.I keep a coffee can as my sharps container and have

every needle I have ever used stored in it.(after all these years

that is quite a few,and once full will take to the hospital by my

place to have them properly discarded)The syringe is a single use

and I just throw it away weekly.

Angelique

[Guest angie]

I inject every seventh day.It doesn't matter what time that day,

which is Sunday to me now,just as long as it's sometime during

that day/evening.I don't have mood swings because my levels are

at a constant.I am prescribed estradiol valerate,and by the way

her injections are spread,it sounds like Jamie is on estradiol

cyprionate(may have spelled it wrong) which can build up in the

fat cells and dump into the system all at once, and why she has

twice monthly injections instead of weekly like myself.It will

be up to your attending physican and their preferance in how to

administer your hormones.Some like to start with orals to give

the body time to adjust to using the hormone,some like patches,

others like injections.I found injections to be my preferred form

of delivery.I keep a coffee can as my sharps container and have

every needle I have ever used stored in it.(after all these years

that is quite a few,and once full will take to the hospital by my

place to have them properly discarded)The syringe is a single use

and I just throw it away weekly.

Angelique

A bye the way...

I use a compounding pharmacy that makes my estrogen,and my prescription costs me a whole 39 dollars,and that's with shipping added,for a four months supply.

[Guest jamiejcmo]

Angie you must be right. Last year I was dieting like crazy and lost 50lbs in 6 months and was getting very moody. The Dr. said it was the stored estrogen being released from the the fat cells. She said not to worry because what my body could not absorb would be expelled in urine. Yes I get a quick high right after the shot and then about an hour later crash ZZZZZZZZZZ. I can tell when it startes to wear off because I get PMS symptoms. Aches, sluggish,crabby, and just plain b**chy!!!!!!!!! It does give a person a HUGE appreciation for what GG go through every month of their life and lucky me gets to do it twice a month. (pay back I guess!) I had to tell all my previous ex's I was so sorry after going through that the first time. LOL! Like GG will tell you... you get used to it after a while and most will never know. Maybe I should ask for the stuff you are on because you look great. I do have to say that I did not experience that on pills. I guess the only good thing is I do not have a period (thank god).

Jamie

[Guest angie]

Jamie,

While may seem like a waste of a needle,you may try using a fresh

brand new one to do the actual injection.Even the act of the needle

penetrating the septum/rubber stopper will dull the needle point

making penetrating the skin that much harder.While if you use a

needle that has never been used before it will tend to slide right in.

I place the syringe where I am going to inject and ever so slowly

start easing the needle in until it is seated,draw back to check I didn't hit a blood vessel,and inject.Sometimes it hurts,other times

you can have a muscle contraction and it pushes the needle out,many

times it is painless.

Angie

[MackenzieB]

I used the do the IM delivery method. It's not that difficult to learn. While in the Navy I must have given thousands of shots while assigned to a shot clinic in a boot camp. But even after having done it a lot, it always was a bit hard for me to stick a needle in myself.

The concentration of hormones in your system isn't as consistent when using injectables. It's at it's peak a short time after the injection and slowly decreases until your next injection. However, with injecting it passes through your liver once, with oral it passes through twice which was my concern at the time. Not that I have abnormal hft results, just couldn't see putting the extra strain on myself. Planning on going back on hrt this summer after shedding a few more pounds and I'll probably go for injectable again.