Opinions on patches?

[hmillerrr]

Hey guys. Ive heard different things about patches for (testosterone, although I'm sure the estrogen ones aren't much different) and a lot of the things I've heard have been a bit negative. Regardless, I think patches would be best for me when I hopefully & eventually started T. Do any of you use patches? What's your opinions on them? Thanks a lot.

-Trevor

[Charlize]

I used E patches for some time and have also tried to use that method of delivery for other medications related to heart disease.   They certainly worked and in many ways are a safer method of delivery.  The problem i had was  how they stayed on.  I would loose them if i worked on the farm.  They sometimes simply slid off when i perspired and while tape helped i wondered how good the contact was as well as finding additional irritation caused by the tape.  I now use a spray or cream which is a more certain method of delivery.

 

Hugs,

 

Charlize

[Raven1981]

4 hours ago, hmillerrr said:

Hey guys. Ive heard different things about patches for (testosterone, although I'm sure the estrogen ones aren't much different) and a lot of the things I've heard have been a bit negative. Regardless, I think patches would be best for me when I hopefully & eventually started T. Do any of you use patches? What's your opinions on them? Thanks a lot.

-Trevor

 

I used to be on the estrogen form of patches and while they are safer, they are also a slow way as well as I have found out cause the medicine has to be absorbed through the skin and if your skin is thick then it will have a hard time to absorbed.  The other problem I had was they were not staying on and they were peeling off prematurely.  Patches I would say is a good starting point just to get your feet wet, but the hands down method that does garentee to work and not have any problems and it works alot better than any other form for both estrogen or testosterone would be the injections.  Everyone that I have heard weather they are doing testosterone or estrogen all give injections a big put on the pedistel and is the first choice.

 

Hope that this helps out

 

Amy

[Briana]

Dosing medications and the delivery route can be a complicated thing for some medications.  We're all different and while one person may do with with an oral medication, another person may respond better to a different delivery route.  In general, patches are an acceptable delivery mode for hormonal medications but it depends on the person.  Safety-wise, they have a better record in terms of side effects vs. pill forms for both male and female HRT.  If you're very active, tend to sweat a lot, have oily skin, or overly sensitive skin, skin patches probably won't work as well due to complications keeping them on.  For testosterone HRT I believe an oral patch is available which might be a good alternative.  Overall, it's really something to talk to your prescribing physician about.   They can give you pros and cons of each delivery mode available.

[VickySGV]

Not to brag about my medical plan, but when I told my Endo that the 7 day patches were coming off at around 3 days, she just doubled the amount of patches for the pharmacy to give me for a given period. (I pay for meds for a 90 day supply which the MD determines) When my patches fall off, there is usually a film like residue that stays for about a day unless I vigorously scrub it off.  I do get a "brand" at the spot for a day or two as well, but the E gets into my blood stream based on my lab tests.

[Jani]

I clear the area well with witch hazel and place a covering over the patches.  I use Opsite-flexifix (similar to Tagaderm).  It is a transparent, waterproof fixation for dressings.  It comes in different widths and I buy it on Amazon.  This lasts all week without issue.