injections, pills, patch, under skin thingy

[Heather Shay]

i am getting more and more excited each day as my first consult for hrt is this Thursday. Wondered what you use for your dossage....pill, patch, injection or the thing that is inserted under the skin. 

Reading and watching videos ... although I am not crazy about needles i think i want to,use injections, sounds like the faster and safer way to go.

thank you

Shay

[Jackie C.]

Patches then pills. I have a devil of a time keeping the patches on, so I begged my endo for pills.

 

I'm going back in August for my first post-GCS appraisal so we'll see what she says then. I might get the trifecta.

 

Hugs!

[Charlize]

Topical E is considered the safest but as Jackie mentioned patches can be awkward.  Working on the farm i had trouble keeping them attached as i work especially during the summer.  I have used a spray E for over 7 years and find it  easy to use and all i need.

 

Hugs,

 

Charlize

[Astrid]

Yep...I've been doing patches for 7 months now with no issues. They stay on me just fine ( and this time of year I out for hours working up a sweat with yardwork and gardening) and are very convenient.

 

Hugs,

 

Astrid 

[Carrie]

Hi Shay

My indo finally talked me into having an inplant done. You may have to wait until things settle down before doing that. My indo put in an in plant that releases hormones gradually over a six month period.  The sad thing about that is he went out of business shortly after that and retired. Now I am stuck on pills again.  Not yet found another endo that suits both me and my budget. Will ask my therapist on Friday about another recommendation.

Take care and stay safe.

Carrie

[Heather Shay]

thanks for the info, I will ask aboutxthat option at my first consult thaurssay. you B safe as well.

[Ellora]

I chose pills, Im not into the patch thing, do not like shots, spray never came up, and implants are not for me. 

I have been taking E and Progesterone, and I am very happy with both. 

I wish you great joy and a wonderful adventure!

[Erikka]

I was on patches for 20 months and then I got allergic to the adhesive they used on the patch and the Endro doc started me on injections. She wouldn't do pills because of the blood clot issue. I stick myself twice a month. Very minimal pain...very minimal! I feel it gives a better concentration of the hormone. The one drawback I have experienced is the next day spike in hormones....it can be an extremely emotional next day. Other than that it is great.

Velsignelser

Erikka

[Tori M]

I never see anyone mention sublingual???  I took a pill form of estradiol, I think it was Estrace but I can't remember... it dissolves under the tongue... straight into the bloodstream bypassing the liver.  Today the endo gave me the options of sublingual or patch.  The patches can give me a rash.  This is good for anyone taking other medications (me), particularly statins (me) which taxes the liver a bit, or if they have any kind of liver condition.  I'll find out tomorrow the exact name of it.

[Susan R]

55 minutes ago, Tori M said:

I never see anyone mention sublingual??? 

I take sublingual Estradiol. I’ve been on them for 21 months.  It’s works very well but keep in mind some of it bypasses the kidney but some of it still gets swallowed. There are still thrombosis considerations with advanced age even with the newer variations of E, it’s something to be aware of and take seriously. I’m 58 and my doctor would prefer I use patches. I even tried them for her for one month but my T and E levels unfortunately reversed. It set me back a few months.  Patches work for some individuals but not me.

[Elizabeth Star]

I've been on sublingual Estradiol and Spiro since I started HRT, 7 months ago. After the first two months they checked my E level and literally doubled Estradiol dosage. Taking it sublingual is a real pain at times as some of it does get swallowed. But I assumed they compensated for that with the higher dosage. Patches were an option but I felt it would have been too much for me to keep track of make sure it didn't fall off. Shots were pretty much off the table. I had a long (past) history of smoking and also just can't imagine sticking myself with a needle on a regular basis.

 

And thanks for reminding me. I need to schedule to have my levels checked again. I couldn't get in since everything was closed due to covid.

[Tori M]

So, if you think pharmacists know everything about drugs, think again.....  When I picked up my E prescription, of course the pharmacist is required to have a quick consult on new medications.  She read the label which said, "Dissolve under tongue twice daily".  She got a funny look and said, "These pills don't dissolve."  "Are you sure," I asked?  "The endo said she wanted me to use sublingual E.  I've talked to others who say they are taking a sublingual pill."  She looked on the computer and then restated, "No, these don't dissolve.  I don't know of any estrogen pills that dissolve.  You can try it but I think it would take a long time to dissolve that way."  We were already having a challenge with insurance who only wanted to pay for one pill per day, not two lower doses, so I left feeling a bit frustrated and thinking they must not make the dissolve-able tablets any more or else my pharmacy doesn't carry them, so I guess I'm going to have to ask the endo for patches (which I don't like because they can irritate my skin).  Well, I tried the first one under my tongue and it vanished in less than 1 minute!  So much for experts, lol.

[Heather Shay]

phew... because my NP is starting me on the low dose two a day under the tongue and instead of spiro she is prescribing the one that starts with an F (can't remember name but is supposed to help stop male balding and I have a few spots toward the back of my head and kind of thinning on top).... I hope to hear that all the records are in place and my pharmacy calls today to start...I can't tell you how anxious I am - I verified my doctor got the clearance to transfer my records and I took another blood draw last Thursday to base line thoseitems they don't check for males... can't wait....

 

THANK YOU TORI for letting me know if the pharmaciest tells me they don't melt.... ?

[SaraAW]

@Shay Hi Shay, I believe you are referring to Finasteride. I took this for awhile too. This is not a true AA, it will stop conversion of T into DHT, which helps to reduce hair loss and maybe regrow some. At higher doses, typically those to treat prostate cancer,  it has some better AA properties, but still not great. I would not necessarily expect you to see a significant drop in your T levels, unless you are on a significant dose of E. Something to discuss with you doc on your next visit, if your T levels are still high.

 

For awhile I was taking Fin, E and Spiro, but recently dropped Fin, as it is not covered through my insurance and I needed to reduce my expenses.

[Heather Shay]

i understand. she gave me the option of just the two  a day E and not spiro but,finasteride and i do have a slightly high psa from my naughty days five years ago when i was gray marketing and self medicating...so i,asked to be put on that,as well  the hair growth might be a bonus hopefully... figurw its not a bad thing to try with her permission.

[Astrid]

3 hours ago, Shay said:

instead of spiro she is prescribing the one that starts with an F (can't remember name but is supposed to help stop male balding

 

That's Finasteride.  My doctor made the same recommendation 

 

Hugs,

 

Astrid 

[Jackie C.]

25 minutes ago, Astrid said:

That's Finasteride.  My doctor made the same recommendation 

 

It's also a water pill. I don't really MISS being on it, but I lost twenty pounds of water weight while I was on it. I do miss being 178 pounds. ?

 

Also, I don't miss the extra "up to pee" moments in the dead of night.

 

Hugs!

[SaraAW]

Jackie, I think you are of thinking of Spironolactone (Spiro), which is a diuretic, I do not believe Finasteride has diuretic properties. 

[Jackie C.]

No, you're right. I was on Finesteride in the beginning, but we swapped it out because of my... liver or maybe kidney numbers after about four months.

 

Hugs!

[Ellora]

On 7/7/2020 at 8:16 AM, Tori M said:

Well, I tried the first one under my tongue and it vanished in less than 1 minute!  So much for experts, lol.

I felt so silly when i reread the bottle and said the under the tongue part, I was so excited I just took it (with water) right away, lol. I put it under the tongue the next day, and it dissolved. Im sure my doctor or someone told me at some point, but i was mostly busy feeling great about getting the prescriptions, I was asking her, "can I pick it up now?" lol

[Heather Shay]

I hoped to start today - but maybe tomorrow I'll get a call from my pharmacy. My NP said under the tongue and you've just re-enforced that - thank you and I CAN'T WAIT>>>>