Patch pain

[KathyLauren]

The last couple of weeks, I have noticed my E patches getting more and more itchy.  The last pair, that I just removed today, was really, really itchy, to the point of being painful.  And the skin hurt even more after I removed them.  I have been using the same brand, the Sandoz generic, for three years, and, while they usually leave pink rings on my skin for a couple of days, they have never itched/hurt like this before.

 

It's a moot point now, because I am off my patches for several weeks in preparation for surgery.  But eventually, I'll be back on them.  So the question is what to do then?

 

Could it be that they changed the adhesive?  Or am I just starting to get hyper-sensitive to it?  I have been using the same three areas of my abdomen, rotating through them so that each site gets seven days rest between patches.  Have I worn those three spots out?  Maybe I just need to use a new area, like my thighs until my abdomen recovers?

 

Any suggestions?

 

Regards,

Kathy

[Cyndee]

Hi Kathy, I use the Sandoz generics here also, and yes occasionally I get some redness in the area after removing them. Perhaps the climate is making your skin a bit more sensitive to their adhesive ? Moisturize liberally the sites where they were applied ?, that's what I do, also helps to remove the old adhesive left behind. My sweetie got us some "skin calming" lotion recently (there are many brands), that stuff works wonders in the dry skin of winter.  

 

Cyndee 

[KathyLauren]

39 minutes ago, Suzanne1 said:

Certainly something about which to consult with the prescribing physician.

 

For sure, I will.  I have an appointment booked with her for two and a half weeks after my surgery.  But if the surgeon clears me to start E before then, I may have to endure the pain or else do without my E.

 

(There is no possibility of getting an earlier appointment with my doctor.  Darn waiting list!)

[secondlook]

 

45 minutes ago, KathyLauren said:

There is no possibility of getting an earlier appointment with my doctor.

 

Even if you can't get an earlier appointment, maybe they could do a quick phone call? I've done that when a treatment didn't go as expected and I wasn't due for the followup for a while.

[MiraM]

I can sympathize with what you are going through with your patches.  I use the Alora patches and get the same thing...a painful itching, a rash that lasts for a week or more, and recently I have been getting blisters around the perimeter of the patches.  My doctor isn't sure if I am having a reaction to the adhesive of if it is because I work in a hot environment where I sweat a lot and having it trapped under the patches is the culprit.  He is switching me to a different patch to see if that helps, before looking into going back to injections.  I am just waiting for the new ones to arrive.  Until then, I have to suffer through with the ones I have.   If the new ones do the same, I will gladly go back to the injections.  The bleeding and bruising from them is preferable to what I am experiencing with these patches.

[Jani]

I experience the same itchiness from time to time and I use Climara.  I think Cyndee is correct that it may be due to climate, and our bodies reaction to humidity or something.  I go months with out an issue then out of the blue I get the itches.  

[KathyLauren]

One thing that occurred to me is that, about and after the time I applied that last, painful patch, I also had a couple of squares of spicy chocolate.  (Denman Island Holy Molé, since you asked.  It's good!)  I wonder if there was some interaction between estrogen and capsaicin that made the patch particularly painful.

 

As a dedicated chocoholic, in the interests of science, I will investigate once I am back on E, and report back in a month or so.

[Jani]

Oh that sounds good!  I don't know about the chocolate (by itself) connection as I got itchy at my patch site two weeks ago and I've cut way back on chocolate and none after 2pm as the caffeine was contributing to irregular sleep.  Its been very dry here recently.

 

Ahh the things we do in the name of science!  

 

Jani

[Donnie_1961]

I don't like taking pills. Needles scare the hell out of me. Going to an Estradot patch was the only viable alternative. I've heard about skin irritation by some patch users but I haven't had any problems. I alternate the locations that I put them. Perhaps it's the adhesive that a particular patch uses that causes the irritation? Everybody's skin is different and how it reacts to an external agent also varies from person to person. When I first started using them I applied only one xxxmcg patch just to test for a skin reaction. Better safe than sorry.

 

Be safe. Be smart

Edited February 24, 2020 by Jani
Doses not allowed

[Erikka]

I was getting itchy skin that progressed to itchy and redness to having burned skin from the adhesive. I switched to injections and like it much better. I self inject and I am ok with having to do that to myself.  One of my early  injections went a little south. I loaded the syringe without wearing my glasses and got a bigger dose than I was used to and the next day I was a weeping mess. Lesson learned...wear glasses when doing an injection.