switched brands

I need input from you ladies. I was on a generic patch which seemed to run out of steam the day before I changed it (I'd be an emotional wreck the day before but okay the rest of the week) so my doctor switched me to the same dosage of Climara. (0.1 mg estradiol) Now I have found myself irritable ALL week, and it's not nearly time to change my patch. Why am I so cranky with the name brand? Except for the size of the generic patch, I think I was better off emotionally with it! Could my body just be adjusting to the change-- even though the first patch was supposed to be the generic version of Climara. Help!

I realized something. I used to change patches (when I was on the generic patch) every Friday. When I got my new Climara patches, I couldn't wait and and put it on Wednesday instead. I am wondering if I messed up my hormone balance by doing that. Could I have too much estrogen in my system and that's why I'm nervous and irritable? I REALLY need input into this. My family will thank you! :-) Thanks.

Nope... changing the patch early won't appreciably increase your estrogen level since the patches are designed to release at a fairly constant rate as long as you are wearing them. The only thing is, you didn't use up all the estrogen in that last patch before switching.

However, it could be that you're absorbing either more or less per day with the Climara than with the generic brand. Do you have any other symptoms which might give more of a clue as to which direction you're 'off' in?

I'd try to give it a couple of weeks on the new dosage, changing it at seven days, and see if things improve.

s,
-Linda

I've had a mild headache since I switched patches. That and the irritability and nervousness have suggested to me that something was off. Glad to know I didn't screw it up too bad by switching early. Hopefully time will straighten it out.

sometimes when i change my patch i'll get a headache (migraine actually) for a few days and sometimes i won't...(this is with climara)...

surferbabe... have you read any experience like this before on this site? why do you think this is happening? (it happens about 50% of the time)

also, when this happens my face breaks out... which i have read is from your androgens (out of balance with estrogen?).... could my system be so sensitive to estrogen fluxuation?

please let me know your thoughts

cathy

Migraines can be triggered by either low estrogen levels or more likely sudden fluctuations in estrogen level, especially drops. In her book Screaming to be Heard, Dr. Elizabeth Vliet has a great chapter on migraines and hormonal headaches that is very validating for women who suffer these types of headaches.

You're right, the acne is due to fluctuations in estrogen balance. It could be that you are one of the unlucky super-sensitive ones. In that case, you might want to try the Vivelle dot, Esclim or Alora... one of the patches that is changed twice a week rather than once a week. They seem more able to deliver a constant level for longer than the Climara, which often doesn't make it the full week for women here. Your DR should have samples you can try before deciding whether to change to a new brand.

I hope this helps!
s,
-Linda

what my doctor has done is prescribed .05 and .075 (total: .125) to be worn in a date staggered fashion... (he just did this today)... so i will put one patch on and two days later put on the other one and change them when each is 4 days old (not 7)... he's hoping (and so am i) that this will keep the estrogen level... yes - i'm super sensitive to estrogen drops (a rush up of estrogen does not give me a headache the way i thought - but it does give me nose bleeds). i'm up to .175 right now which is says is too high (do you think it's to high as well?)

i tell you.. finding the magic potion is a challenge

It's only too high, imho, if you're having symptoms of too much.

Younger women, thinner women, more active women, women under a lot of stress... all seem to need more estrogen than "average".

If you are worried (or your DR is) that you may be getting too much estrogen because of particular medical conditions of concern to you, this might help... some women seem to be able to use less estrogen if they add a little dab of progesterone. Unfortunately I am not one of them, but it does work for some, supposedly by sensitizing the estrogen receptors to make them take up the estrogen better.

However, if you are getting too little estrogen, sometimes adding progesterone competes with the estrogen for receptors and makes the symptoms of too little estrogen worse (I did experience that). So, it's a bit of a double edged sword and a trial and error proposition.

I hope you're able to get things smoothed out, those headaches can be really awful.

s,
-Linda

In case you're not - journal all the key symptoms - along with exactly when you change patches. After doing this, I discovered patterns and found ways to slighlty modify my patches - think about sometimes trimming a bit off, and overlapping them.

For me, climara worked very different than vivelle - and my absorbtion was far from even.

surferbabe...

i'm on 200 mg of prometrium - before my TAH i was using this to stop constant bleeding from hyperplasia (from using unapposed estrogen another dr prescribed).... everytime i try to lower it to 100mg i get a bad migraine so it's all very confusing..

meanom.... did the vivelle work better for you and if so how?