Vivelle Dot vs. Climara....could Climara be stronger than Vivelle?

Hi Ladies....another patch question......I recently started the Vivelle Dot .075. I changed from Climara .075 because of insurance reasons. For 8 months, I used Climara .050 and had no trouble. All of a sudden about 6 weeks ago I started itching all over my body and after blood tests revealed my Estradiol level to be low, we upped my estrogen patch to .075 and the itching stopped. Then my insurance decided to change from covering Climara to now covering Vivelle Dot....hence the switch. I started using the Vivelle Dot last Thursday and was due to change it today at lunchtime. I did not sleep well at all last night and was awake itching and scratching like crazy....got up and immediately changed my patch out. The itching is a little better but still there. I am wondering......could it be that Climara is just a little stronger maybe than Vivelle? I know they are based on 2 different formularies (one yam based and one soy based)......but I was just hoping to throw the question out there to see if anyone else was bothered like I am........any ideas? Thanks........

Anna,
It could be that your body absorbs the Vivelle Dot differently than the Climara. They do have different adhesives. You may need to give it some time for your body to adjust to the change or that you need to change the new patch a bit earlier.

Climara and Vivelle are made from two different plants. One is made from soy, one is made from yam (unfortunately, my brain fog prevents me from remembering which is which!). I have tried both and feel better on Climara.

isewquilts

Great posts, as I am seriously considering changing from Vivelle Dot to Climara. Is Climara also estradiol?

Has any one without a uterus tried the Climara Pro? I read so much on here about the benefits of progesterone and am suprised that more sisters are not on a combination patch.

Thanks!

Swetpea

Sweat Pea, you might want to research the type of progestin that is in the Climara Pro. The climara is a bio-identical estrogen, I don't know about the progestin in the combi patch. Hopefully, someone will come along and address this question for you. Let us know if you feel the Climara works better. I'd like to hear your opinion on this. I use the Vivelle dot and am happy, but I have to use two patches to have enough estrogen. Right now, that is a small price to pay for my well being, but I hope eventually that I'll be able to get back to just the .01mg.

I might add that at one time I used the Climara, the negatives for me were more skin irritation and I had to change every 5 days (which isn't a big deal). Then I went to oral bio-identical but I didn't do as well with my migraines on oral so went back to patch and this time the Vivelle Dot. So, I can't really answer the question if it has a stronger estrogen effect since I didn't go from one patch to the other.

Climara is also bio-identical estradiol. It's soy based while Vivelle Dot is yam based.

ClimaraPro is a combination of bio-identical estradiol and synthetic progestin. This is something that would most likely be used by someone who is also dealing with endometriosis. Progesterone and progestin can counteract the effects of estrogen on endometriosis. Those of us who need to use progesterone typically opt to have a separate prescription for it, or use over-the-counter progesterone along with our estrogen. By having separate prescriptions for the hormones the doses can be tweaked, if needed, to customize for the needs of the woman. Hormone therapy just isn't a one size fits all deal, unfortunately.

(((Anna))), I hope you're doing better now and that your body will adjust to the change of patches. Are you wearing your patch on your abdomen or on your rear? If it's on your abdomen and you feel your levels are low, you might want to try switching it to your rear as absorption is about 20% better back there.

s

P. S. - As a gentle reminder to everyone, please start a new thread if you have questions or concerns of your own. It helps keep threads easier to follow and you'll have the best chance to get the input you need, too.

Thanks, April Dawn. I am doing much, much better. I have tried wearing the Vivelle Dot on my rear, but had an increase in migraines As I said an extra $30.00 per month is a small price to pay for my well being. So for now, I have to wear two patches.