Help! Is my HRT making me sick?

Hi Sisters,

I just changed brands of patches because the Estraderm patch stuck so poorly. My DR has me up to .1 due to the headaches I was having on the .05. I am now using the Vivelle patch which sticks great, but each day on this patch my symptoms seem to worsen. I put the patch on Saturday morning and felt great. Sunday morning I started experiencing some light headedness and a "chemical type headache". During the night last night my intestines started to bother me and the nausea started this morning. Now I am having stomach cramps. I am hungry and feel well otherwise, but the nausea has dulled my desire to eat. When I do eat my stomach hurts. I am also starting to bloat up like a balloon. When I was on the .05 patch the symptoms improved as I wore the patch...by day three I was feeling great. The DR said I needed a higher dose because I was feeling better due to the estrogen building up. Now I am wondering if this new patch is actually delivering more estrogen and it is building up to an intolerable level. Anyone else experienced this? I know that I can cut the Vivelle patch and am wondering if I should cut it down some and see how I feel? Any thoughts?

Thanks, Patti

Hi Patti Were you on the 0.1 Estraderm before you switched to the 0.1 Vivelle dot? If so, a couple of thoughts:

It is possible that the Vivelle is making better contact with your skin so you'd be getting a higher dosage. You may find you can drop down to the .075 or .05 on Vivelle and get enough estrogen.

Where are you putting the patch? Many of us have found that we get a larger amount if we put the patch on our behind than if we put it on our tummy. The manufacturer states that you can get around 20% more in back than in front.

The bloating very well could be a sign that you're getting too much. There are a few things you can do: one, if you are putting the patch on your behind, you could switch to your tummy. Another is that you could cut the patches. A third is to tell your DR and ask for samples of lower dose patches to try (this is the alternative that I'd choose first). If you find you need to switch to a lower dose patch, you can get a new prescription and also cut the ones you already have... there's no need for anything to go to waste.

Hope this helps!
s,
-Linda

Hi Linda,

I always appreciate your responses...I was on the Estraderm patch at .1 and felt quite good...since my DR said that dosage seemed to work, he allowed me to switch to Vivelle. I do believe it makes much better contact to my skin...the other type has a reservoir and never seems to feel like it makes total contact to my skin. I have been wearing them on my rear because I am very thin and that is the only fat I really have. I forgot to mention that I am using 1/4 teas. of progesterone cream twice daily as well. Would that make any difference?

Thanks bunches...you are an angel!

Patti

Patti the fact that you're using the progesterone cream shouldn't make a difference if the patches were really delivering the same amount of estradiol... it sure does sound like the generic patch wasn't doing the job, and now that you've got a patch that sticks you can use a lower dose. I'd call the DR and let him know.
I love it when there's actually a reasonable explanation for things, don't you?

-Linda

Hi,
You might want to mention to your doctor that you're using progesterone cream. It can build up in your system when administered as a cream, as I understand it, and even the beloved Dr. Lee says that sometimes the progesterone "sensitizes" the estrogen receptors in some women so that they actually have symptoms of estrogen dominance. I think it could complicate the picture of what's going with you, but just my opinion.