Climara patch coming off

Anyone have any tips to keep my patch stuck good? I'm in 5th week post op and haven't really had any problems with the patch except the top edge seems to create a pocket. I'm thinking from the shower, although I'm trying to keep that area as dry as possible. But the one I'm currently wearing is on day 5 and there's no way it's going to make it the full week. Is it okay to change it a couple days early?

Here's some tips for keeping the patch stuck
https://www.hystersisters.com/vb2/article_327724.htm

If the patch is wrinkled or bubbled up, you probably are not getting the maximum out of the hormones so I would change it.

I used the Climara early on in my recovery. At first, I didn't have any problems with it. After awhile, I just could not keep it stuck, it would shift around, fall off in the bathtub, get stuck to my clothes, etc.

I didn't know about my other choices at the time. Knowing what I know now, I probably would've asked about the Vivelle Dot. The dot is much smaller than the Climara and appears to have a better adhesion success rate. If the tips don't work for you, ask your doctor about other options.

I've been wearing Climara patches for about ten months and have had pretty good luck with keeping them on. My routine goes something like this: wash and dry the area (and my hands) with a washcloth and towel; use a blow dryer to get the area (and my hands) extra dry and warmed up; use the blow dryer on the patch itself for a couple of seconds to warm it up and get it stickier; expose half the patch and wait 10-15 seconds before putting it on; press that side down on my body, hard, for 20 seconds or so; expose the other side to the air for 10-15 seconds; press that side down on my body, hard, for 20 seconds or so; blast the whole area/patch with the blow dryer for a bit; press down on the entire patch for 20 seconds or so. Voila!

It felt like quite the process at first, but now it's second nature and really works well for me. I think there's only been one time, maybe two, where my patch has seemed to loosen/bubble up a little before the week was over, and in that situation I cut off just the adhesive part of a waterproof bandage and stuck that over the suspect edge of the patch to hold it down and keep it on. That got me through to my regular change day.

It may take some playing around for you to find the perfect system for you, or maybe a different patch/brand might be the answer. Good luck!

Thanks for the tips. I was hoping it wouldn't happen again, but sure enough day 4, it has actually folded itself up on the bottom edge and in the middle. I'm making sure the area is clean, dried, alcohol'd and dried some more before I put the patch on. I put it low enough so my panty/pants lines don't sit on it. I don't know why it's all of a sudden doing this. My post op is in 4 days, I'm going to ask about the Vivelle Dot, I just hope my insurance covers it and if I'm allowed to mention who I go through, let me know. I'd like to know if anyone with the same insurance is getting the Dot. If it's not covered, i'll price the Dot, but may have to take pills... I hate taking pills and am horrible at remembering them, but I can't keep changing these darn patches every 3-4 days, or can I... If my patch keeps puckering up and half coming off, am I doing any harm by changing it earlier than 7 days? I feel so good on what I'm taking now, I'm afraid to switch to another patch and even more scared of switching to pills.

Hi Becky!

In addition to the tips you got from ((hippie chickie)), there are some to try in this link: How Can I Keep My Estrogen Patch On Until It's Time To Change It?

Per the website guidelines we can't mention insurance company names on the message boards. Your best bet is to call to ask if they cover Vivelle Dot or not if you want to make a change. Another idea is to ask your doctor for some free samples to try before committing to a full prescription.

Good luck with this!

Just another thought/tip....You might want to try playing around with where you put the patch. For me, putting it on my lower abdomen works way better than on my backside, where it tends to bunch and move around a lot (I think because of how I sit and sleep and such). Whereas I know that a lot of other people swear by putting it on their backside and say that that's the only place they can keep it on for a whole week. So, maybe try wearing it in different spots to see if something works better for you?

Also, you're not doing any harm to yourself if you change the patch early (as long as you only have one patch on at a time, you're just getting a regular dose of it), but you don't want to have to blow through your prescription too fast because you may end up having to pay extra or you may have trouble refilling it earlier than you're supposed to. So, ideally you'll find a way to make each patch last the full week.

Continued best wishes to figuring this all out!

I am having the same problem. The backside was the worst area so far that I placed it on. I might have to switch to pills... which is fine since I take vitamins every morning. Anyway, I was reading the instructions and it says, "If the patch falls off before you have worn it for the full seven days, apply a new patch until the initial seven-day cycle is over. Then, remove the replacement patch-even if you've worn it for only one or two days. Select a different area on the skin and apply a new patch to begin the next seven-day dosing interval. This will ensure that your cycle of treatment remains on schedule." Hope this is helpful.

I'm so glad I did a search for this question because I'm also having the same issue with my patch coming off early. Thanks so much for the great tips! I will try some of the tips you ladies have suggested and see if that helps! Hugs

Since I last wrote on this post I have had some changes and possibly some new tips.

I found that rubbing alcohol on the area before putting it on helps it to stay the full seven days. My patch would fall off because of the lotions in the body wash I was using.

Also, they were giving me the generic version of climara. Not only was it falling off but it would leave these dry circle patches all over my mid section. When it would fall off it would smell horrible... And when it started leaving bloody rings I became very alarmed. My doctor didnt help much but my pharmacist helped saying I was severly allergic and switched me to a different manufacturer of the generic version that uses a different glue. These patches are clear instead of tan and smaller which is a big plus. The dry bloody patches took 3 months or more to go away even with intensive healing lotion. Happy to report. My patch doesnt fall off any more and I dont have allergic reaction anymore.

Now I just have pelvic pain that seems to hop from side to side each week depending on what side my patch is on. (I only put it on my lower pelvic BC it doesnt stay on my back side or hips)... this pain I associate with the patch... The pain is horrible and has prevented me from being able to walk:-(

Hope this helps:-)

I ended up requesting more patches and use each patch for 1/2 week. My insurance pays the same as when Dr prescribed 1 patch per week. The key was for the prescription to be for 2 patches a week, 2 boxes a month (each box has 4 patches). All insurance is different so double check. My pharmacist is the one who helped me figure this solution out.