Is anyone out there taking Estrogel?  It is Estradiol in a gel form, used every day.  Not sure if this is sold all over the world as that brandname, but that's what it is in Canada. I'd love some feedback. I will be adding Prometrium, but even in a week, I am feeling fantastic...I mean compared to the wreck that I was before. Within 2 days, my blurred vision and headaches were eased, and now those volcanic hot flashes are easing up. My senses even seem to be clearer...smells are better, colours are more vivid. I had tried endless natural remedies, over the course of 5 years and finally opted for HRT. Please let me know if you've had experience with this combo.

They don't sell this brand in the USA.  I take compounded bi-est in the form of transdermal drops. Do you know what the dose of estradiol in this product is? How much estradiol do you rub in daily?

Thanks,

Cindy

It's a concentration of 0.06% and I take a 2.5 g dose.

Anne,Do you mean that you apply 2.5 grams of the 0.06% gel?  2.5 grams would be roughly 2.5 mls or half a teaspoon.  I am trying to calculate how much estradiol you are applying.  thanks,

I just found a website that desribes Estrogel. It sound like it comes in a pump bottle that delivers 2.5 gms. Is that correct?

That's right, 2.5 grams is the dose per day.

Hi Anne. I've just started on Estrogel and Prometrium pills yesterday. (I'm from Canada too) I was glad to see your note - and wondering if you're still feeling good on this combination. I could use some cheering up!

Jean

(Edited by Jean at 10:14 am on Oct. 30, 2002)

Hi there Jean,

I'm feeling very good on the Estrogel and Prometrium. I'm shocked at how well it's working. I have no hot flashes, memory is improving and I am sleeping much better.

The side effects that I'm noticing are slight weight gain (but this is because my appetite is better) and some breast changes, which I plan on telling my dr. about. You will notice that the Prometrium makes you sleepy...which was a bonus for me.

I guess that I'm lucky to have it work so well, so fast. I fought a hard battle not to go on HRT, but my symptoms were very bad and were affecting the quality of my life so drastically, that I had to make the choice.

How do you like it so far?

Hi Anne  - thank you so much for responding. I've been riding this menopause treadmill for quite a few years now, and yes, I've really resisted going on HRT, but came to a crisis point a couple of weeks ago. My doctor suggested I start on only one "squirt" of the estrogel daily and 100mg of prometrium, and we'd reevaluate in a month. (He said normal dose is twice that amount.)

Well, I was still having flashes every 30 minutes and up at least 9 times a night, and depressed, and anxious and having trouble coping with my daily life. So, on my own, I have just increased it to 2 squirts and 200 mg of prometrium - and I'll see the doctor after I've tried this for a week or so.

It's only been a couple of days at the bigger doasge - and I think I'm starting to notice a move towards the positive - the flashes are slightly less frequent, and quite a lot less intense. I was only up 4 or 5 times last night. So I am cautiously optimistic. Maybe a bit less pessimistic about life.

I've been on natural progesterone cream for two and a half years now.... so I'm not expecting any side effects from the progesterone. No noticable other effects yet.

I've GOT to start feeling better soon. Cross your fingers.

Keep in touch please Anne. It's nice to meet someone else on the same stuff as me.

Jean

Sounds like you've been going through just about the same stuff I've been going through. I even was taking natural progesterone cream that I ordered from the US...you can't get the right concentration in Canada. But just last summer, my symptoms became soooo intense. I tried black cohosh and a natural meno formula for about 3 months, with no success. I added a soy formula, and that helped just a little, for a little while.

Once you up your dosage, I bet you feel alot better. You will sleep. Not as well as you did when you were a teenager, but you will, I promise!

I had really planned on being the poster girl for getting through menopause with no HRT. And I felt very guilty for giving in. After pulling over on the highway for about the 5th time and hyperventilating into a paper bag, I figured my doctor was making sense when she said that I had a far greater chance of being in an accident (from never sleeping!) than developing cancer from HRT.

My problem now is that I am worried about going off in 4 years.

Anne:Yep, we sound similar alright. I did the black cohosh thing (twice) natural progesterone cream for 2+years (yes, ordered from the states, at great expense when you add exchange and duty) soy, red clover, etc etc. Some things worked great for a while.... but here I am back at square one again.

However, I am hoping for some improvement SOON. Come on, Estrogel - do your thing!

I would really like to have a night where I wasn't awake, dripping wet, every hour. The day time flashes are irritating, maddening, annoying, frustrating (I could go on, but I won't) but the lack of sleep and the fuzzy brain are killing me.

Do you take both squirts at the same time, or one in the morning and one at night? How about the Prometrium?  Are you still doing the soy thing, black cohosh, or anything else too?

Jean

I take the Estrogel in the morning, both squirts. Then I start the Prometrium on day 14 for 10 days. As a matter of fact,  I start that tonight! Take it at night...it makes you sleepy. Sounds like you could use a good night's sleep. Believe me, I can relate!!

I do take a bit of black cohosh and I also take Evening Primrose oil and vitamin E. I'm going to the dr. tomorrow to check on some changes that I'm having and I'm hoping she won't tell me to go off of everything.

What kind of Progesterone cream did you use? I was using Wild Yam Cream, from Enrich. I mean, it really helped for awhile, but didn't help at all once I was having hot flashes every 20 minutes!

I do hear good things about Soy based products, but I just wasn't getting the results I needed.

Do you live in Eastern or Western Canada? I hear it's easier to get progesterone cream in the east.

Hi Anne. I'm on the west coast, and no, it wasn't easy getting the progesterone cream. I ordered it from a mail order vitamin place on the web. I know that we're not supposed to give any links in our postings here, so if you want to know exactly where, you'll have to email me!

Today, I have definitely had fewer flashes during the day - and some have been mild, some strong. I had a bad night again last night. I'm really hoping for a bit of progress here, and soon.

I'm on the Estrogel and the Prometrium daily  - I haven't had regular periods for a while now. I'm 47. Sometimes I feel rather young, but lately I'm feeling REALLY old.

Cross your fingers for me. I really need a good night sleep.

Jean

Keep me posted on how you are doing.

Went to see the dr. today and got the go ahead to stay on this regimen. I really hope it starts working for you soon. I had a discussion with the dr. today about all of the problems I've had and when you think about it, the most severe is sleep deprivation. When you can't sleep, you can't focus or concentrate and you're in a bad mood all the time. She refuses to give me sleep medication, but that's probably just as well.

I'm 49 and feel much too young to be going through all this...

I think I'll probably not be using the Wild Yam cream for now. When I go off of the hrt, I'll probably give it a go.

Think I'll head over to another board. Maybe the one about sleep. See you over there?

Take care.

I don't know if you two ladies are still around but I really need some advice on Estrogel and Prometrium, I have a prescription for it as well and I'm wondering how you both felt with it and if your still taking it? I'm at my witts end , please reply.

thanks

Moozie

Hi Everyone,I haven't been to this site in a while.  I am from Canada also, and I have been on Estragel for about 6 months now.  I've been feeling pretty good but I have only been doing the pregesterone for 10 days every 3 months and I think I need to try talk to the MD about taking it every month instead.  I do sleep much better during that time, and perhaps by using it every month my sleeping nights will increase.  I know that studies have shown that women can function better on lack of sleep than men, but this is getting ridiculous.  *L*  

Hi B,

I tried the Estrogel and Prometrium , and had horrible anxiety and panic attacks with it. Guess I wasn't absoring the prometrium or something, I'm not sure. I was hoping this was my answer for the anxiety/panic but I wasn't that lucky.  I haven't been on it since the spring.  Glad it's working for you...

Moozie

Hi Moozie,  It's working for me so far, but I still need to get things into a better porportion.  I'm sorry you had the anxiety attacks.  I do find that since I've been menopausal I'm under more stress, and some days are good, but then there are those days when nothing goes the way it should.  What is it that you have decided to take instead of the estrogel Moozie, if you don't mind my asking.....