started hrt gel) - feel terrible. Like early stages of pregnancy... is this normal?

[gingerparkin]

Have namechanged since my last thread. Brief history. 42, had ovaries removed in december, went straight into surgical menopause. consultant had put me on an everol patch 50mg to 'tide me over' until i saw gynae endocrinologist last week. (Which I did). I have a mirena coil for progesterone.
Told endocrinologist my symptoms, of which the worse is the low mood/depression and inability to focus and concentrate. Have never felt so low in my entire life. He said "all classic symptoms of extreme oestrogen deficiency". He has since prescribed gel (oestrodose) 2 x a day. It has .75 mg per squirt.
I started using the gel last thursday and have felt terrible since. Nearest thing I can equate it to is early stages of pregnancy. Emotional, low grade nausea, dizzy, headachey and absolute exhaustion. COuld it be the dose is too high? Or just because I've been deficient for so long and now I'm being flooded with it. Will it pass?
Any experiences of using the gel also helpful.

A 50mg patch is 2mg oestrogen - a 37mg patch equates to 1.5 mgs which is the same as 2 squirts of the gel.

I think you could try dividing the gel into 2 applications ( morning and bedtime) which might alleviate the nausea- I did this and have continued with it like that for years. so that's 1 pump in the morning and 1 in the evening.

See if that helps.

Keep that up for about 2 weeks. If you are still feeling awful try increasing to 3 pumps for a couple of weeks- you can go as high as 4 in a day. As you are young and have no ovaries it might mean you need more than older women who are menopausal.

Where are you applying the gel? It ought to be upper arms, or front of thighs, allow to dry before dressing and do not wash off for at least an hour afterwards ( shower, swimming etc.)

Thank you pinkfrocks. I was hoping you were about! With my menopause addled brain, I can't quite work out if I am getting a higher dose with the gel than the patches? Do you think I am? I was wondering that if it a much higher dose, whether I should work up towards the two full squirts a day. In your experience, what's the benefit of a gel vs a patch?

I have been doing 1 squirt in the morning, 1 in the evening but realised not a regular times. SHould these been done at the same time every day? I have been applying on inner thighs or upper arms.

Also I read the leaflet that came with the gel and it said not to use any product/skin cleansers with SLS in them as it could affect from gel from working. What do you know about this?

Did you have nausea to begin with? Do you know if it is a temporary thing? I noticed it subsides if I am eating!

In theory you are getting less- see my first post to you.

You'd need 3 to be the same as the 50mg patch.

But everyone absorbs differently.

I don't know about using products with SLS in them- I must have missed that bit! Having said that I don't use any shower stuff with it in.

You mustn't use body lotion first either- put the gel on bare skin.

The timing is not critical. An hour or even 2 either way won't make a huge difference though I stick to a 8-9am and a 10-11pm regime.

I had nausea when moving from 1 squirt to 2 but 1 squirt did not control my symptoms. I then decided to divide the dose and that worked.

The nausea was for about a week and only lasted for about an hour.

The benefit of the gel is that you can easily adjust the dose without having to see the dr for a different patch and it also means you don't have a horrible sticky patch stuck on your bum!!!

Keep experimenting and see how it goes.

Thank you, so helpful!

When I get home later, I will post the dosage here and see what you think, as I am really confused. He took me off the patch because he said I wasn't getting enough and he needed to up the oestrogen, so he prescribed the gel at 2 squirts a day, one morning, one evening. But from what you are saying, I am getting less oestrogen overall with the gel than the patch? He said to carry on like this for 3 months, then he will do blood tests and review the dose.
Overall I do prefer the gel to the patch though.

You don't need to put the dosage here :)
Each squirt of gel is 0.75mgs. 2 pumps makes 1.5mgs.
A 50mcg patch is the same as 2mgs ( roughly) .

2mgs is a medium dose, 1 mgs is a low dose, 3mgs is a high dose.

1.5mgs is in between low and medium.
He may be confused- wouldn't be the first time drs are not completely on the ball.

You have no option except experiment!

If you reduce the dose and the nausea goes then you know that is the cause.

If 1 pump does not control your symptoms then you will need to increase it and the nausea may be temporary- give it at least 2 weeks to settle down and divide the dose.