Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

Menopause

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Gel sachets - can I use half?

2 replies

Summerhillsquare · 10/03/2022 18:16

Sorry for the daft question but am on my last nerve with the GP - again.

Switched to Sandrena plus Utrogestan a few weeks ago, from Elleste 2mg, but they prescribed 4 months worth of the latter and only 4 weeks of gel at 1mg sachet per day. Symptoms returned even stronger and I was already struggling.

Getting an appointment is a nightmare, and they won't put anything on repeat prescription. When I finally got to speak to the nurse just as my sachets ran out she says they prescribe a pump bottle instead and I can go up to 1.5mg per day. When I pick up the prescription lo and behold it's another 28 sachets of 1mg gel.

So, can I open one and use half at a time? Does it decay once opened and left overnight? Shall I stop pissing about and use two? And spend my life continually begging for prescriptions...

OP posts:
JinglingHellsBells · 11/03/2022 09:31

Gel is alcohol based. You won't do any actual harm by using half a sachet BUT I think you'd need to fasten it somehow, or the alcohol will evaporate and then it will be harder to apply/ and be absorbed.

BUT if you were using 2mgs of tablets, why aren't you going straight into 2 mgs gel?

I think some of these nurses talk rubbish half the time,

Really, if you were on 2mgs before, why not 2mgs now? With gel in a pump bottle, 2 pumps= 1.5mgs. To get it to 2mgs, you'd need 2 pumps and a little bit more. With Sandrena, you can go straight to 2mcgs using 2 sachets.

problem, solved.

Summerhillsquare · 11/03/2022 19:56

That's a good point about the alcohol being likely to evaporate.

I have seen that the equivalent dose is less on the gel, although not being a clinical person IDK why, presumably something to do with bypassing the digestive system:

www.menopausematters.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=46933.0

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page