Oestrogel: new packaging (yet again)?

[Cosmetichamster]

Hi ladies,

Just got this month's prescription for Oestrogel, and I have been issued with a bottle that is new (to me at least). Have a look at the photo: left is what I have known and used since June this year, on the right is the new bottle, also from Besins, same labels, same ingredients, and long use by date (07/25). Obtained from a reputable pharmacy, which has filled all my previous HRT prescriptions.

Has anyone seen this sort of thing? Slightly freaked out here.

This is a video of the bottle manufactured by Rexam/Nemera.

They are the ones used for Oestrodose (no square) and Oestrogel (with orange or green squares(.

This is the video of the bottle manufactured by Lablabo.

It's the Oestrogel cylindrical bottle.

The inner pouches that contain the gel are completely different as well as the pumps.

I have a photo of Nemera's bottle pouch.

It would be interesting if someone opened the cylindrical bottle and posted the photo on here.

OMG! Thank god, i thought i was going mad! I too am 54, been using 4 pumps of the old style Oestrogel for years and been fine and fab ... now just started using the new shape Oestrogel pumps and my hot flushes/night sweats are back (milder, but back none the less), itchy/crawly skin, spot outbreaks and headaches! 🤷‍♀️ This happened with the OestroDose which was 'allegedly' the same!

OMG! Thank god, i thought i was going mad! I too am 54, been using 4 pumps of the old style Oestrogel for years and been fine and fab ... now just started using the new shape Oestrogel pumps and my hot flushes/night sweats are back (milder, but back none the less), itchy/crawly skin, spot outbreaks and headaches! 🤷‍♀️ This happened with the OestroDose which was 'allegedly' the same!

Fascinating research @Azaleah - thanks for sharing. It could be the differentiator (despite pharma denial)

I have the same experience with differing bottles. I've had been very settled on the bottle shaped container with batch codes starting with a 7 and then was sent the different white topped cylindrical bottles with the codes starting with 1. I've had so many horrendous symptoms with the white topped bottles, cardiac etc. I thought it was just me and carried on using it, wondering why I had so many symptoms. I managed to get one bottle with the green top and code 7, symptoms eased off really quickly and now I'm dreading it finishing and will have to see what the private pharmacy deliver to me. This is horrible, something needs looking into, perhaps the gel is less stable in the plastic inner pouch as opposed to the foil one? Anyway, I'm not here to be challenged or told none of this can be true. Just to let others know I am experiencing the same thing and am not imagining it.

@Azaleah I'll post a photo of the cylindrical white topped innerds. I threw one away that I'd looked at. I have pretty much always 'bothered' to opened them as there's plenty of gel left in the the inner pouches and I like to use it and not waste it. The white topped ones have a clear thick plastic inner pouch.

Brilliant! Thanks 😊

Christ, I’m due to collect my latest batch of 6 bottles this week. Dreading it. Think I’ll take an empty box of ‘old’ stuff to compare it to what’s being offered. No need to open boxes then.

Yep! I'm with you! Had exactly the same experience on the white topped cylindrical Oestrogel..! My symptoms all returned! It is DEFINATELY NOT the same.

Hi me too and had the same thing happen when I had bottles with the green square.

It's just all so frustrating, isn't it. I switched to sandrena a few months ago after ALL my symptoms returned when I was given the new cylindrical bottles of oestrogel. That was after using the original oestrogel very happily for 18 months.

Sandrena helps, but not as much as the oestrogel and I'm on the max of 3 sachets a day.

When I went to pick up a repeat prescription of sandrena, there'd been a mess up and I'd been prescribed oestrogel. It was in the new bottles. I had a chat with the pharmacist about it. I'm not entirely sure he believed me, but he did give me one of the old style oestrogel bottles. Unfortunately, he only had one bottle. I took it gladly. What a difference. It's just made me more cross that we can't get that one anymore.

So I had that for a month, and felt just about normal! But now back on sandrena. I feel functional. But not great. Is that the best we can hope for?!

Keep on reporting here ladies. I know it’s a faff, however if we don’t report it they won’t investigate and hopefully sort it out. Speak to your GPS, pharmacist, menopause specialists, tweet Louise Newson and Davina spread the word and if necessary direct them to this thread if they don’t believe you.
https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/

Besins won’t investigate because the ingredients are the same, they believe nothing could be possibly wrong, it’s a joke, as so many women say otherwise

I've been using this bottle for about a week. I've been low in mood, teary, getting hot flushes, and have started waking in the early hours again.

@Helswatts you're bang on. Ive reported twice. Its honestly been a waste of time. Its as if the copy and paste same message to everyone.
Its unfair

That happened when I used the bottle with the green square.

I’ve just checked all mine and they’re all starting in one zero and I’ve noticed that I’m waking up in the early hours lately. There’s definitely something amiss I’ll up the dose to three pumps tonight see if it helps.

Yeah it’s unfair I totally agree. Just feels a bit better reporting it and taking some kind of action however futile or hopeless. For me anyway- won’t speak for anyone else- I’d rather at least try and if nothing else take up their admin time being a bloody nuisance 😜 What’s the alternative?

Yep, they don’t care, supply and demand, they know we won’t just stop using it, some of us will up our doses, pray we get the bottle that works next time or worst case change to patches etc. You’d think they’d want to investigate especially as there’s different inners in the bottles, don’t they want to learn 🤣

Hello Besins 👋🏻 You guys could hire us to solve this issue! I'm available 😂

That’s the biggest issue, they don’t see it as an issue as it doesn’t affect their sales. It would be interesting to know if the French, Belgium and Spanish ladies have issues, do they have batch / problem issues.

That’s a great point Helswatts about whether other ladies in other countries are having issues. Would be very interesting. I wonder if there are any other forums this is being discussed on? 🤔
Azaleah get your cv up to date 🤣🤣

When I see your name, I say it in my head in a Chinese accent 🤦🏼‍♀️🤣. We need menopausal HRT taking pen pals 🤣

I did a good search and see nothing on french female sites (though there isn't a site the size of MN)... only french discussions about oestrodose (other than complaining about a supply shortage in 2018) are on transgender sites. I have been taking it (for perimenopause) for a year in France and nothing has changed for me (always same flagon shape bottle, green square) so if my symptoms started to worsen I would just assume I would need to up the dose rather than thinking the product had changed.