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.

@Hartieharts my thinking behind posting that was to share information on where women can discuss this and also find useful info on other topics if they have questions unrelated to the specific issue of the fact that the gel is not the same for some women. And also to see that this isn’t the only thread and my be a bit overly optimistic in the thought that the more it’s discussed tHe more chance something will be done about it? 😬

I started.the new packaging recently, all my symptoms returned, one day in particular was unsettling, to put it mildly. I cannot afford to take chances on a product which is inconsistent, imo oestrogel are negligible in their follow up and research and dismissive in their responses.

There's more chance something will be done about it if every woman who experiences these issues raises a yellow card:

https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/

Yes I agree. Several people on this thread if you have had time to read it all have said that too @HundredMilesAnHour
and spreading the word about yellow card on other forums is useful too. 😁

Does anyone know how many yellow card reports have been made? I found this FOI response from a couple of years ago and wondered if there's more up to date info https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/freedom-of-information-responses-from-the-mhra-week-commencing-13-december-2021/freedom-of-information-request-the-number-of-yellow-card-reports-you-have-received-on-the-besins-pump-action-oestrogen-gel-that-goes-by-the-names-of

I cannot access sandrena here , can anyone advise an alternative gel which isn't the oestrogel/ Besin brand please?

@gabbyaggy Unfortunately there's no other gel besides Oestrogel and Sandrena. Can you get Lenzetto spray? Why can't you access Sandrena?

I can get Lenzetto, unfortunately I can't find a supplier for Sandrena where I live .

@gabbyaggy I suppose Lenzetto is a great alternative, some women think it's a bit weaker than Oestrogel but others love it. Are you going to try it?

@WhereAreWeNow This is the only one. Have you noticed that the government response is total BS?

'Both Oestrogel and Oestrodose are made by the same manufacturer in an identical manner and in the same factory'.

They were made by different manufacturers in different factories. Now they're being manufactured by the same manufacturer in different factories.

I have contacted them and they replied that the issue is 'under inverstigation'.

Yes I will definitely try Lenzetto, I'm seeing my gp next week, fingers crossed. I'll report back.

I spoke to the pharmacy and explained my concerns and asked if anyone else had complained about the cylindrical bottles. He said nobody had (without checking with anyone else, mind) and said something about parallel imports which I didn't understand. He then said that he would make a note on my record and order me another batch which will be in on Monday. So I shall see what type it is.

He also suggested I speak to my GP, which I did. She took down all the details and said she was going to speak to the pharmacist at the PCT as it was obviously a concern about supply, but that if the new batch was the same we could discuss alternatives to oestrogel.

She seemed interested that other women were discussing the problem online and said she'd follow up. Later she sent a reply saying that the pharmacist had said that they can't guarantee where a batch is going to come from (presumably because their order form doesn't allow for more specifics like 'not the Belgian stuff'!) but I think she might raise it more generally as well with the PCT, so fingers crossed.

I've many questions regarding quality control in pharma, especially oestrogel. What constitutes a batch; are they random testing samples and if so how often and what measures are put in place. Have Besins recalled random bottles of oestrogel products from pharmacies as a cautionary measure, just in case?

I could go on and on.

and said something about parallel imports which I didn't understand.
It depends on what they can get @MargotMoon
I had the same 'note' on mine, about preferring no parallel import, [Oestrodose] at a small pharmacy which I sometimes use. A few months ago they apologised that they could only offer me 2 packs of Oestrogel and the other had to be Oestrodose as it was 'flying off the shelves' and did I want to accept it. I did.
I've never noticed any difference in the two, but I've not yet used the newer bottle that is the issue on this thread. I think it's pretty much pot luck what they can get hold of and it may come to using whatever they can offer.

That's exactly what they just said when I went to pick up the prescription they messaged and said had come in - it's the same stuff (Besins Belgium, cylindrical bottle with white cap). So I've sent a request to GP for advice on what to do next.

The gel may well be the same, and this is why Besins probably won’t investigate and it’s and demand, if they had strong competition they’d have to investigate but something is going on, I know you don’t want to believe it, but it’s probably due to storage, transportation and the way it’s dispensed. I was 7 years post menopause so didn’t really have fluctuating hormones when I started hrt but definitely noticed symptoms coming back when I had bottles with the green square and the conical bottle.

menopausechitchat_ on Instagram has measured the dose of gel dispensed
by the cylindrical bottle and found a variation from 0.99 to 1.15 g with an average of 1.06 g. Each pump should be delivering around 1.25 g..

Thanks for sharing this. Good to have some videos to show our GP if/when we ever see them face to face.

Meanwhile I've been upping my dose by 25% (trial & error) and it seems to be working for me. So going by that the -25% being pumped out seems quite accurate!

I’m curious which formula most people are having issues with? I seem to get on better with the green square ref number starting 1…. Versus the Orange square ref number starting 7.
when I started the Orange square batch, my symptoms came back even when I upped the dose!

@SoftPillowAllNight Great, hope it works

@Beachlover777 It depends on which one the person was using before and the manufacturing date. Batches manufactured after July 2022 seem to be be less effective than the previous ones, irrespective of whether they have green or orange squares.

The posters on Instagram apparently haven't realised that when they tag @besinshealthcare they are tagging the Russian factory that doesn't manufacture Oestrogel. Besins UK doesn't have an Instagram account.

Oh ok, I’ve only been on HRT for 6 months and had found what felt like the perfect mix, now feel like I’m back to square one

@Beachlover777 Sorry to hear that. How many pumps of the gel are you on?

2 and a bit worked for me, I even went up to 4 pumps of the orange square and still woke
Up drenched etc