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.

I echo what @SamR36 and @Lotusflower75 have said!

The little stopper thing on the cylindrical bottle needs pulling away from the pump before it can be used as a cover. Not that it makes much difference - I conducted a completely non-scientific study experiment earlier, and several of the pumps looked different sizes and had air bubbles in them.

Thanks for the link to the Insta story, will follow that with interest.

Just saw this on Instagram 🙂

Update to my own experience with this packaging.

I track my symptoms using the Balance app so I have an accurate record of everything for a couple of years. I now also make a note of when I start a different type of bottle, as I’d noticed some changes.

I started the cylindrical bottles back in March and my debilitating muscle pain returned (on painkillers), together with worsened insomnia and joint pain. I also suffered with costochondritis before I started HRT and this returned. When I restarted the curved bottle I was fine within a few days.

I started the cylindrical bottle again on 5th September, and the same thing has happened. Muscle pain is unbearable, sleep is worse etc etc. costochondritis is back. I’ve reported it to Besins etc and am seeing my GP later in the week, but what else can I do?

This is as scientific as I can make it, but I think it does prove a correlation.

Sorry to hear you are experiencing this, it’s so awful. Have you tried increasing your dose when on the cylindrical bottle? It’s been reported the does is 20% less that the curved bottle.
have you been noting the batch numbers?
for me it correlates to the batch numbers, as nothing helps even if I increase dose. Maybe worth speaking to your GP about trying a slightly higher dose, I hope you find a solution soon x

@Beachlover777 are there some batches we shpuld be looking for. or are you just saying start to keep records. I was tidying my cupboard and was so excited to find an "old" bottle which had slipped down.

There are batches starting 10 which tend to have green square and batches starting 74 with an orange square, this is also causing problems for a lot of people. My symptoms returned when using the 74 batches regardless to which container. So it would appear there is 2 issues at play. The consistencies are different and the 74 batches have a stronger alcohol smell to me .

Thanks. I think I'm beginning to get a bit paranoid about this. Using two pumps today from orange square felt to me much less than I would normally get for that.

Yes, yes and yes!! I've just opened a cylinder bottle and have noticed you get much less gel per pump than the curved bottles. I pump once on each arm and then I add a little bit more.

What's the orange and green squares please ?

Yup me too.

On the curved bottles they have a little square on the front, green or orange x

This is an education! What is the difference between the colours?

I think it’s awful that pharmaceutical companies are playing with women’s health here. What the hell is going on? As so often happens, it feels like we’re being gaslighted into thinking it’s all in our heads.

Receiving faulty or incorrect doses (if this is what’s going on) is actually pretty serious. For some women, HRT is literally a life saver. I know that I can go to dark places when mine isn’t working. And yet the way it’s treated by the medical profession is like, ‘oh, it doesn’t matter, HRT is just something that makes women feel better’. They seem to forget how debilitating some of these symptoms are.

Nothing product wise, but apparently manufactured in different countries.

Useful link regarding the NHS suppliers for Estradiol 0.06% gel (750microgram per actuation)

https://services.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/dmd-browser/vmp/view/3500/suppliers?ref=YW1wTmFtZT1vZXN0cm9nZWwmc2VhcmNoVHlwZT1BTVAmc2hvd0ludmFsaWRJdGVtcz1mYWxzZSZoaWRlUGFyYWxsZWxJbXBvcnQ9ZmFsc2UmaGlkZVNwZWNpYWxPcmRlcj1mYWxzZSZoaWRlRGlzY29udGludWVkSXRlbXM9ZmFsc2U%3D

Similar experience with Gynokadin on a German forum.

The conical bottle was released in late 2021. One user noticed the inconsistency of the ‘old’ cylindrical bottle pump. I couldn't find out if the 'new' cylindrical bottle has been introduced in Germany or if this is happening just in the UK.

What I have noticed is that Gynokadin patient information leaflet has changed, the conical bottles had the gel manufactured at LBI, Montrouge in 2021 and now it says Besins Manufacturing Belgium, while the UK leaflets have both manufacturer sites.

https://fragen.lifeline.de/expertenrat/frage/Forum-Wechseljahre/Gynokadin-Hub-bei-neuer-Verpackung?threadId=15139093

On 74 batch. Straightaway noticed smaller volume and more alcohol smell. Felt symptoms coming back after 3 weeks of new bottle use. Was on 1.5 pump, increased to 2.

My mood has definitely dropped since I've been on the cylinder bottles. Mine have a gold line. I think I'll increase to three pumps to see if that makes a difference.

Just for info, from what I can see on my bottles, the batches starting with 74 are not necessarily the new conical bottles.

I have bottles with a '74' batch that are the 'original' older flagon bottles and they are Oestrogel (not Oestrodose, either.)

If you think the volume is less, one way to check is whether you get more than 64 single pumps out of the bottle because the total volume should be unchanged.

Yes it’s batch codes 74 in older style bottle that I had issues within 48hrs of using it so I switched back to a spare bottle and stabilised again. There’s definitely something going on!

So what did you swap to?

The older bottles with 74 batch are valid for 3 years (expiry date is 2025) and have been in stock/ dispensed for a few years.

I don't think (just my opinion) that the '74' means much because they are only the first 2 digits of a much longer batch number. So 74 'bottles' are not one single batch.

Well I have some with green squares codes 10 that have not made me feel like I did when I used the orange square 74 code 🤷🏻‍♀️

My '74' batches have green squares!

Where do you find the code numbers?

They are on the cardboard outer carton.

The batch codes are not just 2 numbers, there are about 5 or 6 numbers. So any starting with 74 could in theory go from 74000 to 74999