Oestrogel - bad side effects

[grace11]

I’ve been prescribed oestrogel for peri menopause symptoms- mainly insomnia and anxiety. I’m very sensitive to new medication so have been putting off trying it for ages. I decided to bite the bullet for this cycle (I’m to use it day 15 up to my period) and tried it today and I’ve had horrible side effects with just one pump!! Nausea, dizziness, thirst, clenching my jaw, facial flushing. I’m waiting to hear back from the doctor but my instinct is to stop and start at a lower dose if I can get it for the next cycle. Has anyone else experienced a bad reaction like this?

TBH as @Janiie says, if you are an anxious person, you are going to find it hard to tell if the reactions you have/had are down to anxiety, or any meds.

My dr uses the word 'nocebo' (opposite to 'placebo') for adverse reactions that can be caused by expecting the worst.

If you expect an issue- it may well come- self fulfilling prophecy.

A sachet of gel- Sandrena - is 0.5mgs of estrogen. One pump of estrogen gel is 0.75mgs. you can adjust the amount by either pumping out 1 full pump and discarding some, or pumping out less.

I use the cap off my gel bottle to spread mine, someome advised me to do this as the waste on my hand differed each day. Worth trying it 😊

Yes it’s true @JinglingSpringbells about not knowing what’s what exactly but in the end it’s the same for me - the effects are too difficult for me to manage. I will say although I had been putting off trying it it wasn’t because of side effects it was because I didn’t want it to mess my period up which is still 28 days exactly. I had no worry that I would feel sick etc. I had a similar experience with venlafaxine. I had taken this for many years so when I tried again I thought it would be straightforward but it hit me really hard but in a different way - I literally could not stop yawning!! Anyway, I’ll see about the sachet vs the pump when I finally chat about it to the consultant. I’m actually wondering if this approach is right for me at all now as I’ve noticed the issues in the luteal phase are now in the follicular phase too - ovulation seems to cause a huge amount of issues. I’ve got blood tests due next cycle so I’ll see if there’s been much change.

I've been on hrt for 2.5 yrs. I started on Oestrogel...it made me feel hyper & jittery, then I'd crash & feel shit..Lots of ups & downs during the day. I gave it a good 6 months with dosage changes. Then switched to a patch which was instantly far far better for me & gave me consistency throughout the day. The slow, steady release from the patches just suits me better. If you've just started gel, give it a bit of time for your body to adjust to settle as it's extremely early days for you & it is easy to overthink everything at the start & be hyper alert to everything. But it is possible that it may not suit you. Hrt isn't a fix all & can take quite a number of months (& patience!) to find the best type & dose. If you're in peri, expect some ups & downs despite hrt.... It can all take time x

Hi @suesoso this is really useful to hear. I’m amazed you stuck with it for so long but sounds like you are in a good place now. The effects were quite similar to a steroid injection I had on my hip - which made me tense, jittery and flush. I’ll try less but given what you say maybe the patch will be better. Do you know how much oestrogen you get with the patch per day? Are you still on just oestrogen?

Oestrogel was the first hrt type I tried & I started it within 6 weeks of getting meno symptoms, so I didn't know whether what I was feeling was due to menopause or too lower dosage... hence giving it time before trying something else. The patches come in various strengths up to 100.. 1 pump of gel is rough equivalent to 25 patch & then in 25 increments for each pump... eg. 3 pumps = 75 patch & so on. The upper licensed dose is 100, but some women use more with a specialist say so if they don't absorb well. I've always been on both oestrogen & progesterone.. I also added testosterone into the mix about 9 months in & this has helped a lot too. I'm in an okay place now, yes.... but still far from 100%. Some months are great, others are shit. HRT is helping tremendously, but it isn't a magic bullet. Just keep at it, try another type, give it time & do whatever you can in terms of looking after yourself as our bodies are under a lot of stress & need some extra TLC at this time... far easier said than done I know!. x

And yes, jittery is exactly how I felt on oestrogel & I know from other forums others have had the same experience too. While for some, it's a godsend... Sometimes even the brand of the same type of delivery can suit people differently.... go figure.

Btw there's loads on info on the balance-menopause.com website in the menopause library with regards to types & dose equivalents etc....

I am a different person after giving the gel a free weeks, I cracked two days ago and struck a patch back on and it’s night and day. All my old symptoms came back with the gel, ridiculous anxiety, horrific aches and pains and not sleeping yet also palpitations and nausea. Was waking me up in night and stopping me getting back to sleep.

I often react oddly to meds, I have EDS and wonder if I was metabolising it too quickly, so was using it up quickly and then running out before my next dose was due, the stable nature seems to work much better for me.

@Matchingcollarandcuffs i am exactly where you are now. I have patches left from last year before going on to the gel due to a shortage of patches & im considering the same.
On the gel i seem to get a surge then go flat 🙄 tired of messing around with this hrt milarky! I can't seem to find a balance..

I use one pump in the morning and one in the evening as it smooths out the dose - I find this suits me better than 2 pumps on one go.

I have been using the gel for just under 2 weeks. 2 pumps a morning. I think im very sensitive to medication in general & i have been experiencing the whole lot of side effects near enough.. Absolutely horrible has made me feel like im going mad. Depressed, anxious. Extremely irritable. Headaches. It’s been scary. I’ve thought about stopping numerous times. But i remember when i was first on the patch this happened too & doctor told me to persevere and just let my hormones settle & they did.. Unfortunately i cannot remember how long this took to happen but it did. So im holding out for that too!