Gepretix ? anyone else been given this instead of Utrogestan?

[Silvermoonsnowflake]

As the title says really.

Got given this instead of Utrogestan at the pharmacy yesterday not tried it yet but a quick google suggests it is a cheaper alternative.

Only search results on here are in conception topic.

Anyone else? How are you finding it? Sorry forgot to add for HRT? Thanks

In a different related post, it shows there is one difference in the carrying oil

While I do not want to invalidate any ladies experience, as both gepretix and micronised progesterone have the same active ingredient, but different inactive ingredients, I am confused why people do have symptoms with the switch.
I thought gepretix or utrogestan are both still micronised progesterone with the same amount of bioidentical hormone in each.

I posted the ingredients.

This is the post
Utrogestan
Sunflower oil, refined
Soybean lecithin
Gelatin
Glycerol
Titanium dioxide
Purified water

Gepretix
Grape seed oil
Soya bean lecithin
Capsule shell:

• Gelatin
• Glycerol
• Titanium dioxide (E171)

The only difference is sunflower oil in Utrogestan and Grape seed oil in Gepretix.

If your boobs are sore is there a possibility you're ovulating?
Sore boobs can start with any new HRT ( a different type) or a higher dose of estrogen or progesterone. It's hard to know how a grapeseed or sunflower oil would make a difference.
Ask the pharmacist maybe?

Again, I don't mean to invalidate anyone's experience.
Would the carrier oil make a difference?
I changed from utrogestan to gepretix. I changed some time in the early spring. I have felt different, waking up anxious, but I just assumed gepretix and utrogestan were the same as both contain 100mg micronised progesterone as the active ingredient.

I hear what you're saying. In terms of pharmaceutical quality, products go through very strict processes. It's hard to understand why one plant oil used instead of another would make the absorption different. Sore boobs etc usually mean better (more) absorption rather than less, or your own hormones kicking in.

It's impossible to use personal anecdotal experiences to make a judgement, especially where hormones that are fluctuating anyway are involved.

I've only used Utrogestan - for around 10 years. I have a different experience each month and even day to day with it.

For most of the time when I use it vaginally, I sleep less well, often waking a lot and being hot. When I use it orally (which I do for 2 or 3 days so I can also use vaginal estrogen at night) I sometimes sleep less well but sometimes like a log. Sometimes I need to get up at night for a wee, sometimes not. Sometimes I get low abdo pains (at night) a bit like a period pain, sometimes not.

It varies a lot even on the same product. And I'm 16 years post meno so my hormones are not fluctuating.

The difference between the two products is around 10p per tablet. It's not massive but across 1000s of women that will make a difference.

Just on a related note, I notice that some
people have talked about using utogestron vaginally - a private professional gave me a prescription to do this with 200 mg but when I asked my GP for the same, she would only prescribe it orally using 100 mg as she said it was not in the NICE guidelines to prescribe vaginally for HRT, anyone else had this response from GP? Thanks

Utrogestan of any kind (200 or 100) is not licensed in the UK for vaginal use as HRT. Both are available off-licence which means your GP agrees to prescribe on that basis.

It's only in the UK that it' s not licensed because it's used like that almost routinely in Europe.

I don't think it's anything to do with NICE guidelines which are something different, but it's the licensing rules around the drug (is that NICE? )

If you really want to use it vaginally, your GP will never know. Many/most women use 2 x 100mgs that way.

The 200mgs is available for fertility.

If you saw a private consultant/ GP can they not give you a repeat prescription if you need it?

Thanks for this, yes I think NICE is to do with licensing. Yes my private consultant can give me a prescription, it was just costing me a fortune!!

@Lozzy1968 There are women getting the 200mgs on the NHS (I have a friend who is.) TBH you can use 2 x 100 vaginally and don't need 'permission' .
I understand the cost. The 200mgs are something like £2 a tablet (I've paid for them too) but now I have the 100mgs and use 2 (they are about 50p each.) My consultant (private) is okay with this and I sometimes take them orally as well to have a break from vaginal.

Yes felt really low down no motivation feel really lost it’s scary

This is a very common side effect of micronised progsterone. Many women feel like that on it.

The products are identical. The name is different. Just like Nurofen is an expensive brand of ibuprofen but it's the same as generic ibuprofen.

The only way to conduct a real experiment on yourself would be to get both brands and get someone to give you the capsules each day, out of the packaging so you have no idea which is which, and see if you feel any different.

No I’ve definetely felt change I’m not good at all seen another post on here woman said same

The nurse who did my check up said I might start getting it because my prescription said progesterone.

She changed it to Utrogestan :-)

Before I found all the chats about the Gepretix, I realised it on my own that the Gepretix is not working for me and all my symptoms are back to as before starting HRT.
I realised the tender breasts, new PMS symptoms, etc. are the symptoms of the estrogen dominance, meaning the progesterone is out of sync with it. Have all the anxiety/palpitations back and feel like a crazy women again! I am desperately asking GP to name Utrogestan on the prescription.
Something is different and if not the ingredients list then the amounts. I've seen someone's post that double Gepretix dose was better, so it makes me think it contains less progesterone.

Sorry to hear about your bad experience.
I also read about bad experiences of gepretix.
I don't mean to invalidate your experience, as you are obviously having a rough time, gepretix contains 100mg micronised progesterone.
I used it for a few months, then found a box of utrogestan and been using that for a couple of weeks, but don't feel any different.
I think utrogestan and gepretix have different oils in them, but I think the oil is an inactive ingredient.
If I want to get really paranoid I could wonder if the oil is stopping the micronised progesterone absorbing in the gepretix, but that is just a speculation by me.

Absorption I was wondering about too. Different methods of extraction of the ingredients can also alter the them chemically and make it less bioavailable for the body to absorb.

The pharma industry doesn't work like that.

All drugs have to go through very stringent testing from the moment the raw materials arrive on site, to the actual final product. Absorption of this product is so basic and essential (if it wasn't being absorbed women would be at risk of hyperplasia).

It's not credible to assume that a different oil wasn't considered as part of the manufacturing process.

Pharma companies employ chemists with a hierarchy of experience who check everything all through the process, till the final packaging and the final sign-off.

The people who do this (they're called Qualified Persons and are more qualified than pharmacists) risk prison if there are mistakes because they can be personally sued for mistakes if they approve a product incorrectly.

Micronised progesterone is affected by our own bodies because it is less stable once it's being metabolised than the synthetic forms.

Thanks for your informative post.
I try to read about various medications but I get lost in the jargon.
Progesterone is cross-tolerant with benzodiazepines, which my GP is helping me off. Please could you elaborate on micronised progesterone being less stable, such as point me toward something to read on this? thanks.

Hi all, I've just had gepretix after having utrogestan for 12mths, I've had the worst period ever,heavy and painful, still having pains after bleeding as stopped, I've requested utrogestan for next prescription and also booked doctors appointment as it has worried me after being fine all year, just thought I'd post having found this thread xx

I've been on HRT for a few years, most of that time on Utrogestan. I was swapped to a Zentiva several months ago and use two tablets vaginally 14 days per month. My peri symptoms are numerous and vary by the month, so it's normal to have a different experience each month (my body likes to mix things up). For example, some months I have a light bleed for three days and other months it goes on for a week and for part of that time it's so heavy I think I might as well just sit on the loo for a few days 🤣 At one point I did ask my private GP about Zentiva and they reassured me it's the same as Utrogestan.

I started bleeding every two weeks when I switched to Gepretix. Went back on Utrogestan (after some battles with GP) and back to 'normal' long cycles. I am not buying into 'it is the same' at all, something is different about them.

So I was in the same situation. Went to see my doctor who said gepretix is indeed a cheap alternative and isn’t exactly the same. This tiny difference is causing women to experience menopausal symptoms again. I was not sleeping, night sweats. After a few months felt awful. She explained it was the change to these capsules.

Hi all. Newbie here so just wanted to ask if anyone has noticed a difference in the new utrogestan that seems to be circulating? Different packaging, sticky labels on the tablet sleeve and made in a different country supposedly by same company. I’ve just started it in the last week and have irritation (I use it vaginally) stomach cramps and mood is definitely blah. I’m sensitive to any tiny changes so thought it was worth asking others. Thanks

I had a box like that. It had Utrogestan printed on the front but the box was a bit different and there were stickers saying ‘licensed only for UK use’, or something like that. I wasn’t happy, so I swapped it to the normal box (thankfully my pharmacist was good about it).

As for Gepretix, it may well have the same ingredients, barring the carrier oil, but like others I had sudden irregular bleeds where my bleeding had been non existent, and cramps, etc. And I’d taken the Gepretix thinking nothing of it, so it wasn’t psychosomatic or anything. It’s also why I wanted to swap the new Utrogestan box, because I’d had a weird blip on the Gepretix.

I was also switched to Zentiva after taking Utrogestan, which gave me some side effects, but I'm feeling so awful on Zentiva I'm skipping it tonight and contacting my doctor tomorrow. Strange pressure in my ears, headache, low mood, feeling drugged up all day, and periods are suddenly out of whack. Its definitely got worse each month, I feel like I'm done with it😕