No vegetarian alternative to Utrogestan

[MagpiePi]

I've been taking Utrogestan for a couple of months to help with disturbed sleep and night sweats (I have a mirena but need a bit of extra progesterone), but only recently read the information leaflet and discovered it contains gelatin.
I asked my GP if they could prescribe a vegetarian alternative and it transpires that there is no such thing in the UK. I don't know what the origin of the gelatin is but surely there are religious women who would not be able to take it whether it was beef or pork based?

I stopped taking the Utrogestan about a week ago and have had about 4 hours of disturbed sleep every night since. The GP has offered a progesterone vaginal pessary (Lutigest) but it would have to be prescribed off license as it primarily for use in IVF treatments.

Do I just suck it up and get over the ick and take a non-vegetarian drug as it provides a good solution for me? I have eaten non-vege foods by accident a few times and am not overly bothered, but wouldn't deliberately choose to eat them. For example, I have a vege friend who eats Haribos even though they contain gelatin whereas I wouldn't.

I'd be interested to know what you think?

If women don't want it for religious or other reasons then there are other types of progesterone, including Norethisterone or some types of the mini pill (in higher doses.)

You don't need to have Lutigest for vaginal use.
You can use Utrogestan either way, using 2 x 100mgs or 1 x 200mgs depending on what dose you're on now.

What about a mirena coil?

I’m not judging your choices here I just want to ask :

As you won’t consume a medicine that you need to be healthy because it contains gelatin.

How do you feel about medicines that don’t contain gelatin but are still tested on animals ? Would you not take those either ?

I've been taking Utrogestan for a couple of months to help with disturbed sleep and night sweats

The usual way forward with this is to increase your estrogen first.

www.mymenopausecentre.com/gp-resources/hormone-replacement-therapy-for-vegans-and-vegetarians/

This may help!

That's a good link but this issue with Cyclogest which is mentioned is it's 400mgs, so 4 x what OP uses.

OP you mention the Mirena. Are you using estrogen as well or is the Utrogestan on its own as a sedative? Progesterone does raise body temp so without estrogen you may not get the relief from night sweats.

I think it seems like a reasonable choice to take it, for you, you have sought other options and highlighted the issue but sounds like you take a pragmatic approach generally.

I totally agree that it is somewhat hypocritical of me to not want to eat animals but ignore the fact that I use drugs (isn't that ALL licensed drugs?) that have been tested on animals.

It's between my immediate ick of swallowing a gelatin capsule vs my lifestyle choice.

As far as I can see Norethisterone is for managing heavy/irregular periods and endometriosis among other things, which is not what my problem is, and I am sure the GP would have suggested it as an alternative if it was suitable. Lutigest came up as the next best alternative to utrogestan.

i already have a mirena but it does not appear to the delivering enough progesterone for me.

I am on the maximum dose of oestrogen. I did try increasing it at one point but it just gave me anxiety and sore breasts and didn't stop the sweats or sleep problems.

@JinglingSpringbells cyclogest also comes as a 200mg pessary, They can be cut lengthways to give a dose equivalent to 100mg.

I use estradot patches for estrogen, which I've just seen is classed as suitable for vegetarians.

I'll ask the GP about these, but as with the Lutigest it would have to be prescribed off license. I also use vaginal estrogen pessaries (Vagifem) and the patient leaflet for Cyclogest says that it should not be used with other vaginal products.

I've just sent an email to Besins Healthcare to ask why they use gelatin rather than a plant based alternative.

Norethisterone is used in many /most HRT patches and also in tablets.

See here.

https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/perimeno.php

I used it along with gel for several years (as a tablet) through a consultant gynaecologist before I swapped to Utrogestan, preferable for longer-term HRT use.

Lutigest is fine if you want to stick with micronised progesterone and use it vaginally.

But you can use Utrogestan 200mgs vaginally, or 2 x 100mgs.
In Europe they don't differentiate between oral or vaginal use and the packaging says it can be used either way.

I've made an appointment with the GP but it's not for another couple of weeks. I'm going to go back on the utrogestan for now as I can't cope with another night of 4 hours of broken sleep.