Side effects from switching brands - Estradot shortages

[irishfeminist]

I was wondering if anyone else had experienced this. I was quite happy for a year or so with my 50mg Estradot patches and daily Utrogesten, but in the last year with the shortages, it's a complete lottery in my pharmacy. Sometimes it's Evorel and sometimes Estramon, neither of which I find as effective as Estradot. I've had my old symptoms return (bad sleep, anxiety) and alarmingly, period like bleeding. I got the latter thoroughly checked out; pelvic ultrasound, hysteroscopy, smear test, and it all came back clear. The doctor thought it could be a reaction to switching brands but it'd be good to hear of other s' experiences of this as none of my friends have had it and as I said, it's a bit alarming. So fed up of this HRT shortage!

Same - when starting HRT my GP suggested that I try Estradot (she preferred it herself) , so she prescribed that specific brand. I no longer accept any substitutes after similar issues to those you describe. My GP surgery will write prescriptions for whichever dosage the local pharmacies can order. You may find 37.5mg is easier to obtain at the moment. Good luck.

I tried several different patches before settling on Estradot. I preferred it for so many reasons. But I used whatever was available during the shortages a few years ago, eventually ending up on Oestrogel. I never reverted to Estradot when it became available again, because I felt even better on Oestrogel.

It may be the delivery method that makes a difference to you, but it may also be that you need a higher dose of oestrogen.

Yes I definitely notice the difference when I switch brands. It does settle though. I had to switch to Evorel when the Estrodot shortages were really bad and I felt awful at first but it calmed down. I'm back on Estrodot now.

I didn’t get on with evorel so swapped
to estradot - I couldn’t get the evorel to stick around the edges so wasn’t getting the full dose from it. The evorel being smaller seems to stick better so I assume I’m getting the appropriate dose

Each time I get a different brand symptoms and cycle etc messed up and takes a month or so to settle I’m hoping I can stick with one going forward as I’d like some consistency

Thanks all, replies much appreciated. I really hope supply of Estradot becomes more stable, it's good to know others have had the same issues.