My endo is super chill.

[MaidofOrleans]

I read somewhere the reasoning for writing premarin is this

There is scientific evidence with use  of premarin
No trials done with 17b.   

It sounds like maybe conservative doctors don't want ro
Get in trouble or something like that

The article did not state a conclusion. .its just that's what
I undrrstood

There is probably some truth to that.

[XchristineX]

 I think premarin also messed up my ability to umm take
Myself to completion....

Tonight day three Estrace I was fantasizing and I got ummm

Estrace returned ability to enjoy sex a little more...

[MaidofOrleans]

Should I be taking the Estradiol under my tongue or just swallowing it? I've heard under the tongue but i've never done that before with a medication and i'm afraid to screw it up!

[A]

You can't go wrong by taking it under your tongue. Worst case, the medication isn't made for being taken there and won't be absorbed through your skin. Which just means it'll go down to be swallowed eventually, just as if you'd swallowed the pill whole. Usually though, estradiol can be taken under the tongue.

[XchristineX]

I swallow.
Haha I met the Estrace.. .works well so far...I originally wanted
Estradiol injections...but ill settle for Estrace

[MaidofOrleans]

Hmmm well I tried it and it turned into a blue blob under my tongue. Had to swish some saliva around to break it up. Now i'm all freaking out that I screwed up.

I think i'm extra nervous about it because I switched from another estrogen that was working well and I don't know if it's still working or working better.
Ugh i'm such a wreck with this.

[A]

Don't stress. Don't worry. No matter what you do, as long as you don't spit it out, the medication has been taken. This is not like an injection. Unless you do obviously irrational things like spitting it out, putting it in the wrong hole or trying to dissolve it in some chemical, you just can't go wrong.

For putting it under your tongue, you need to wait for a while. it takes time for it to be "squished" and absorbed. It's normal for it to turn into that kind of thing. It takes up to half an hour. Also, it's not the end of the world if you mess up and end up swallowing it. It just means you've taken it part sublingual, part swallowed it. Still better than just swalloing it.

And yeah, if you're taking Estrace, then you can take it sublingually, guaranteed.

[XchristineX]

So is sublingual better and why?
How long does it take to break down

[Kristi]

I always take my E sublingually.  This allows it to go straight into the blood stream, rather than having to digest and metabolize it first.  In theory, you can do with a lesser dosage that way, or else get more effectiveness out of the dosage you are on.  It is also easier on your liver.

Peace,
Kristi

[A]

What she said, pretty much. As to how long it takes to break down... Do you mean physically, in your mouth? It depends on how much saliva it comes in contact with. More saliva increases speed but also increases the risk of some or all of the product being dissolved in it and sweeped away into the rest of the mouth and/or swallowed. So personally I try to leave it relatively dry under my tongue. Then it takes up to 40 minutes, but in average maybe 25 minutes.

If you mean inside the body, as in, how long it takes to disappear from the blood, its half-life is 12 hours, I think, meaning that after 12 hours, the blood level should be half what it was at its peak, which is why taking HRT 2 or 3 times a day makes sense. Personally I take it twice a day, and I definitely feel the up-and-down effect, some days. So when I get a decent dose (which should coincidentally be divisible by 3), I'll split my daily doses in 3, so I can have something more stable.

[Alainaluvsu]

Hmmm well I tried it and it turned into a blue blob under my tongue. Had to swish some saliva around to break it up. Now i'm all freaking out that I screwed up.

I think i'm extra nervous about it because I switched from another estrogen that was working well and I don't know if it's still working or working better.
Ugh i'm such a wreck with this.

Sloshing it defeats the purpose of sublingual administration. You just have to keep it under the tongue for about 10 minutes. It does turn blobby quick but it does get  in the blood without swallowing it at all.

[Jamie D]

Lifestyle choices played a large part... sedentary, cigarettes... and i'm totally with you and christine on the right choices.  Even moved to a place where we do a lot of gardening, woodcutting... out in the countryside, there's no end to the exercise, fresh organic food...! 

What i'm really afraid of is having my parents medical records to explain away.... fear of being turned down for hrt/surgery.  I have bad memories of a quack of a therapist; who, in his professional arrogance, deigned to try cure me (on my nickel). 

I fear 'standards of care' that haven't evolved much since Christine Jorgensen, in which mental health 'professionals' get to act as our gatekeepers.  Makes me feel like a woman's word isn't worth much at all... much less a woman who would want to give up that wonderful life of male privilege and power.

Sorry.  my rant for the day.  When i start hrt will i rant less? 

The absolute contraindications for HRT are cancers that feed on estrogens (unlikely in a MtF person, other than breast cancer) and severe liver damage.

If you have coronary artery disease, or if you have had some sort of thrombosis (blood clot), you may have to have additional drug therapy, such as aspirin or Plavix.