splitting my dose up 4 ways rather than 2

[betty michelle]

hello, i just started hrt 5 days ago! extremely excited to start my journey!
i'm currently taking spironolactone and estradiol twice daily (as recommended on bottle)
i take both pills when i wake up and before i go to sleep. usually around 11am - 11pm
i feel like there is a point in the day where nothing is happening.. this could just be my imagination but, i want to know ..
would it be better if i split up my dose 4 times daily? to give my body a more constant flow ?
when are the best times to take them ?
i feel pretty good about the amount i am taking, i just want to optimize the dose so it effects me more.
hope someone can help.

<3
betty

[Deborah]

I don't remember the exact numbers but I have looked up the half lives of these medications before.  From what I remember I concluded that breaking the doses up more than twice a day isn't going to make much difference, if any at all.


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[KristinaM]

You should edit your post to remove the dosages, as listing them are not allowed by the Terms of Service when joining this site.  If you haven't read all of the ToS yet, you should.

https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,2.0.html

With that said, I'm not a doctor, but twice a day should be plenty often enough.  I might consider going three doses a day, but that's it.  Additionally, with the dosages you've listed, you'd be hard pressed to get that exact by cutting up pills.

Talk to your doctor if you feel wrong.  It will take you a couple of days to adjust to the hormone changes in your system however, so just give it a little while before trying to change things, unless you're experiencing problems, then contact your doctor immediately.

Also, congrats. 

[betty michelle]

thanks for the advice! both a big help.
i think i will just continue to do what i'm doing for the first month.
and if i feel like i need more, ill talk to my doctor about it.
i need to keep reminding myself that patience is key!

also, thank you Kristina !

<3

[Laura_7]

Congratulations 

Here is a graph showing it makes a lot of difference :
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,186946.msg1665088.html#msg1665088

the highs won't be as high and the lows will be higher up...
people are different, some people react with mood swings and pms like symptoms...
imo its better to spread the dose...
some combine it with more steady applications, like patches...
you might ask your doc...

it might be possible to switch later to implants or injections... with injections a weekly cycle also can help avoid too high and low levels...

some pills have perforations to be broken in half...
for others there are pill cutters available, or its possible to ask a pharmacy to cut them.

[Dena]

Welcome to Susan's place. Most of the time we catch new members because they make their first post in introductions but you were missed. The mods also caught the dose information but didn't note that you were a new member. Don't worry about slipping through the cracks because I also made several post before the mods caught up with me as well. If there is any thing we can do to help you, let us know but there is some routine business.
We issue to all new members the following links so you will best be able to use the web site.

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