Question about my HRT Medication -M2F

[thegator]

i was on INJECTIONS Estradiol valerate for 1 year and 1 month till i switched to Estradiol <Not Permitted> Tablets a Daily under tongue & Spiro <Not Permitted> Twice a Day =  <Not Permitted>

well i did not start to notice changes till 11 months in and after i switched to Tablets 2 months in i feel as if my changes are reversing back.... i had a girl like face and now it seems more like a man again.... and i have night sweats and hot & cold at random times - i do live in CA-USA so it could just be the random cold/hot weather...

dose anyone have an adivce also my DR is out still March 14th ugh sad

i also notice my hair in the front losing more and more each month what is the best way to fix that

Mod edit:Dosage

[Laura_7]

Well menopausal symptoms are hot flashes...
meaning receding estrogen levels and raising testosterone levels.
Do you have a means to call your doc and ask them ?
Maybe they can advise a change until you can see them next time ?

If the flashes get really bad you might go to an er or another doc for advise.

Concerning blood levels many endos strive for levels of 200 pg/ml of estro or above ...
and 60 ng/dl of testo or below...
you might discuss that with your endo.

Many people report injections were good for them.
Biweekly injections might leave a low at the last days so weekly or 5 day cycles might be more advantageous.

What was the reason to be changed to pills ? Financial or non availability of estradiol valerate ? Some compunding pharmacies produce them.

You might discuss all of this with your doc.

*hugs* and hope you get better soon

[Dena]

Because of the number of ways HRT can be delivered and personal differences, it's not always possible to determine just from dosage information what the problem is. Blood work with hormone levels are best to determine if the what the doctor has prescribed is working for you or not. Things like weight changes and fluid retention can alter your appearance. Hot flashes might indicate your estrogen levels are down as well as your T levels. Hair loss could be from a shift in your hormone levels or just natural shedding due to temperature change.

Your best bet will be to set up an appointment with your doctor for blood work as soon as he returns but don't be to concerned about masculinization because it is a slow process and I suspect you have been on T long enough that most of the change possible have already occurred.

[KayXo]

I STRONGLY suspect the reason for your symptoms is due to the change to pills, delivering less estrogen. Injections will, most of the time, yield far higher levels on average. You need to discuss this with a health professional and perhaps ask to go back to injections.

[thegator]

Well menopausal symptoms are hot flashes...
meaning receding estrogen levels and raising testosterone levels.
Do you have a means to call your doc and ask them ?
Maybe they can advise a change until you can see them next time ?

If the flashes get really bad you might go to an er or another doc for advise.

Concerning blood levels many endos strive for levels of 200 pg/ml of estro or above ...
and 60 ng/dl of testo or below...
you might discuss that with your endo.

Many people report injections were good for them.
Biweekly injections might leave a low at the last days so weekly or 5 day cycles might be more advantageous.

What was the reason to be changed to pills ? Financial or non availability of estradiol valerate ? Some compunding pharmacies produce them.

You might discuss all of this with your doc.

*hugs* and hope you get better soon

i stopped taking the INJECTIONS from my doctor cuz i dont like pushing a needle into my thigh every other week, it really freaks me out to death and just scares me. so i had her switch me but now it just feels strange the nite sweats and hot and cold and i kinda feel like i used to be4  hrt and its scaring me i dont want to feel like this i want to feel like i did when i was on Injections

[thegator]

Because of the number of ways HRT can be delivered and personal differences, it's not always possible to determine just from dosage information what the problem is. Blood work with hormone levels are best to determine if the what the doctor has prescribed is working for you or not. Things like weight changes and fluid retention can alter your appearance. Hot flashes might indicate your estrogen levels are down as well as your T levels. Hair loss could be from a shift in your hormone levels or just natural shedding due to temperature change.

Your best bet will be to set up an appointment with your doctor for blood work as soon as he returns but don't be to concerned about masculinization because it is a slow process and I suspect you have been on T long enough that most of the change possible have already occurred.

well weight changes has been a big one for me i cant seem to shake the weight even try to eat smaller portions and less bad things but not working and i need to start working out as well.

i drink LOTS of WATER and i kinda has a think for salt..... 2 days ago i tossed the Salt jar so that wont be an issue any more..... but i drink 99.9% water all day everyday NO SODA< 1% tea a week.... lol not even at that no beer or other drinks JUST WATER...

i kinda do eat for 2 to 4 people i am a pig... i need to work on portion control.... shhhhh

once my DOC gets back in ill have her do a blood work and get that checked.... something dose not seem right also been tired a lot

[thegator]

I STRONGLY suspect the reason for your symptoms is due to the change to pills, delivering less estrogen. Injections will, most of the time, yield far higher levels on average. You need to discuss this with a health professional and perhaps ask to go back to injections.

you might be on to something i feel i might have to switch back to the EVIL THIGH injections i really hate injections ugh.... why cant they just do it for me at the clinic 

[KayXo]

well weight changes has been a big one for me i cant seem to shake the weight even try to eat smaller portions and less bad things but not working and i need to start working out as well.

Eat less carbs, as much fat (including animal) and protein as you want. Studies have shown it to be healthy and effective for weight loss if you are above your normal weight.

i drink LOTS of WATER and i kinda has a think for salt..... 2 days ago i tossed the Salt jar so that wont be an issue any more.....

Your craving for salt is NORMAL because on Spiro, you lose a lot of salt/sodium so you NEED to eat more salt to prevent complications such as leg cramps, dehydration, tiredness, dizziness, heart problems. Tossing the salt away is not a good idea in this context. Salt is essential.

something dose not seem right also been tired a lot

Because of the lower E levels. Night sweats is a typical symptom of that. Eat enough salt too! If you absolutely don't like injections, you could ask instead to raise your current dosage but given how conservative doctors usually are, not likely.

[Laura_7]

you might be on to something i feel i might have to switch back to the EVIL THIGH injections i really hate injections ugh.... why cant they just do it for me at the clinic

https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,199138.0.html

This thread is about injection methods.
There are subcutaneous methods with small and short needles.
You might ask your doc to show you .


*hugs*

[thegator]

Question / Concern:

if i am getting LOW amounts from the tablets, will that mean my body will not change more and look more female that over time if this keeps happening ill revert back to a man....

what the max i can go before i start to turn back into a man cuz i look in the mirror and i swear i look more like a man then a female

[KayXo]

if i am getting LOW amounts from the tablets, will that mean my body will not change more and look more female that over time if this keeps happening ill revert back to a man....

The ideal dose varies from one person to another. This should be determined in accordance with doctor and yourself, seeing which dose produces the best results in you without compromising your health.

what the max i can go before i start to turn back into a man cuz i look in the mirror and i swear i look more like a man then a female

The max depends on what you are taking and your genetic predispositions. Too much will not convert to testosterone so you don't have to worry about that.

[Dena]

In my personal experience, I found that a quarter maximum dose if the T was suppressed is sufficient not only to hold the fat in place but to produce some additional feminization. You are not reverting to but instead losing the feminine fat placement when you go off hormones. Not all of the fat will be lost if you stop hormones but enough might be lost to produce a less than desirable image.

[thegator]

In my personal experience, I found that a quarter maximum dose if the T was suppressed is sufficient not only to hold the fat in place but to produce some additional feminization. You are not reverting to but instead losing the feminine fat placement when you go off hormones. Not all of the fat will be lost if you stop hormones but enough might be lost to produce a less than desirable image.

OMG this makes since thank you sooo much now i am more worryed lol not your fault but this will help make since of what is going on Monday my DR gets back into office ugh about time.. and ill let her know whats going on... past 2 weeks all i hear from people is.... um you are looking more male again..... or others are like... is that a guy or girl or other just stair like.... watttt...

i went in for a job and NO joke i they Hire-in manager told me " YOU LOOK LIKE A GUY " so the other employees will treat you like one unless you say something and IF YOU DO say something it might get worse if they dont like it... so its up to you what bathroom you use and what you wear but .. i am just tilling you know

i was like OMG... wow... thanks a lot you sure know how to put me down.

so i know for sure something is not right/// & i am getting pimples and NOT had them for 1 year till past 2 weeks so something really is not right

could be streess 

[Dena]

A blood test will tell the story. What may be happening is the switch to tablets may mean the blockers need to be adjusted. That will be for your doctor to decide. What people noticed in me when I went off estrogen is I looked like I lost weight even though I hadn't. I didn't connect it at the time but that wasn't the only place that fat was moved around.
New as of last night. I have been on HRT(pills) for about 2 weeks after being off them for 10 years and I am seeing signs that they are already having an effect. It's confined to the breast at the moment but I suspect by 3 months I will see it in the face. I am post surgical so T isn't an issue and I am on half the transition dose.

[KayXo]

I also noticed that when I was on less E, my face started to get sunken and I looked older. Now, with higher levels, things are nice, fuller face and cheeks, look younger.

[JoanneB]

The only way to rudimentary way to know how much of the dose of E is doing anything is through various blood tests. And they do not tell the whole story either. Many in my group have been through shots, pills, patches, EV, and premarin. All with varying results and some side effects. Eventually settling in on something that worked for them. I've also seen in various discussion threads on doseages and E levels how some endos start at XX and just rely on the end physical results to primarily guide them. Others use somewhat arbitrarily set E levels as the absolute authority.

I've been on premarin, EV pills, and shots and patches. As a results driven engineer I've found that shots work the best. Even there the manufacturer seems to also matter.