Start with estrogen before anti androgen?

[Swedishgirl96]

Today I have gotten a prescription for hrt. I can buy estrogen patches at a drugstore but I will also get a injection of pamorelin. But I will have to do that at my local health center but that is probably at least one week away in time. I asked my doctor if I can start with estrogen immediately and he said that it is fine but I wonder would it even be of any benefit before anti androgen treatment?

[Devlyn]

Yes. Some doctors like to administer one drug at a time so that they know how you're reacting to them. HRT takes years to do its work on you, there's no rush. 

Hugs, Devlyn

[Ricki Wright]

After speaking with my ob-gyn (yeah, I confuse people in the waiting room), she started me on 3 months of HRT Esradiol to see if just the estrogen would bring the testosterone level down. It didn't, so I started Spiro. She warned me that as soon as the testosterone level dropped, the estrogen would have carte blanch permission to change my body and she was oh so correct. Just know that if you do go on T-blockers after HRT, the roller coaster is at the top of the rise and about to let go!!!

I don't regret starting one before the other. I think of it as getting a good female hormone foundation in place before pulling out the male one.

WHeeeeee!!!!! (hands up!) Best roller-coaster EVER

Ricki

[GingerVicki]

staggering drugs makes sense and is good practice. i started sprio two weeks before starting E patches to know what the problem is if one developed.

[Linde]

After speaking with my ob-gyn (yeah, I confuse people in the waiting room), she started me on 3 months of HRT Esradiol to see if just the estrogen would bring the testosterone level down. It didn't, so I started Spiro. She warned me that as soon as the testosterone level dropped, the estrogen would have carte blanch permission to change my body and she was oh so correct. Just know that if you do go on T-blockers after HRT, the roller coaster is at the top of the rise and about to let go!!!

I don't regret starting one before the other. I think of it as getting a good female hormone foundation in place before pulling out the male one.

WHeeeeee!!!!! (hands up!) Best roller-coaster EVER

Ricki

And again, everybody reacts different.  i was on E for a month before I started spiro.  I did not feel anything different between the spiro free E time, and the spiro time. The only thing spiro did to me is making me run to the bathroom all the time, and making me feel lethargic and listless.

E seems not to do anything for me.  My E dose was doubled, and I still don't have much results (I cry more lately).  Now that I have zero testosterone, and still high E levels, I wonder what will happen.  It definitely is not an over night thing with me!

[Kate.claire]

I started on E only, almost 5 months in with AAs.  I had relatively low T to begin with, so wanted to see how my levels responded with just the initial dose of E.  I was hoping to avoid taking too many things, to try to separate out what the effects of each was, and in part just because I just don't want to keep track of too much.

In my case, 4 month testing looked as good as it could, T wiped out, E right where my Endo wanted it.  Everyone has wildly different hormone response though... but personally, I think starting on E only will be fine, then you can see where to go next after the 3 month blood tests and at that time, if you start on Spiro too, you'll better be able to sort out what effects it specifically has on you vs E.


-Kate