UK nationwide supply problems
Hi everyone, following brilliant consultations with my two psychotherapists and endocrinologist, I am now back on prescribed estrogen. I am on a very low dose to start with. (I have no naturally occurring testosterone, and have significant breasts, so that's not a major issue.)
However, I was prescribed Elleste Solo which is estradiol hemihydrate. Now, currently in the UK there is no Elleste Solo available because of a supply problem. This has been the case for two months and no one knows when it will resolve. All equivalent estradiol hemihydrate substitutes are suffering the same fate.
My pharmacist very generously agreed to substitute with Progynova at the same dose, but this is of course estradiol valerate not estradiol hemihydrate. I am currently taking one dose in the early morning but this will rise in due course to one morning and one evening, with which I am very comfortable.
Without re-treading all the discussions about how valerate breaks down differently (e.g.
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,246474.0.html), I have begun the medication sublingually. The fact is that I've always taken my estrogen this way and I like it. I've taken progynova before and have used the same method. It does take longer to dissolve: perhaps 30 minutes. But it's what I psychologically prefer and I have no desire to pressure my liver.
I'd be interested in thoughts on this. It seems to be a lot more complex than simply stating that validate needs the liver? But any thoughts, for example on the differences between the two compounds, would be very gratefully received.
Thank you xx
