Community Conversation => Transitioning => Hormone replacement therapy => Topic started by: Julie Marie on July 28, 2010, 07:40:29 AM Return to Full Version
Title: Different brand estradiol, different results?
Post by: Julie Marie on July 28, 2010, 07:40:29 AM
Post by: Julie Marie on July 28, 2010, 07:40:29 AM
When I was on injections I would get my prescription from my doctor. At first everything was great. He lost his supplier and found another. I did three weekly injections with the new stuff and each time had swelling that got worse and worse. He couldn't find any other supplier so, for financial reasons, I ordered online. Instead of a single bottle, this stuff came in single dose ampules.
Along the way I was seeing increases in cholesterol and trigs that I attributed to age and becoming more sedentary. At one point they became high enough that, if I didn't change my diet and exercise, I would have to go on meds to bring them down. My doctor gave me a regimen to follow and I did... for a while. It was my contention that that blood test he took with the elevated C & Trig levels was false because I hadn't fasted long enough so I was going to fast well for the next test and we'd see things drop a lot.
That didn't happen. I fasted for 22 hours and it had little effect on lowering C or Trig levels. At that time I switched from injections to orals because I was tiring of stabbing myself.
Six months later... I feared poor results again because I hadn't been very good about keeping on my doctor's prescribed regimen (lousy is a better description). I talked to him yesterday about the latest results and was amazed to hear him say everything was perfect! My cholesterol is the lowest it's ever been as is my triglyceride level. The C dropped 100 points and the Trig over 400 points!
At first I thought about diet. We had just returned from a couple of weeks in New England where I ate a lot of seafood. I love seafood but it's hard to get good seafood in the midwest without paying through the nose. So when I'm near the coasts, I go for the seafood and I did.
But that was only two weeks and it was hard for me to believe that in two weeks, without medication, one could see such a drop. Then I thought about the switch I made from internet injectables to doctor supplied orals. Was the internet formula causing the elevated C&T levels? Was my doctor supplied orals causing them to lower? I don't know but it does make me wonder.
Has anyone else seen or heard of anything like this?
Along the way I was seeing increases in cholesterol and trigs that I attributed to age and becoming more sedentary. At one point they became high enough that, if I didn't change my diet and exercise, I would have to go on meds to bring them down. My doctor gave me a regimen to follow and I did... for a while. It was my contention that that blood test he took with the elevated C & Trig levels was false because I hadn't fasted long enough so I was going to fast well for the next test and we'd see things drop a lot.
That didn't happen. I fasted for 22 hours and it had little effect on lowering C or Trig levels. At that time I switched from injections to orals because I was tiring of stabbing myself.
Six months later... I feared poor results again because I hadn't been very good about keeping on my doctor's prescribed regimen (lousy is a better description). I talked to him yesterday about the latest results and was amazed to hear him say everything was perfect! My cholesterol is the lowest it's ever been as is my triglyceride level. The C dropped 100 points and the Trig over 400 points!
At first I thought about diet. We had just returned from a couple of weeks in New England where I ate a lot of seafood. I love seafood but it's hard to get good seafood in the midwest without paying through the nose. So when I'm near the coasts, I go for the seafood and I did.
But that was only two weeks and it was hard for me to believe that in two weeks, without medication, one could see such a drop. Then I thought about the switch I made from internet injectables to doctor supplied orals. Was the internet formula causing the elevated C&T levels? Was my doctor supplied orals causing them to lower? I don't know but it does make me wonder.
Has anyone else seen or heard of anything like this?
Title: Re: Different brand estradiol, different results?
Post by: Flan on July 28, 2010, 04:17:12 PM
Post by: Flan on July 28, 2010, 04:17:12 PM
different makes have differing formulations of the same drug. even within the same company effectiveness of a drug can vary depending on purity of substances (which is why I try to avoid India sourced drugs like the plague).
Title: Re: Different brand estradiol, different results?
Post by: lilacwoman on August 01, 2010, 01:28:15 AM
Post by: lilacwoman on August 01, 2010, 01:28:15 AM
we are what we eat so its quite likely that all the seafood in such a short time could have made some temporary changes that would disappear once you are back on your regular diet with less seafood.
If you were really concerend or interested enough you could make a list of all the seathings you indulged in then look up what chemicals they all have and try figure out if any woudl have produced the different readings.
If you were really concerend or interested enough you could make a list of all the seathings you indulged in then look up what chemicals they all have and try figure out if any woudl have produced the different readings.
Title: Re: Different brand estradiol, different results?
Post by: LynnER on August 01, 2010, 06:30:47 PM
Post by: LynnER on August 01, 2010, 06:30:47 PM
Internet injectable if there the ones I think they are, are suspended in peanut oil... something our bodies can actually use and yes will turn into bad things...
The doctor prescribed injectables were either sesame oil or caster oil. I'm allergic to the sesame oil and had some severe reactions and swelling. My compounding pharmacy tossed out the rest of the batch and switched me to caster oil... thicker but no more problems.
The doctor prescribed injectables were either sesame oil or caster oil. I'm allergic to the sesame oil and had some severe reactions and swelling. My compounding pharmacy tossed out the rest of the batch and switched me to caster oil... thicker but no more problems.