Hey,
Question. Lately I've been wondering why I've been getting PMS symptoms almost daily to weekly (depends). Should we be taking hormones at specific times everyday? I'm not too regularly set on specific times on when I take mine since I have a very busy schedule. But if a set time is put in place and maintained, will I experience a lessoning in pms symptoms? And if so-how many hours should be in between my taking the hormones twice a day? I was thinking 9am and 9pm. Thoughts? Experiences?
Yes, it's generally advised by pharmacists and doctors to always take your medication at the same time(s) every day.
Spironolactone can cause you to wake up at night needing to urinate, and I heard estrogen before bed can give some people insomnia. Although I never experienced either of those.
I take half of my daily dose of spironolactone and estradiol in the morning after eating breakfast, and then the other half in the evening. I spread them out every 12 hours, and I think it helps maintain my testosterone and estrogen levels steady throughout the day as apposed to taking all my medication at once.
Some people split it up 3 or even 4 times a day which, personally, would drive me crazy.
I heard one MtF say that after going from twice a day down to once a day, she felt like she was getting more estrogen out of it somehow.
I dunno. Just make sure you have proper bloodwork and it shouldn't really matter??
9am and 9pm is what I do. Never had any "PMS-like" issues though. Maybe something else going on there. Taking your meds the same time each day does help maintain constant levels w/o peaks and valleys.
That's a really good question. I don't have an answer myself. I've always wondered about this because a couple times this week, I took my hormones right before going to sleep like at 11pm. I wonder if it really makes a difference.
This is something of interest to me as well.
I suppose there is a peak of T in cismales during the mornings, I don't remember where I read about this so I could be wrong, so it would then make sense to take the med during the morning, espiro that is.
Taking espiro before going to sleep is in general not good because it is a diuretic.
But about E and P, I don't know. I wish I did as well. Personally I take my P after lunch and my E just before going to sleep. This is beause the P I use has a higher absorpion with food and E it is because I use a gel, so it is easier to use it before going to sleep.
So I amstudying to learn about this.
I have found this article, I am not done reading but it seens well written and their study seens solid at first.
http://www.eje-online.org/content/148/2/227.full.pdf (http://www.eje-online.org/content/148/2/227.full.pdf)
I take mine 12 hours apart at the same time each day; 8am and 8pm.
I was told too take it twice a day 12 hours apart.
I was not feeling 'right', so I started taking it split up into 4 times a day and I feel allot better.
The over all daily dose is the same though.
Excuse me, cynthialee, but what do you mean when you say you didn't feel 'right'?
Just exactly that.
I did not feel right.
I have been on HRT for the last 2 years and I have grown acustomed to how HRT made me feel.
When my endo (I finally have an endo!!!) changed up my HRT it didn't feel right at first.
Now that I have spread it out more i feel allot beter.
I thought about taking spiro in more than one take a day, but when I finished studying the question, I found out I would have a smaller maximum concentration of the medicine and when I did the next dose it would have a smaller minimum concentration than if I just took it once a day.
So bleh, so much for that.
I was taking my Spiro once a day as well and it was more beneficial than taking it in a split dosage. However, my doctor doubled my Spiro dosage so I now take it twice a day (again, 12 hours apart). As far as splitting up the dosage multiple times a day (as stated, four times) - I tried that, however, that didn't make me feel right. Not to suggest any wrong doing or incorrect information, as we all know, hormones affect us all differently. For some taking it multiple times a day may work best, for others, twice and for some once. YMMV.
When I was on spiro (hated that stuff) my doc had me take it twice a day 12 hours apart.
What do you use for an anti-androgen now, Cynthia?
I am post orchiectomy so I no longer need an anti androgen.
In fact....my T is so low now, that I actually take a very low dose of transdermal T twice a week.
All I know is that our bodies' hormones seem to be most active when we sleep, so I've always thought it may be an idea to take everything before sleeping. However, we also stress out a lot when we're awake, which also seems to trigger certain hormones, so the morning may also be a good idea. Overall, it'd seem as though a morning-and-night schedule may be good, just if you take the hormones twice a day; if it's once a day, it sure is a hard choice.
I've been on hormones for 10 years, and I still have yet to get a hold on whens the best time to take em.....heck I'm not even sure me taking my spiro all at once is a good thing.
I would always end up forgetting to take the other half so all at once was easier.....wonder if that lets some T in ???
Once a day preferably in the morning can have higher concentration ensuring that estradiol upregulate the E receptors, the reason a higher concentration is aimed for is due to SHBG binding makes lower doze per cycle ineffective. Only split the doze if one is taken extra large doze than indicated, so that the extra cycle serve to cover the gap due to the short half-life, and since estradiol is an effective inhibitor for DHT.
This concerned for short half-life and SHBG binding is not relevent to EE2.
So its best to take the full dose in the morning then?
I know many that take one pill in the AM and then one in the PM, but my doctor told me just to take them both at once in the morning to make it easy, he said there really is no need to split it into two different times.
Quote from: starbright on October 28, 2011, 10:29:02 PM
So its best to take the full dose in the morning then?
I know many that take one pill in the AM and then one in the PM, but my doctor told me just to take them both at once in the morning to make it easy, he said there really is no need to split it into two different times.
Woah! Do you have the same endocrinologist as me? That's like exactly what mine said. "It's easier to remember if you take it once a day".
Jacelyn, I have a question I'd like to send you in a personal message, if you don't mind. You seem to be very knowledgeable.
Quote from: starbright on October 28, 2011, 10:29:02 PM
So its best to take the full dose in the morning then?
The reason morning is preferred is that it mimic the cis female hormone cycling. Full doze ensure most of the receptors are upregulated once per day, this will cause growth of more receptors.
Quote from: Beep on October 29, 2011, 12:29:29 AM
Woah! Do you have the same endocrinologist as me? That's like exactly what mine said. "It's easier to remember if you take it once a day".
Jacelyn, I have a question I'd like to send you in a personal message, if you don't mind. You seem to be very knowledgeable.
I won't mind personal messages. The country I'm in has no transgender doctors for support, so I have to study much and do research in order to self-medicate.
Quote from: Jacelyn on October 29, 2011, 09:45:34 PM
The country I'm in has no transgender doctors for support, so I have to study much and do research in order to self-medicate.
:'( Oh my god. That is so depressing. In my opinion, everywhere in the world should support the transgendered.
Kudos to you, Jacelyn for following your heart without support.
I take my pills whenever I can remeber but usually once every 12 hours whenever possible, My E is injectable part of me I keeps putting it off usually but often least half the time I do it just before I goto sleep. The injection can cause a minor headache, nausia and breast itching 30 minutes afterwards so I prefer to be asleep to bypass that stage :P plus when I wake up I always feel brilliant.
Quote from: Beep on October 29, 2011, 12:29:29 AM
Woah! Do you have the same endocrinologist as me? That's like exactly what mine said. "It's easier to remember if you take it once a day".
Jacelyn, I have a question I'd like to send you in a personal message, if you don't mind. You seem to be very knowledgeable.
HAha, that is funny he told you the same thing.
Yeah, I talk y estrodiol and Spiro all together in the morning, it's nice to take them once in the AM and then not worry about it and have to remember to take again later in the day. :)
My times aren't all over the place, but they differ a bit. Usually I take mine @ 7am when I wake up and around 5 when I get home from work. I have to go to school at night or I would at 7 & 7. However on Sundays I never wake up that early, so I do them @ like 9 & 7... overall about 10 hrs between during the day, and then 14 hrs when I sleep.
EDIT: Since the 4th, I've learned (for me only, of course) that I must take exactly half my dose in the morning, and half in the afternoon. Otherwise I start feeling gritty all over, my body hair doesn't come out as much, my nipples stop being sore... basically I feel the T taking over!!
I take mine (sublingually) first thing when I get up. My body is expecting nutrition and (I think) more receptive to absorbing the medicine. And again 12 hours later.