Out of curiosity, does anyone know of any method to increase the effects of their hrt or make the timeline shorter?  I know patience is a virtue and all that yada yada ( ), but is there a way to make the process shorter or increase the effectiveness of hrt?  While I am assuming there is nothing to do other than wait, I wanted to see if maybe there is something I missed.  Though I realize this is just probably a nice fantasy that I have devolped. 

P.S.  I'm not impatient.  I'll gladly continue waiting and accepting with glee the small changes as they come.  But who wouldn't want to kickstart their hrt if they could.

I see what you did there!

Quote from: Miss Bungle on August 09, 2013, 12:41:39 PM
Ugh...Motely Crue....gross.

Oh, come on.  They were a fun band.  Though, I didn't think glam was your cup of tea,lol.

Quote from: learningtolive on August 09, 2013, 12:35:48 PM
Out of curiosity, does anyone know of any method to increase the effects of their hrt or make the timeline shorter?  I know patience is a virtue and all that yada yada ( ), but is there a way to make the process shorter or increase the effectiveness of hrt?  While I am assuming there is nothing to do other than wait, I wanted to see if maybe there is something I missed.  Though I realize this is just probably a nice fantasy that I have devolped. 

P.S.  I'm not impatient.  I'll gladly continue waiting and accepting with glee the small changes as they come.  But who wouldn't want to kickstart their hrt if they could.

Not a kick start but something that kills E is smoking so if you do then i would quit if you do not then do not start lol..

Remember this is a revisit of a new Puberty. If you remember how long the first one was they say this is twice as long. I just had my GCS done in April and before that i thought everything (over 13 years HRT +) was over for me and what i had was what i got. Well let me tell you it seems someone did not tell my body, i have been kinda going thru another mini bout of puberty since. So relax and enjoy this moment and take what you get when you get.

Hugs
Izzy

Quote from: Miss Bungle on August 09, 2013, 12:53:52 PM
I was into it at first but that only because MTV shoved it down the collective throats of the world and we didn't have the internet in those days.

Wow...if I could have heard Napalm Death, Carcass and the like when they just putting out demos and records only available as imports just by clicking a mouse...wow.

The only Glam I was into was GNR, Bon Jovi and Def Leppard. Once I heard the heavier bands, the glam bands went into the trash.

And even though they weren't a strict metal band, Faith No More were MUCH more fun than Motely Crue.

I never lived through the 80s, so my experience is much different.  I discovered the 80s when I was a teen in the early 2000s; therefore, we may see things differently.  I like Crue, GNR and Faith No More, but could never get into Bon Jovi or Def Leppard (except the early stuff).

Quote from: mind is quiet now on August 09, 2013, 01:06:07 PM
Not a kick start but something that kills E is smoking so if you do then i would quit if you do not then do not start lol..

Remember this is a revisit of a new Puberty. If you remember how long the first one was they say this is twice as long. I just had my GCS done in April and before that i thought everything (over 13 years HRT +) was over for me and what i had was what i got. Well let me tell you it seems someone did not tell my body, i have been kinda going thru another mini bout of puberty since. So relax and enjoy this moment and take what you get when you get.

Hugs
Izzy

I never smoked a cigarette in my life, so I am good to go there.   I figured that was the only way, but a girl can dream and try.

You should eat a balanced diet but add in some extra protein.  Take the daily vitamin but also add in some additional antioxidants.  Changing takes energy and protein but will also produce more free radicals so get something that will minimize the impact of those.  Increase electrolytes to help offset the diuretic action of spiro.  If your insurance will pay for it (and I think you have some issues there, being on your fathers plan), extra blood tests and follow up with a good endo will allow them to optimize the dosages rather than just guess.

Thanks Devlyn I love that song! 
As for the topic I don't think their is a way to speed up the effects of hrt. Since hrt is basically a second puberty why would you want to rush the affects? That really doesn't sound like you would get very good results if it was rushed. Your first puberty took years and so will this one. So sit back and enjoy life your still young you will get where you want eventually but it does take time so relax. 

Quote from: JLT1 on August 09, 2013, 01:25:17 PM
You should eat a balanced diet but add in some extra protein.  Take the daily vitamin but also add in some additional antioxidants.  Changing takes energy and protein but will also produce more free radicals so get something that will minimize the impact of those.  Increase electrolytes to help offset the diuretic action of spiro.  If your insurance will pay for it (and I think you have some issues there, being on your fathers plan), extra blood tests and follow up with a good endo will allow them to optimize the dosages rather than just guess.

Great advice!  I'm a vegetarian, so I really don't get a whole lot of protein.  I need to find a substitute.   Sometimes I think about going back to meat, but I could never do it.  I'm too much of a hippie.  Yeah, I can't do extra blood tests.  My father took me off his plan, but I will be getting insurance again soon.

Quote from: Heather on August 09, 2013, 01:25:34 PM
Thanks Devlyn I love that song! 
As for the topic I don't think their is a way to speed up the effects of hrt. Since hrt is basically a second puberty why would you want to rush the affects? That really doesn't sound like you would get very good results if it was rushed. Your first puberty took years and so will this one. So sit back and enjoy life your still young you will get where you want eventually but it does take time so relax. 

There you go again.  Trying to be reasonable and giving logical advice instead of playing into my fantasy of a 3 month transition. 

Quote from: learningtolive on August 09, 2013, 01:44:12 PM
There you go again.  Trying to be reasonable and giving logical advice instead of playing into my fantasy of a 3 month transition. 

Hey that's just what I do. But while your waiting for hrt to change you could be working on other things presentation wise. Like you can work on your voice, walk, and you can also work on skincare which is very important. I don't know how good you are with makeup but most of us can always use some practice.
Everybody always tells me all the progress I've made but hrt was just part of that equation without all the other work I put into myself I wouldn't be even close to the woman I am today. You can only get so far with hrt alone they are not a miracle drugs and all the other things we do to are appearance are what determines whether we can pass or not.
May I also suggest starting to go out before you pass I know it's hard but it can help to see where your at. And it's also helps to see how well you handle other people. Hormones are nice but they won't get you where you need to be without the other stuff.  

getting enough sleep will help.  My first few months on HRT I only slept about two hours a day....I didn't see much result until I got my sleep schedule under control

Unfortunately, out of everything that I've ever seen, there really is no way to speed it up.

Increased E levels won't do a darned thing. Because the body has a chemical compound called SHBG (which increases as E levels go up,) and renders the excess useless to the body. In fact, I have a theory that SHBG is the reason why it takes the body something like 6 months to really get going with the HRT changes, because the body's SHBG is used to binding to testosterone, and bonds more freely to it, so it takes a LONG time for the body's SHBG levels to reset to being used to binding to estrogen once the T is gone, and as such it takes that long for the E to really begin doing much.

Really the key to HRT success seems to be sustained levels of testosterone that are within the average female range of about 25-95. consistent T levels will let the body re-equilibrate itself to running on E properly, and then the changes will start. And messing with this balance will only slow you down even more because it will take a long time to re-equilibrate again. So the only thing to do is really get your hormone levels checked, make sure that they're consistently within the right ranges, and if that's true, then you're good to go.

So yeah... there's not much you can do. Just let it happen. It's hard as hell to feel like nothing's changing, and wishing it would go faster, but that's just the reality of transition unfortunately. I don't recall a single person on these forums EVER saying that it was going too fast and they wished HRT would go slower. EVERYONE wishes that it would go faster. Welcome to the family!

Quote from: learningtolive on August 09, 2013, 12:35:48 PM
Out of curiosity, does anyone know of any method to increase the effects of their hrt or make the timeline shorter?  I know patience is a virtue and all that yada yada ( ), but is there a way to make the process shorter or increase the effectiveness of hrt?  While I am assuming there is nothing to do other than wait, I wanted to see if maybe there is something I missed.  Though I realize this is just probably a nice fantasy that I have devolped. 

P.S.  I'm not impatient.  I'll gladly continue waiting and accepting with glee the small changes as they come.  But who wouldn't want to kickstart their hrt if they could.

Not that the first reply (tsk tsk Devlyn) didn't take this topic flying of the tracks ...

Implants.  If I ever get back on HRT this is the way I want to go.

Talk to Jennygirl about them.

Quote from: learningtolive on August 09, 2013, 12:43:43 PM
Oh, come on.  They were a fun band.  Though, I didn't think glam was your cup of tea,lol.

Glam?!  Bitchin'



Now look what I've done. 

Quote from: Heather on August 09, 2013, 02:19:24 PM
Hey that's just what I do. But while your waiting for hrt to change you could be working on other things presentation wise. Like you can work on your voice, walk, and you can also work on skincare which is very important. I don't know how good you are with makeup but most of us can always use some practice.
Everybody always tells me all the progress I've made but hrt was just part of that equation without all the other work I put into myself I wouldn't be even close to the woman I am today. You can only get so far with hrt alone they are not a miracle drugs and all the other things we do to are appearance are what determines whether we can pass or not.
May I also suggest starting to go out before you pass I know it's hard but it can help to see where your at. And it's also helps to see how well you handle other people. Hormones are nice but they won't get you where you need to be without the other stuff.

I know you're right, but I'm not ready to go out yet.  I'm very shy and embarrassed. 

Quote from: Oriah on August 09, 2013, 05:12:17 PM
getting enough sleep will help.  My first few months on HRT I only slept about two hours a day....I didn't see much result until I got my sleep schedule under control

Yeah, I should sleep more then I do.  I'm a bit of an insomniac.

Quote from: Carrie Liz on August 09, 2013, 05:27:55 PM
Unfortunately, out of everything that I've ever seen, there really is no way to speed it up.

Increased E levels won't do a darned thing. Because the body has a chemical compound called SHBG (which increases as E levels go up,) and renders the excess useless to the body. In fact, I have a theory that SHBG is the reason why it takes the body something like 6 months to really get going with the HRT changes, because the body's SHBG is used to binding to testosterone, and bonds more freely to it, so it takes a LONG time for the body's SHBG levels to reset to being used to binding to estrogen once the T is gone, and as such it takes that long for the E to really begin doing much.

Really the key to HRT success seems to be sustained levels of testosterone that are within the average female range of about 25-95. consistent T levels will let the body re-equilibrate itself to running on E properly, and then the changes will start. And messing with this balance will only slow you down even more because it will take a long time to re-equilibrate again. So the only thing to do is really get your hormone levels checked, make sure that they're consistently within the right ranges, and if that's true, then you're good to go.

So yeah... there's not much you can do. Just let it happen. It's hard as hell to feel like nothing's changing, and wishing it would go faster, but that's just the reality of transition unfortunately. I don't recall a single person on these forums EVER saying that it was going too fast and they wished HRT would go slower. EVERYONE wishes that it would go faster. Welcome to the family!

Another do gooder trying to foil my plan to speedy and quick transition. 

Seriously though, I know you are right and thank you for your encouraging words.   Still, I'm only two or so month in, so it is hard to be patient; however, I'll keep trying.   

Quote from: Jamie D on August 09, 2013, 07:05:57 PM
Not that the first reply (tsk tsk Devlyn) didn't take this topic flying of the tracks ...

Implants.  If I ever get back on HRT this is the way I want to go.

Talk to Jennygirl about them.

Glam?!  Bitchin'



Now look what I've done. 

Are implants expensive?  I imagine they are.  Also, I don't know if my endo would allow that method.  Plus, I'm kind of scared about them implanting something in me.  However, I wouldn't mind having anything close to Jennygirl's results, so there must be a method to the madness, lol. 

I believe that Dr John O'Dea in the Los Angeles area may consult with other endocrinologists.

He is Jenny's endo.  Her result has been in about one year.  Cost depends on insurance coverage, I think.  Something to consider is that the implants normally go in your butt, under a local anesthesia, and last from 3 to 6 months.  Each implant is the size of a rice grain, and you normally start with 3 to 6.  I believe Jenny said 12 was the max dose, and she pays $75 per implant out of pocket.

http://www.odeamedical.com/

Quote from: learningtolive on August 09, 2013, 10:13:47 PM
Are implants expensive?  I imagine they are.  Also, I don't know if my endo would allow that method.  Plus, I'm kind of scared about them implanting something in me.  However, I wouldn't mind having anything close to Jennygirl's results, so there must be a method to the madness, lol.

Thanks LTL

Yes! Implants are the fastest way to go, and it's all dependent on how many your endo is comfy giving you. My endo, Dr. John O'Dea in LA, will do up to 12 pellets at a time. At $75/pellet every 3-4 months, yes it is expensive.

He has told me, though, that I am feminizing at about 3X the rate. Apparently I will be done feminizing somewhere around the 1.5yr mark... then we can start to pull the dosage down quite a bit and costs will go down as well.

As far as I understand it from his explanations, pellets work faster because
1) liver is not converting oral E to estrone- a much less effective version of estrogen
2) very steady & even rate of E release- unlike shots which have a strong upward spike and a decline in E level

There are other reasons that make pellets a really good choice, mainly to do with mental and physical health. I wish there was more information about them for use as transgender hormones because I always feel like I do a shoddy job explaining it

I've heard spearmint tea helps.  If you believe it strongly enough then the placebo effect is sure to kick in!

I forgot to mention: there are a few other members here using the implants as well- Cindy and Catherine Sarah

We will all tell you... it's worth it

Quote from: Jamie D on August 09, 2013, 10:58:34 PM
I believe that Dr John O'Dea in the Los Angeles area may consult with other endocrinologists.

He is Jenny's endo.  Her result has been in about one year.  Cost depends on insurance coverage, I think.  Something to consider is that the implants normally go in your butt, under a local anesthesia, and last from 3 to 6 months.  Each implant is the size of a rice grain, and you normally start with 3 to 6.  I believe Jenny said 12 was the max dose, and she pays $75 per implant out of pocket.

http://www.odeamedical.com/

Quote from: Jennygirl on August 09, 2013, 11:05:25 PM
Thanks LTL

Yes! Implants are the fastest way to go, and it's all dependent on how many your endo is comfy giving you. My endo, Dr. John O'Dea in LA, will do up to 12 pellets at a time. At $75/pellet every 3-4 months, yes it is expensive.

He has told me, though, that I am feminizing at about 3X the rate. Apparently I will be done feminizing somewhere around the 1.5yr mark... then we can start to pull the dosage down quite a bit and costs will go down as well.

As far as I understand it from his explanations, pellets work faster because
1) liver is not converting oral E to estrone- a much less effective version of estrogen
2) very steady & even rate of E release- unlike shots which have a strong upward spike and a decline in E level

There are other reasons that make pellets a really good choice, mainly to do with mental and physical health. I wish there was more information about them for use as transgender hormones because I always feel like I do a shoddy job explaining it

Thank you both for the info.  While it does sound good, that is way out of my budget.  Right now, laser is my major concern.  Plus, I'd like to have some money to go shopping for clothes and a rolling saving fund for SRS and any other surgeries should they be needed.  So, I think it will remain pills for this girl.  Still, should the money fairy come and bless me (please I need you money fairy), I will look into it. 

Do you know if this is ever used by doctors in NY?  Maybe I can see if there is a sliding scale plan or something and check into it. 

Quote from: Jen on August 09, 2013, 11:08:52 PM
I've heard spearmint tea helps.  If you believe it strongly enough then the placebo effect is sure to kick in!

Well, this coffee fiend will be adding lots of spearmint tea to her daily liquid intake. 

Quote from: mind is quiet now on August 09, 2013, 01:06:07 PM
Not a kick start but something that kills E is smoking so if you do then i would quit if you do not then do not start lol..

Hugs
Izzy

Can you tell me the source you referenced this from. I have never read anything that correlates smoking with the affects of estrogen....there would be many woman on the pill that would be pregnant if this was true. DVT is a concern but even this is rare.

Quote from: Jennygirl on August 09, 2013, 11:05:25 PM
Thanks LTL

Yes! Implants are the fastest way to go, and it's all dependent on how many your endo is comfy giving you. My endo, Dr. John O'Dea in LA, will do up to 12 pellets at a time. At $75/pellet every 3-4 months, yes it is expensive.

He has told me, though, that I am feminizing at about 3X the rate. Apparently I will be done feminizing somewhere around the 1.5yr mark... then we can start to pull the dosage down quite a bit and costs will go down as well.

I do agree that implants do a better job, but I have never read any research to believe they work any faster! More effective, Yes ...Faster IDK  Do you know of any research that shows this to be true??