I just started HRT through the VA, and the VA pharmacy is all about mailing prescriptions.  I had the first appointment with the endo and a couple days later when the blood work came back he had everything mailed to me.  When I was with him, I never thought to discuss what kind of estrogen he was planning to prescribe, I though estradiol had pretty much become the standard.  Well, premarin came in the mail, and I feel uncomfortable taking it for ethical reasons, but since I already have it, I thought about taking this bottle then ask about switching next time I see him.  I'm sure a number of people here have made a similar switch, so I would like to ask what that was like.  Was it a smooth transition or were there some hiccups?  I know everyone reacts differently, but I was just hoping to get a general idea on if I should finish off this prescription or call now to change it.

I've been on everything at one time or another, Premarin of course is derived from pregnant mare urine and on a number of levels isn't as desirable in my book or as safe as estradiol. When I was on Premarin I became rather pear shaped which I don't need being already rather thick waisted, so my take on that is that Premarin adds unwanted weight. Any feminizing HRT is good for an automatic ten pound weight gain, but I think Premarin is even worse for that. Estradiol more closely approximates the estrogen produced by the human female body, we're not horses and I don't want to get too horsey looking either.

I personally don't advise Premarin. Bio-identical estrogen is the way to go, safer and just as effective. Discuss your concerns with your doctor. I wouldn't even put one pill of that inside my body but that is me!

It's been my experience that the VA doesn't really know how to handle trans people yet. They're trying to learn...

Don't wait, call the appointment line and see if you can get the doc to call you back today. If not, make an appointment soonest. Let him know about your concerns. Like it was on active duty, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Good luck.

Quote from: KayXo on May 09, 2014, 02:55:11 PM
I personally don't advise Premarin. Bio-identical estrogen is the way to go, safer and just as effective. Discuss your concerns with your doctor. I wouldn't even put one pill of that inside my body but that is me!

^THIS^  Bioidentical hormones all the way, and pills should be avoided.

Quote from: Jill F on May 09, 2014, 06:45:56 PM
^THIS^  Bioidentical hormones all the way, and pills should be avoided.

Though if you don't have much choice (like me at the moment), take them sublingually.

I am one of the rare ones that used to do premarin
No I didnt grow hooves or make horse grunts
Nor did my boobs grow out the sides
Its a very long lived estrogen and stays in your body
For longer periods. Just harder to manage health that's all

If your'e taking Premarin look into taking a progesterone also. In Australia you just get birth control, which is cheap and no one ever gives you a second look about it.

Quote from: Jessika Lin on May 10, 2014, 08:53:28 AM
Though if you don't have much choice (like me at the moment), take them sublingually.

I don't think Premarin absorbs sublingually. And it apparently tastes awful!

Quote from: IamNotxChristine on May 10, 2014, 09:11:31 PM
I am one of the rare ones that used to do premarin
No I didnt grow hooves or make horse grunts
Nor did my boobs grow out the sides
Its a very long lived estrogen and stays in your body
For longer periods.

That increases clotting risks much more because it contains equine (horse) estrogens that stay longer in the body and strongly affect clotting. 

Quote from: Serenation on May 10, 2014, 09:17:48 PM
In Australia you just get birth control, which is cheap and no one ever gives you a second look about it.

Which is several times more risky than what we take.

Quote from: KayXo on May 12, 2014, 06:28:32 AM
I don't think Premarin absorbs sublingually. And it apparently tastes awful!

I was referring to pills in general. Preferably of a proper estrogen.

If it is micronized estrogen, then it can be absorbed sublingually.

Quote from: Serenation on May 10, 2014, 09:17:48 PM
If your'e taking Premarin look into taking a progesterone also. In Australia you just get birth control, which is cheap and no one ever gives you a second look about it.

You shouldn't be being prescribed birth control, at least not by someone who knows what they are doing. I don't know any Aussie girls on BC. Myself? Estradiol and cypro.. I'd walk away from a doctor that prescribed me birth control..

And neither costs me any more than birth control would.

Quote from: kelly_aus on May 12, 2014, 07:32:10 AM
You shouldn't be being prescribed birth control, at least not by someone who knows what they are doing. I don't know any Aussie girls on BC. Myself? Estradiol and cypro.. I'd walk away from a doctor that prescribed me birth control..

And neither costs me any more than birth control would.

I go through Monash Medical Centre

"It is a multi-disciplinary clinic involving psychiatrists, psychologists, plastic surgeons, gynaecologists, endocrinologists, speech pathology. It is the only formal clinic of its kind in Australasia and hence receives referrals from Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands."

The pills they prescribe contain Estradiol and Progesterone. Many countries use them for transitioning.

I never heard of pills containing estradiol AND progesterone at the same time. Are they compounded?

Quote from: KayXo on May 12, 2014, 12:07:13 PM
I never heard of pills containing estradiol AND progesterone at the same time. Are they compounded?

That's basically what PremPro is. Most genetic females are scared spitless of it because of all the media cancer scare hype.

Hieverybody  I have been put on Premarin for some time now and I have been experiencing. A fair bit breast growth ,a C but  more towards the sides ! In a bra it looks fine but i am concerned that it may be bec of premarin now  I was unaware that Prem had such a bad rap Up until this post I believed it was s just my body, and the way I grow.Are the real cases or comparisons made with regards to how differently breasts grow on prem and on estradoil .I will definitely speak to my Dr and ask to amend my prescription. Thanks all

Quote from: Shantel on May 12, 2014, 12:27:02 PM
That's basically what PremPro is. Most genetic females are scared spitless of it because of all the media cancer scare hype.

These don't contain progesterone, but medroxyprogesterone acetate which is a whole other ball game! And Premarin is not estradiol. It contains only small amounts of 17beta estradiol, mostly estrone sulfate and some equine (horse) estrogens. The findings with Prempro obviously don't apply to estradiol or progesterone.

Quote from: KayXo on May 13, 2014, 09:32:00 AM
These don't contain progesterone, but medroxyprogesterone acetate which is a whole other ball game! And Premarin is not estradiol. It contains only small amounts of 17beta estradiol, mostly estrone sulfate and some equine (horse) estrogens. The findings with Prempro obviously don't apply to estradiol or progesterone.

Exactly, and that backs up the reason so many natal women fear the consequences of using it. Unfortunately Big Pharma has a big financial interest in it because it is something that's not natural that their chemical companies have manufactured and have patented and have a sole right to push as if it's something beneficial as opposed to more naturally occurring hormones that bind safely to one's hormone receptors without fear of forming various cancerous conditions.