Has anyone had to switch from injections to pellets and did you notice any difference? Better, worse, same?

Also, does anyone have any experience with bhrt BioTE? Seems the pellets are made using plant estrogen compared to EV and EC.

Due to the constant shortage and stress of trying to get EV, I'm trying to decide whether to switch to EC or pellets.  Unfortunately, the only doctor that does this for trans patients that I am aware of uses BioTE so I'm not sure how great it is.

There doesn't seem to be a development advantage with pellets however those who are on them, love them. You get an implant once every 8-9  months and then you just sit back and watch the development. Unfortunately they are difficult to get in the U.S. but there are a few doctors who cater to CIS customers who seem to provide them.

Thanks Dena,

Would you happen to know if there are any downsides? I'm worried they may not be as effective.  I was on pills and they didn't do anything so I had to switch to injections.  I'm worried that with pellets, my levels may drop depending.

I'm in the US and I do know of a doctor that performs pellet implants but I was hoping there was more info on it as most of it seems to be highly anecdotal without any info different types and brands of pellets.

After your pellet dosage is worked out, you maintain a consistent dosage through almost the entire life of the pellet(s). At levels of around 200 pg/ml it's likely you won't need a blocker as estradiol will be sufficient to stop the testosterone production. Really the only downside is the minor surgery to install one. After that, it's trouble free until you need a replacement.

Downsides:
Each time I get a new implant they use local anesthetic and a stitch to close the wound. I do have a few small scars across my belly now. I definitely wouldn't want to be having implants forever, I get really sad looking at the scars but that's just me.

Quote from: Ellement_of_Freedom on April 23, 2018, 02:23:32 AM
Downsides:
Each time I get a new implant they use local anesthetic and a stitch to close the wound. I do have a few small scars across my belly now. I definitely wouldn't want to be having implants forever, I get really sad looking at the scars but that's just me.

Ouch, I'm so sorry....I thought the pellets were supposed to placed in your posterior and usually in the same area to reduce scarring.  Is that not the norm?

Also, have you tried injections before pellets? I'm trying to decide on switching to depo injections (which seems much more expensive) or just go the pellet route.

Hello y'all,

They can implant the pellets on your behind/rump, is what my doctor has been doing for the past 2 years(the doc oscillates between the right and left glutes, every visit), after the first 3 years being in patches, and EV injections. Everytime I go in for another implant, the doc wants me to take with me my blood levels(ie. cbc count/estrogen/t count/liver count). But yup, you get the implant and forget about taking daily/biweekly/weekly doses of pills/patches/injections. Convenient for me, because of my busy schedule.

Quote from: justarandomname2 on April 23, 2018, 03:34:10 AM
Ouch, I'm so sorry....I thought the pellets were supposed to placed in your posterior and usually in the same area to reduce scarring.  Is that not the norm?

Also, have you tried injections before pellets? I'm trying to decide on switching to depo injections (which seems much more expensive) or just go the pellet route.

My doctor is a firm believer in pellets and said it's the best option for consistently high levels of oestrogen. I don't think I'd like injecting myself every fortnight really...

The only thing with EV Injections is that you'll experience the highs and lows. If you want to mimic the steady flow of pellets, you can either consider patches or pills.

My levels are very high on implants. They last 9 months to over a year before my blood levels are down to 800 pmol/L (at which point I feel like crap). They are also very stable and I don't get any emotional swings from them.

Quote from: Ellement_of_Freedom on April 23, 2018, 02:23:32 AM
Downsides:
Each time I get a new implant they use local anesthetic and a stitch to close the wound. I do have a few small scars across my belly now. I definitely wouldn't want to be having implants forever, I get really sad looking at the scars but that's just me.

I get them in the butt, and in the same two places each time. I've got 2 very small scars that quite hard to find (hard to look around that far as well). My endo used to use a single 5mm implant and a suture, but swapped to two 3mm implants and no suture.

Why doesn't insurance in the states cover pellets?  One local endo (out of network for me) provides them, at $300 a visit.  Contrast the $15/month my insured patches cost.

Thank you for the info everyone, I think I'll try pellets for a while to see how things go.  I personally love my EV shots but trying to get them and is so stressful.

Quote from: AnonyMs on April 23, 2018, 03:43:51 PM
My levels are very high on implants. They last 9 months to over a year before my blood levels are down to 800 pmol/L (at which point I feel like crap). They are also very stable and I don't get any emotional swings from them.

I get them in the butt, and in the same two places each time. I've got 2 very small scars that quite hard to find (hard to look around that far as well). My endo used to use a single 5mm implant and a suture, but swapped to two 3mm implants and no suture.

So do pellet dosages have a usual standard like injections and pills or are pellets highly dependent on the individual (I'm not sure if I can find any pellet providers that may be familiar with trans care so I wanted to get a bit more info)