It was kind of easy in my case.  Since my body didn't respond to spiro, I got put on depo provera.  So instead of testosterone eating my body alive, I get to be suicidal!  Joy!  And yet, I prefer that to the testosterone.  Is that crazy or what?  Still, I started antidepressants last Friday and I'm hopeful that they'll work.   Maybe, in the very near future, I get to have lowered T and a desire to live.

Quote from: Zoë Natasha on September 20, 2011, 10:38:41 PM
Maybe, in the very near future, I get to have lowered T and a desire to live.

Your humour always cracks me up, Zoe.

It's like they say... When life pulls the rug from underneath you... learn to dance on the go.

I wish I had the opportunity to try shots! but over here in the United Kingdom they are not legally licensed which is a real bummer!

i say Injections. if i can start back in Jan i will do them

   I've been looking into estrogen pellets. I guess they surgically implant them into your bum and they dissolve over a few months. Anyone tried this method yet? 

i have not but also think that could be a very good way to go

Quote from: Forever21Chic on September 27, 2011, 07:57:22 PM

   I've been looking into estrogen pellets. I guess they surgically implant them into your bum and they dissolve over a few months. Anyone tried this method yet? 

Yes, I have tried them. I went on them because it was nearest thing I could get to shots over here in the U.K.  I thought the implants were working well but the implant never dissolved and I still have it in my butt a year later! I now need to get it surgically removed. I've now found out the implants have been discontinued by the manufacturer. 

Sorry for necro'ing this thread,  but I have a few ideas or whatever.

I have questions or whatnot for all of these delivery methods. \

First of all, I've only ever done pills. From what I understand about pills, it is prone to being processed by the liver before ever hitting the blood stream if some of the chalkyness slips out from your tongue. That would render a certain dose not quite that dose, right?

With injectables, you have to buy needles, dispose of the needles, be careful with them, prick yourself, and on top of it all, at the end of the week, you're low on estrogen, right? I would think the lack of consistent estrogen would hurt. On the other hand, upon initial injection you get a spike in levels. Maybe on day 6, one could support their waning estrogen with a pill or 2?

With transdermal patches, they're visible and can come off in a shower! I wouldn't want to worry about somebody seeing the patch on me for whatever reason. With cream / gel, doesn't that stuff rub off on your clothes?

What if money wasn't an issue? Let's say my insurance covers every penny of my HRT. What would be the best delivery method then? I am honestly thinking about asking my doctor if she could switch me to gel / cream, because I think some of the estradiol she's prescribed me is escaping from under my tongue (I can feel it in my teeth) and I don't want to stick myself with a needle and deal with safely disposing them. IDK, I think I may inject myself but only if I was allowed to supplement a small bit at the end of the week with some oral or cream.

Thoughts?

I consider Hormone creams dangerous as their is a substantial risk of affecting others around you personally. They can get in your bed clothes, adversely effect loved ones and pets. Triggering hormone problems in them.
Spayed pets going into heat, Kids experiencing premature puberty, (or incorrect puberty) unintentional feminization of male partners unintentional masculinization of female partners ect.

Patches... yeah they arn't bad expensive in my experience so if cost wasn't a factor I'd go with those. They can be messy. what with the adheasive but they work and are safe.

Injections I use these they are moderately safe (Barring hazards accociated with needles), highly effective and very cheap for what you get whitch makes it ideal for me where the NHS still drags it's heels and ignores me years after I asked them for help.

Pills the Ethynl-Estrogens are the ones that are the particularly dangerous ones whitch cause blood clots and liver damage these arn't seen so much their are native human estrogen pills these days however they are often digested by the body before begin absorbed. They can cause anywhere from good to bad feminization depending on the indivduals digestive tract.

The sublingual ones are better than the regular pills and are safer too but they have to be especially formulated making them rather expensive.

I've. been using transdermal patches for years and I've tried the US brands. I currently use the Vivelle Dot. It adheres to my skin the best and it doesn't irritate my skin. The only thing I don't like is changing it bi weekly. Climara doesn't adhere as well as Vivelle but the patch lasts the whole week. Generics suck! They're thick and don't stick. If it comes.off in the shower it's toast. Vivelle & Climara you can reapply.

Injectables sound great but for one problem. My insurance has a 50% share of cost on injectable meds. They pay 100% of the patches :-)

Normally USPS...

But can't go wrong with FedEx

There is also a nose spray.
One spray in the nose every morning, a deep breath trough the nose and you're done.
The Estrogene will go to the blood trough the mucosa of the nose.
Easy and with excellent blood levels.

Don't know or it's available in the US.

I have been on HRT for almost a month now, and have been taking estradiol sublingually - but swallowing the rest of the pills (finasteride and spiro). I developed sore and puffy nipples right away within 2 weeks, so I think it is working pretty well.

Estradiol doesn't taste awful sublingually in my opinion.... actually, a lil sweet as matter of fact

Quote from: MsDazzler on November 16, 2011, 10:17:54 PM
I have been on HRT for almost a month now, and have been taking estradiol sublingually - but swallowing the rest of the pills (finasteride and spiro). I developed sore and puffy nipples right away within 2 weeks, so I think it is working pretty well.

Estradiol doesn't taste awful sublingually in my opinion.... actually, a lil sweet as matter of fact

OMG I think it tastes like ice cream. I find myself wanting to snack on them like tic tacs... but I don't...

I only worry about it dissolving and moving thru the teeth and eating pieces of  it, then the liver gets it and breaks it down to less effective levels. The generic is what I have this problem with. However I just kinda cap it tight under my tongue and I've found it to be effective.

My results were like yours when I started. Then I was actually prescribed them and took them at a different scheduling arrangement. I thought HRT was losing effectiveness because of my theory about breaking away, but I've since switched back to taking exactly half my dosage in the morning, and half after work, and I'm back to sore, slightly uncomfortable nipples.

Quote from: Alainaluvsu on November 16, 2011, 10:55:32 PM
OMG I think it tastes like ice cream. I find myself wanting to snack on them like tic tacs... but I don't...

I think they taste like children's tylenol.

Estradiol does taste pretty sweet.

I took it for a month regularly(swallowing...lol swallowing)
But then I started doing it sublingually ever since and I started feeling better.

Quote from: JoeyD on November 17, 2011, 12:24:31 AM
Estradiol does taste pretty sweet.

I took it for a month regularly(swallowing...lol swallowing)
But then I started doing it sublingually ever since and I started feeling better.

Sweet as femininity on a springs day.

Quote from: JoeyD on November 17, 2011, 12:24:31 AM
Estradiol does taste pretty sweet.

I took it for a month regularly(swallowing...lol swallowing)
But then I started doing it sublingually ever since and I started feeling better.

I did the sublingual with the regular estrodiol at the start.  Physical relief after 2 1/2 weeks, mental, two months.  Fast, compared to the 50+ years suffering.  Estrodiol amount is in a small percentage in that tiny pill.  Fillers and a sweetener make up most of that pill.  Estrodiol gets absorbed by the lower palate but not the sweeteners nor the fillers.  Don't worry about that getting swallowed.  There will be more than enough estrogen that gets absorbed anyway in most cases. 
  Joelene

Quote from: annette on November 14, 2011, 03:53:33 AM
There is also a nose spray.
One spray in the nose every morning, a deep breath trough the nose and you're done.
The Estrogene will go to the blood trough the mucosa of the nose.
Easy and with excellent blood levels.

Don't know or it's available in the US.

That sounds super cool.

If you take oral estrogen, make sure you get the micronized, and take it sub-lingual.  If your dr prescribes them, they will give you them automatically at Walgreens, but injectable is much more potient, as like said above, it goes right into your bloodstream, bypassing the liver.  The thing you have to watch for is that is you take too often or too much, it can cause acute depression.  So make sure you or your drs knows and has experience with MTF HRT.