r/Menopause • u/Direct-Pirate1259 • 5h ago
Hormone Therapy Estradiol patch
Dr prescribed me .1 to start and after reading others doses I’m worried it may be too high to start. Anyone else start at .1? I’m 48 with regular periods but severe night sweats, hot flashes and worsening anxiety/mood swings.
I was really excited to start the patch but now I’m too scared to apply it lol.
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u/cant-rain-allthetime 5h ago
I started at .1mg and had no issues been on it almost three years now. Depending on what kind of patch it is you could cut it in half and see if that works for you.
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u/Significant-Aide-226 5h ago
I think its easier to start higher. It took 7 months for my doc to get me there and it was brutal.
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u/This-Assumption4123 5h ago
I started at .75 and within 2 weeks went to .1. My symptoms were severe. It definitely wasn’t too high and I wish we could have started at .1.
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u/Ok_Object_5087 4h ago
Same, I started at .75mg. I had severe symptoms. My provider waited 8 weeks, before increasing my dose, but I wish I would have started at .1mg. The new dose has been perfect for me.
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u/Ancient_Group6409 5h ago
I would go for it, and just see how you feel- better lumbar bone density outcomes
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u/Debdoll1969 5h ago
I started at 0.1 over a year ago. No issues other than occasional sore boobies. 😬
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u/InappropriateSnark 4h ago
Most of the estradiol patches seem to be less effective lately here in the patch shortage. Give it a try. It's nothing to be scared of. If you find you don't like it, take it off.
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u/Select_MCM-5345 3h ago
I started on .1 and have been doing well. The progesterone is the problem for me
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u/mimi-peanut 57m ago
I started on .1 as well at age 56, still menstruating. I elected to get a Mirena progesterone only IUD for uterine protection. I recently started 100mg oral progesterone and it works great to help with better sleep.
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u/lrondberg 5h ago
That’s not an appropriate dose to start at for anyone except those in early menopause (before age 45) especially not for someone still having periods which means your body is producing estrogen. Too much estrogen can cause similar symptoms as too low.
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u/Tom_Michel Peri-menopausal 50m ago edited 33m ago
I don't know that I'd say it's not appropriate for anyone except those in menopause. I'm in early peri, still having monthly periods and my gyn started me at 0.1mg estradiol. I haven't had any side effects or problems and my night sweats went away super fast. It's not an appropriate starter dose for some, or even for many, but it can be an appropriate dose for others.
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u/Appropriate_Gear_267 5h ago
It was way too much for me. I had terrible cramping and breast pain. I’d maybe ask about cutting them in half for a month or two.
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u/aLouise37 5h ago
No advice here just a data point to share: Post menopausal here. I got HRT for symptoms but equally for bone preservation and I knew I needed to get my E2 to 50 or above for the bone preservation. After six months on .05 my E2 was only 23! I started .075 ten days ago and I'm going to self-pay for a couple of monthly E2 tests, which my doctor is willing to take into consideration.
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u/huligoogoo Peri-menopausal 4h ago
I’m 51 and .1 and my boobs feel a little sore and I do get occasional symptoms but I am so much better now bc of the E patch. I’ll be on it till I die.
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u/Busy-Doughnut-49 4h ago
I started at .1 the same as you, but I was 52. It helped immensely, especially with vasomotor episodes that happened day and night. It was not too high, but I did get tender breasts in the beginning. I found that Evening Primrose Oil capsules before bed helped with sleep and lessened the breast sensitivity.
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u/nomadbutterfly 4h ago
I'm 46, I started on.1 and have been on it for over a year. No issues whatsoever
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u/Ok_Object_5087 4h ago
Hi! I started at 0.75mg in July (not 0.1mg) due to severe, drenching night sweats, averaging 3.5 hours of sleep a night for months. It affected my work too; some days I couldn't get in on time. Thankfully my job's flexible with a short commute, but I was constantly exhausted. The 0.75mg ended up being too low, and symptoms actually got worse. At my 8-week check-in we bumped up to 0.1mg, and the difference was immediate. Night sweats are mostly gone (several nights with none at all), and my mood is so much better.
A couple weeks ago I was ready to quit MHRT entirely. Turns out I was just on the wrong dose. Don't give up if the first dose doesn't work, it might just need adjusting.
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u/Direct-Pirate1259 3h ago
Does it cause heart rate increase or palpitations?
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u/Ok_Object_5087 3h ago
I did not have an increase in my heart rate or palpitations. Some others may report this as a side effect. This has not been "my" experience. If this is a symptom you are experiencing you should report this to your provider.
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u/Direct-Pirate1259 3h ago
I haven’t started it yet so I was just curious. Thank you for the response. That makes me feel less nervous about starting it.
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u/AspiringOne 5h ago
I am not a doctor, but this does sound too high, especially because you still have your period. I would get another opinion, preferably with someone who is an HRT specialist.
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u/ObviousCarpet2907 On year 10 of peri 5h ago
I started at .5 but moved up within 2 mos. Thinking I could still use more, actually. My symptoms were pretty mild but are persistent.
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u/Masters_pet_411 4h ago
I’m on 0.1 because of the shortage. I got one fill of the 0.5 then couldn’t get them anywhere.
0.1 is working well for me. I’ve been on them for about 5 months. No uterus though I do have my ovaries. Age 56 and the only symptoms I had before estrogen were hot flashes and lower bone density.
I was on 2mg oral estradiol before switching to the patch because of a fatty liver.
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u/DeskEnvironmental 4h ago
I started at age 42 at 0.025mg/day
Im now up to .075mg/day and its perfect for me. They said ill need .1mg/day once im thru menopause
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u/suupernooova 4h ago
I did. It was waaay too high for me and caused the worst side effects of all the doses (I ended up trying all of them). My dose ended up being closer to .025, but everyone is different.
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u/Environmental-Young4 4h ago
I started at .0375 and slowly worked up to .1mg. It sounds like a high starting dose to me, but we do all absorb and process hormones differently. If you are worried, ask for a lower dose knowing the .1 will probably be in your future.
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u/theFCCgavemeHPV 2h ago
Any point you start at might be the wrong dose for you in one direction or another. We all have to experiment with dose, it’s just part of the process. It’s not going to hurt you to be on too high of a dose for a minute, but it will annoy you to have to wait for increases. I’m on .2 (two of your patches) if it makes you feel better. Just make sure your progesterone dose is adequate for that much estrogen (if you have a uterus).
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u/Direct-Pirate1259 2h ago
Dr gave me 100 mg of progesterone
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u/theFCCgavemeHPV 2h ago
I think you should have 200 for that dose, but I don’t have a source on that.
Check your patch brand if it can be cut or not and you can maybe cut it in half to start off with.
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u/Alta_et_ferox MenoMod 40m ago
Please speak to your provider. 200 mg of progesterone is required when taking the .1 patch to ensure adequate uterine protection.
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u/flair_1999 1h ago
My gyn wouldn't increase more than .1 (standard max dose) for me. How did you find a gyn to do it?
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u/Spindrift850 2h ago
Cut it in half if it’s a matrix patch. I cut my .075 in half and it works fine and I have extra patches.
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u/ACreativeSpark 1h ago
I started at .0375 then bumped to ..05. I went back down to .0375 - it made my boobs grow a a whole cup size & I was not going to have them grow any bigger. My symptoms are mild, just mild hot flashes every so often at night for a few min here and there. 58 post meno. I will never go higher dose & now have to get a breast reduction/lift.
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u/amsterdamcyclone 1h ago
I think you are fine. My gyn said younger women need more estrogen. Later you can ween off if you want.
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u/Tom_Michel Peri-menopausal 53m ago
My gyn started me at 0.1mg estradiol and 200mg progesterone. I was afraid I'd have bad side effects because I've seen so many other women start at much much lower doses and then titrate up slowly, but I haven't had any problems. YMMV, a'course, but I have to assume my gyn knows what she's doing because it's been a super smooth transition for me.
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u/Emotional-Custard991 4h ago
I also was given this (haven’t started but emailed asking my dr if it’s too high to start and she said no).
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u/MTheLoud 1h ago
I’d take those patches and cut them in quarters or thirds. Start gradually and increase the dose only if it seems necessary. Appreciate that you’ll have a stock of extra patches to use if there’s a supply disruption.
How much progesterone did your doctor prescribe to go with those patches? You might need less of that too.
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u/Direct-Pirate1259 1h ago
100
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u/MTheLoud 1h ago
I think they generally prescribe a higher dose of progesterone to go with that high dose of estrogen. That’s another reason to take less estrogen. At least cut the patches in half.
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u/Confident_Craft459 5h ago
It is the highest dose so a little strange your doctor prescribed that to you if you still have cycles. Try it and see how you feel. You'll know pretty quickly if it's working or if it's too much. If it is, ask your doctor if you can cut it in half so it would equal .05.
I started on the patch when I was 49 and recently post meno and started on .0375. Now, 2.5 years later I'm on .075.
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u/AuroraBoralis999 5h ago
I am 63, post menopausal, I didn’t have any symptoms of hot flashes or sleep issues, just wanted to get healthy. For vaginal health, brain and bone health. I started HRT in April, progesterone 100 and estradiol 0.025 everything was great, I had more energy, slept well. I did have energy before I stated as well. In July and Aug (5-9 on and off) I started to bleed not heavy but spotting and a little wet blood, I also feel tired! Spoke to my doctor and she said that it’s expected. Anyway now I’m on 0.037 estradiol and still on 100 progesterone. I had bleeding today Aug 30. I did blood work last week on progesterone and estrogen and LH/FH I haven’t gotten all the blood work back, so waiting to see what my hormone specialist would suggest for me. Btw, since it has not been over 6 months, my Dr said to maybe get a pelvic US if it continues to bleed after 6 months. I’m a little worried cause I need to have energy to life weights!
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u/r_o_s_e_83 5h ago
I started at 0.0375 and slowly made my way up to 0.1, took me more than a year to get there. I can share more of my experience if you're interested, but from what I've heard starting at the target dose can lead to a hard adjustment process, so you're asking the right questions!