Started having sever hot-flashes so my doctor put me on the Vivelle Dot. It took care of the hot-flashes but caused me to gain 10 pounds in a 6 week period. My doc said the weight gain was from menopause. Well, I took the patch off 2 weeks ago and threw it away, and I have now lost 6 of those pounds and feel much better. I think it was causing depressiont too. I have been on bio-identical hormones for a few years - progesterone cream and DHA cream - and have done fine.
I had a hysterectomy in October 2009, I was put on the vivelle-dot patch. I'm on the lowest dose (0.05mg). I change the patch twice a week.
I had my yearly mamogram (which has always been normal). I picked up the report today and it says:
Findings: Dense and hetergenous breast parenchyma is again observed with minor asymmetry.
To help me avoid radical menopause sypmtoms, my doctor immediately started me on a .5 mg. Vivelle-dot estrogen patch after surgery, and I felt fine. Two weeks later, he added a 100 mg. daily dose of prometrium to my HRT therapy to avoid recurrence of endometriosis growth. My problem is that I am having unpleasant side effects from the prometrium, including exhaustion, minor headache, and lightheadedness. I don't like how it makes me feel.
How long after a confirmed pregnancy are you suppose to continue taking Estradiol? Just read on the internet that it can cause birth defects and I can't reach my doctor to confirm this.
I too have alot of the symptoms you are experiencing such as the bowels, bladder, palpitations, emotional ups and downs, irritability etc. I started the vivelle dot 0.1mg patch for hormone replacement a couple weeks ago. Even though I feel better, I think my dose and schedule still need to be tweaked a little. Has your doc added any testosterone in to your hormone replacement? That is a biggie to help correct things.
Some women find that trying a different brand can make a world of difference such as switching from Vivelle-Dot or Minivelle (3 day patch) to Climara (7 day patch). They have different adhesives that can affect uptake of the estrogen. The Vivelle-Dot did not work well for me and I didn't know any better to try Climara.
If the patch doesn't work out, there are pills, gels, and vaginal rings you can try. Hope you find something that helps soon! I know how desperate it can feel!
What hormone patch were you on right after your surgery? Was it Vivelle or Climara? Both are Bioidentical hormones (Estradiol, or E2). I am not familiar with Femtrace... you can google to see if it is a Bioidentical or not... and see if it is Estradiol. Personally, for me that is the ONLY way to go from now on.
I have found that the estrogen Estradiol is THE estrogen to use and I cannot tell you how much this product has helped me. As Sheri mentioned, the Vivelle Dot is great... it is a bioidentical estrogen and it is all estradiol. If you don't supplement with this chances are great that weight gain around your 'middle' will happen or continue since the body is trying to make estrogen for you when levels are low or flucuating.
I use what some consider a high dose of Estradiol (Vivelle Patch) and I use it to make sure my serum (NOT saliva) blood tests show I am in a range that if I had a period would put me at about day one or day two of my cycle. I want enough estradiol in me to make sure I can string a sentence together, avoid depression, have a sex drive, have better word retrival, have strong bones, less moodiness, have good heart function, no cramping in legs (the worst when I am low in my estradiol)...
t have, and was placed on a higher dose of estrogen. I use the vivelle dot patch, oral estrogen and vaginal estrogen. This seems to have helped the urinary problems amongst other things. Are you on hormone replacement?
There is a great book I am reading called "Screaming to be heard" by Elizabeth Vliet MD and it really goes into detail on how hormones affect every organ system.
Are you on Hormone replacement? I hope this helps, and I hope you get some answers.
I'm almost 60 years old and have been experiencing severe hot flashes for years. A couple years ago I was put on 0.05mg Vivelle-dot patches. I'm still having the flashes. My forehead, especially, sweats a lot wetting my bangs completely! Would going on a higher dose of Vivelle stop the hot flashes? I want to keep on bioidentical-type remedies and wondered if something else included/instead of would do the trick. I'd greatly appreciate help!
My reproductive endo says I am low in estrogen (I am 32) so I am contemplating some sort of hormone replacement therapy (Vivelle-dot and prometrium). My estradiol levels have come back repeatedly on the low end (in the 60's or 40's) but my FSH levels are normal. My last estradiol was taken on day 12 and it was 40 which is low but I don't have regular cycles. Honestly, I don't know if the low estradiol would cause the weight gain...
03 was the first one i was on,estratest but made heart race,vivelle patch but its made of estradiol and something about that seems to depress me so im back on higher dose of menset Im looking for other women who are on hormones along with sufffering anxiety and depression,,,i do feel abit better but my breasts are so sore sore back,my breast were never sore before starting estrogen,,,so please if any of you woman out there can relate let me know i dont see my dr till dec 6.
I have come to strongly believe that our bodies do need estrogen (specifically estradiol, which is what we use, Cherie, by virtue of using the Vivelle, although estradiol can be used in cream form and in a pill, but I am not familiar with the pill form). One local doctor says that our bodies 'Crave' estrogen.
Our bodies will make estrogen from the fat in our bodies if the ovaries are not there.. or are not producing enough to meet the demands our body requires.
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