Hi, so I just registered tonight, and I have a question, I'm 21 and i've acutally acquired my first pack of premarin like 2 years ago when i jsut turned 19,, I heard all about the danger of self medicating and all, so i only took really small amounts like every other day. I also got some androcur which i took like every 2 days till i ran out of it. Then i couldn't get any more so i stopped for a while, then started over again, - same thing, small amounts every other day,, sometimes every day maybe for a week. THe probelm is that its been almost 2 years and there;re no resusts,, or at least i dont see any, and it's really frustrating, so i was wondering if i shoudl increase the dose and take it systematically but then it might be dangerous. And if i go see a doctor , everyone will find out. SO i dont knnow what to do,, I know want to go ahead with it and finish waht i started, but it just doesn work Any advice?

Hi Arianna...
From what you're saying it sounds as if you may have been on too small dosages. Sustained use is very important also. It may take some time to lower your testosterone level, and if you're going off the medication after a short time the level will rise again and the estrogen will have little effect.

As for the dangers of selfmedicating you should of course take it seriously. But do not overestimate it. The most important thing is having your health monitored in the longer term, and living a healthy life. If you are smoking stop doing it, and the same really goes for keeping down the use of alcohol. These general measures are no less important than keeping the dosages at a safe level, or choosing the right medication.

If you're sure about going ahead with your transition you could check out the HRT regimens at Globaldrug These are realistic dosages and should give the results you may want. Still, if you decide to follow the suggestions there you should start out on lower dosages first, for some weeks, and then raise them slowly to see if you have any adverse reactions.

What you're saying about seeing a doctor and everybody finding out... I guess you understand that an effective HRT regimen would mean the same after some time. So, it may be a question of what you should do first. If you start out selfmedicating there could be less problems with getting the prescription you want from a doctor. And then, if you already have the approval of a doctor it could be of some help when you're ready to tell your family and friends xx

...

PS. I should say perhaps that the suggestions given at globaldrug are the opinions of one single doctor, and that i do not agree with what she says about progestins. If these should be considered part of an HRT regimen may depend on your needs. The progestins are known to have several important functions for the female brain, and besides that they can help with suppressing testosterone. And an overall medical regimen should first of all be about how you feel, not just the growing of breasts.

Hi Arianna!

Wel, if you go to the doctor your family is likely to find out but if you self medicate with a high dosage and grow breasts I am pretty sure they will find out anyway!

If you don't want to grow breasts and get a feminine body then why are you taking the meds at all?

I just think you need to sit down and think about what you really want before doing nything at all.

Good advice from Sabina and Hannah. If you want hormones to have any effect then of course, eventually people will notice. I don't know if it's the same in the States but here doctors are bound by patient confidentiality, so there's no reason why one's family would find out straight away. Sooner or later though, you have to work out how you're going to tell them, and that of course means being clear in your own head about what you want and how far you want to go. Hormones, really, are an all or nothing lifetime change.
Premarin and Androcur are probably not the safest choices, so both require monitoring for such things as liver toxicity. If you insist on self-medicating (which I did for quite a while) then 17-Beta estradiol or estradiol valerate might be safer options. But that's only a "might"; everyone reacts differently to hormones.
Certainly, stopping and starting, or taking every other day is going to hinder any effects, and this would probably explain why you haven't seen any. You are young, and it's often the case that younger people see more effective results. I'm 43 and have seen a slight, but noticeable effect after 21 months consistent use of a moderate dose. I've been using Estrofem and Oestrogel from globaldrug.tv
At your age, an anti-androgen may be useful to get your testosterone levels down. At my age, it would appear that I'm on a sufficient dose of estrogen to block testo without needing anti-androgens. You need tests to see what your testo levels are, there are online companies who do this, but going to a doctor may be cheaper. Again, I don't know how it is in the States. Incidentally, measuring estradiol levels is of no use when on Premarin.
Do some serious research into all the options available for different types of estrogen. Think again about getting some sort of medical supervision. Understand that you can't keep this secret for ever. Don't waste your money taking small amounts and having breaks. If you want it to work, you have to do it properly.
Very best of luck to you Arianna, and please let us know how you get on.
xx