January 9, 2009 11:46 PM GMT
Hi. Im 26 Years old. Currently living as female and have the past years. I want to start the safe way self medicating myself before visiting the doctor. In sweden the doctors dont prescribe hormones unless you arent in the second year of their supervision living as female. I dont want to wait that long time so i have decided to start by my own but safe for some months before visiting. I have read alot alot alot. And ive been here every night reading but cannot find so much topics about gel that i see as a safer way to start. can someone help me with those questions and just dont recommend me to read other topics ive already done that.
what is a safe starting dose for each day using Gel? There is a Gel here called Sandrena
http://www.inhousepharmacy-europe.com/transgender/sandrena-t.html
How many times per day do i need to take this to start in a safe way without harming my liver and so on,, whats a safe dose, is there any other ghel to recomend instead?. How many month should i wait before increasing the dose?
Will it be useful adding an androgen or can i wait with this some month? Ive heard that the estrogen converts to testosterone is this correct ,i dont want my male attributes to increase. Can it be enough to start with only Sandrena, will that reduce the testosterone in my body itself? Im newly 26 years old. I dont have so much male caracteristics.
Please help me, cant wait to start. Been here to long now without beeing able to take the step bec to much different information
Please give me answer asap..
/Daniella...
January 10, 2009 12:43 AM GMT
Hi Daniella,
I used Sandrena gel for a little more than two years and had good results. What you want to call a safe dose varies person by person so it is hard for anyone here to recommend a specific doseage. For your information 1 packet of Sandrena gel is approximately equal to 3mg oral such as estrofem or one Climara 100mcg patch. As for how often, gel only needs to be applied once per day, it is absorbed through your skin and slowly releases into the bloodstream over a 24hr period. Applying near the same time of day will prevent a roller coaster effect.
Now your other questions.
"How many month should i wait before increasing the dose? " Depends how you feel but 1-3 should be fine.
"Will it be useful adding an androgen or can i wait with this some month?" An anti androgen allows you to take a lower dose of Estrogen, however anti androgens can be equally as hard on the body. Spironolactone causes the body to build up potassium which needs to be offset with sodium. That is why having lab tests are important. There are other anti androgen products, carefully read the side effects.
" Ive heard that the estrogen converts to testosterone is this correct ,i don't want my male attributes to increase." Wrong, the body cannot convert estrogen into testosterone but it can convert testosterone into estrogen. Either way, the majority of any excess hormone is disposed of by your body naturally. I happen to take casodex which blocks all the testosterone receptors, it does not stop the production of testosterone so some of the testosterone that can't be used is converted to E1, a weaker form of estrogen than the E2 estradiol you get in your typical medicine.
You may find it way to pricey to take enough Sandrena gel to hold down your testosterone. Bottomline is that is what doctors and lab tests can do for you. They help you find a safe effective doseage for you. Even if they don't supply your HRT for awhile, I highly recommend you find a doctor that can help you or at a minimum atleast be aware of what you are doing should any problems arise.
Hugs,
Marsha
January 10, 2009 1:03 AM GMT
Thanks for your answer. i will start safely with the Sandrena gel and i will also tell a doctor what im doing.
Hugs Daniel
January 10, 2009 12:34 AM GMT
Hi Daniella.
I’ve used Sandrena so know a bit about it. I now use Oestrogel which is a slightly weaker concentration of estradiol and has been shown to be slightly less effective at getting into the bloodstream, but it’s cheaper and I can get it on prescription, plus I take estradiol tablets too. Anyway…
Sandrena is extremely safe. Using gels avoids damage to the liver. Each sachet contains 1mg estradiol. You should start with one sachet per day, probably for at least a month. Try to spread it over as much skin as possible. There’s no need to rub it in thoroughly, it dries pretty quick. Inner thighs and buttocks are the best places to apply it. Don’t apply to the breasts.
A few people get good results from a very low dose, so wait and see what the effects are before increasing the amount you use. Effects are normally very slow and gradual, barely noticeable, so be patient, wait 3 months or so before thinking about increasing dose again. You might find you need 2, 3 or 4 mg per day, using more than this isn’t really practical, you only have so much skin! Apply all your gel at one time during the day, after a shower, and avoid washing the area for as long as possible, ideally until the same time next day.
Avoid anti-androgens, they are hugely more risky. They shouldn’t be taken without medical supervision, and aren’t necessary anyway as even a small dose of estradiol will reduce your testosterone sufficiently. You don’t need ant-androgens!
Estradiol does NOT convert to testosterone, not at all. Testosterone can convert to estradiol but not the other way round. Taking estradiol will not “masculinise” you!
Good luck, hope you stick around and let us know your progress.
xx
