July 18, 2006 1:23 AM BST
Hello Erica.
“I am quite aware of the warnings against unsupervised use”
That’s good, though I would be quite surprised although somewhat relieved if you weren’t about to get more such warnings in this thread…
Your situation dictates it. I know how that feels.
I believe a hormone regime should be tailor-made for the individual, no-one knows what will work for them until they try it. That said, it sounds like you’ve started well; 17-B estradiol is a wise choice, and probably the safest of all forms of oestrogen when applied in gel form. 2 applications per day is also a good starting dose. After a few months you might be able to increase this, see how you feel, or you could add an oral version of 17-B like Estrofem, perhaps a further 2 mg per day, if you think you need it.
“one to two doses a day of 100mg spiro”
I’d go easy on this stuff, 100mg should be fine, keep it regular. I took Spiro for a year, 100mg for about 8months, then increased to 200mg. I think 100 was enough. My dosage of estradiol eventually became sufficient to block testosterone adequately, so I stopped the Spiro, and do feel better for it. My blood tests show a low testo level now without the use of any anti-androgen, in fact well within the average female range. If you must take Spiro, watch your diet. Find out which foods are rich in potassium (bananas for example) and avoid them. Spiro retains potassium in the body, too much potassium causes hyperkalemia, hyperkalemia can be fatal. Since your body doesn’t lose potassium when on Spiro, you mustn’t add it to your diet! Very important that. Be careful with this stuff.
I approve of 17-B estradiol because it is bio-identical (though I’m not claiming it will be fine for everyone), Provera however is not bio-identical, it is medroxyprogesterone acetate, and to be honest I’ve never read anything good about it. If you wish to add Progesterone to your regime maybe you should look for micronised progesterone – Prometrium, Microgest, Utrogestan (all the same). Personally, I take 100mg of this for 10 days per month. Some people take it all the time, I tried that, it did funny things to my skin, made it dry, tough, wrinkly, leathery. Just a few days a month though seems to work wonders for my normally oily skin. From what I can gather, that just makes me weird; lots of people find progesterone makes their skin MORE oily. Like some others, I notice a slight swelling of the breasts during this time of the month, so I feel that can’t be a bad thing. My breasts are still small, but I’m happy with the development and shape, they look natural. I think progesterone aids a more rounded development, though as you probably know, this subject is much debated.
Like I say, you have to find out what works for you.
“I just don't want to wait any longer. I just want to be free from hiding. I just want to be Me.”
They were my feelings too, and the reason I began self-medicating.
Get some blood work done, soon as you can, not just hormone levels, but liver function, prolactin, blood pressure, that sort of thing, if only for peace of mind. Do all the research you can, and do think about somehow getting medical assistance, sometime.
Most importantly, if you’re serious about hormones, then you must be serious about transitioning, make a plan, don’t just think, “one day…”
You need to come to terms with coming out to all your family and friends, and how you will deal with your career. Starting hormones means all these things can’t stay on the backburner for much longer. Hormones means changes, in oh so many ways.
Oh and, you MUST watch what you drink, really. I know how that is too. It’s hard, but you have got to really cut down on that. Seriously. Alcohol and hormones – bad mix.
xx
August 16, 2006 12:46 AM BST
Hi Erica, glad to hear you’re doing ok. Pills may be easier, but Oestrogel is possibly the safest way of taking oestrogen, so perhaps it’s best to stick with the least risky option until you are able to get some medical supervision and/or blood tests. If you are able to get to the Free University of Amsterdam for an appointment then I agree with Francis that this would be a good idea.
Frances, I’m a bit baffled why you questioned the existence of 17-Beta oestradiol in my blog when you have taken Estrace yourself. You said, and I quote, “Lucy, it is not surprising that 17 beta oestradiol, is not available on the NHS OR ANYWHERE else for that matter. It is the naturally produced oestrogen by the ovaries of premenopausal females.”
Which it is of course, but it’s also contained in Estrace, as you rightly point out in your post above. I know “HRT” 17-Beta is of plant derivative but as it’s identical to the human form it has the same name. So I’m baffled why you would be surprised that it is not available anywhere else.
You also said that you would stick to estradiol valerate because that works for you, and I wholeheartedly agree with that. I have said many times on these forums that everyone needs to find what works for them. Some people get on with a certain type of oestrogen while others might not, even the experts can’t tell you that you are going to have problems with a certain drug until you try it, so a certain amount of experimentation is often necessary. But please don’t get me wrong, I’m not advising anyone to self-medicate without any intention of ever seeking professional help.
I’m a bit baffled by the logic of Sabina’s endocrinologist too. An estrogen only regime IS likely to “drive down the testo level”, but then so is taking an anti-androgen, perhaps even more abruptly, so I don’t see how that can help alleviate any emotional effects caused by low testo. However it is “controlled”, lower testo levels are an intrinsic part of any feminisation programme. Personally I don’t think it’s a good idea to prescribe an anti-androgen without replacing the lost testo with oestrogen; the body needs one or the other to function properly. But that’s just my opinion. Perhaps the experts dealing with Sabina know better than me.
Sabina though seems to have more common sense than her endo, when she says, “I guess it would mean coming out at the work place, but that must happen at some point anyway.” It’s something you can’t put aside forever, Erica, if you are indeed planning full transition. You’re either going to have to come out at work, or quit, or stop taking female hormones before someone notices. It’s something perhaps you should be thinking about sooner rather than later.
As for the mental effects of cross-gender hormone therapy, I would just like to say that I haven’t experienced any negative effects as yet. I feel emotionally balanced better than I ever did, mentally stronger and happier. I have read that micronised progesterone can help one’s emotional well-being (while some synthetics are renowned for causing depression or mood swings), maybe that helps me, or maybe I’m just weird.
xx
Oh and, you don't ramble on Erica, that's my job!
August 16, 2006 12:53 PM BST
Good on you Sabina. Self-medicating may be risky, but so would allowing someone to prescribe for you if you had no knowledge yourself of what you are taking and why, thereby relinquishing all responsibility. My GP earned my respect when he said, “We’re not experts here…”, and neither do I claim to be. Recently he was authorised by the gender clinic to give me a prescription but freely admitted that he had no idea really what sort of dosage would be appropriate, so it’s a good job I had done some research. He seems to have more common sense than the self-proclaimed experts at Charing Cross though. They suggested Zoladex (anti-androgen) injections, because that’s just what they do. My testosterone levels are very low (thanks to oestrogen alone) so in my case this would indeed be of no value, worse in fact, it would be an unnecessary risk.
I’d rather put my trust in a non-expert with common sense than an expert who does things by rote.
As for micronised progesterone versus synthetic progestins:
http://www.project-aware.[...]s.shtml
And:
Theres a world of difference between natural progesterone and synthetic progesterone, the type most frequently prescribed by orthodox physicians. Provera, the most frequently prescribed synthetic progesterone is not really progesterone at all it is a progestin. Progestins are synthetic progesterone-like compounds that are manufactured by pharmaceutical companies. These synthetic progesterones are far more powerful than the bodys own natural progesterone and are metabolized as foreign substances into toxic by-products. These synthetic progesterones can gravely interfere with the bodys own natural progesterone, thus creating other hormone-related health problems and further exacerbating estrogen dominance. Side effects of synthetic progesterone include increased risk of cancer, abnormal menstrual flow, nausea, depression, masculinizing effects, and fluid retention.
Taken from:
http://intelegen.com/nutr[...]rt2.htm
Plenty more where those came from!.
xx
