u/CoastalElement

I’m 50ish female, 225 lbs, perimenopause, on HRT with PCOS and an A1C of 5.9. Fasting glucose is about 110. I kept the weight and glucose in check for years until I was injured and unable to exercise for quite a long time while in PT. I gained 40 pounds quickly while rehabbing a second injury. I spent most of my adult life at 145-150.

So I started keto about a month ago. 25-30 net carbs a day, 120 protein a day, fats are all over the place based on whether I’m eating beef, chicken, fish or cheese on any given day. Calories between 1200 and 2000 depending on what I eat. Fiber at 25-35. I can’t eat dairy that isn’t cooked. I’m intolerant. I can cook with butter and eat cooked/baked cheese. No yogurt, sour cream, milk, cream, etc.

I am wearing a cgm while I do this and my blood glucose is looking better but I haven’t lost a pound. Not one. Clothes aren’t fitting better. Based on urine testing, I’m in ketosis. Cravings for carbs/bread/processed food has gone away. Is it time to cut the calories, too? I starve at 1200. I can only eat chicken so many meals a day. When I eat beef, eggs and cheese the calories are 1800-2000. How do I get my protein high without 1800 calories?

So my symptoms were all back on the .075 patch after about 2 years. ALL OF THEM. I ended up sobbing to the PA at my annual a few weeks ago and she increased my patch to .1. Within 24 hours the mood swings, fatigue, rage, hot flashes, joint pains, insomnia, etc. all vanished. GONE!

But she reminded me that this is my maximum dose. I’m 52, not fully in menopause and the only thing that controls the mood swings and severe anxiety is the estrogen. I can live with hot flashes. I can’t live with the severe insomnia and anxiety. I can’t function at all.

She told me next up was a SSRI. I’ve tried almost every SSRI and SNRI for years when my hormonal birth control caused similar issues until I finally had genetic testing for meds and I can’t metabolize SSRIs. I end up with bad side effects. don’t have a serotonin deficiency. I have a hormone imbalance! My primary says the next option is a benzodiazepine! Uh, no. I’m not getting addicted to benzos to help what estrogen can solve!

I can’t find another obgyn nearby that prescribes HRT without joining their subscription based practice. $1000 to start, $350 a month after that! WTH?!?!

Would you switch to the gel and stay with the same obgyn? Maybe I don’t absorb the patch? Go to an online service but then not have an obgyn because they will stop seeing me if I get meds elsewhere? I’ve looked at the list of practitioners on the menopause page and I’m getting nowhere. My primary keeps referring me to very expensive , out of pocket, influencer type menopause specialists.

Is anyone having issues with the adhesive on Lyllana patches recently? I have been using Lyllana for several months with no issues. I got 3 boxes from an online pharmacy a few weeks ago. The patches won’t stay on no matter what I do (alcohol, hair dryer, tegaderm). This was never an issue before.

Two fell off completely without me noticing and one crinkled/wrinkled with the middle coming off and wasn’t absorbing. Hot flashes are back, cramps, spotting, brain fog. I’m an angry, hormonal mess. Anyone else having this issue? Did the adhesive or patch material change?

My obgyn knows there is a shortage but wants me to find the patch that worked best for me rather than switching back and forth between patches and gel. I’m supposed to find one manufacturer and stick with it. Hahaha!!! Good luck to me with that!!!

I called my pharmacy and got a printout of what company made my patches for the past several years before the shortage. The winner was Noven/Grove pharmaceuticals. When I call around the pharmacy staff members act like this company does not make estrogen patches and I need to just use Mylan and not worry about the pharmaceutical company. I should use what I can get.

Has anyone gotten patches from Noven/Grove in the past 8 months or am I on a useless quest for something I’ll never find?

I can’t get a straight answer from CVS so here I am. I used an .075 oval, twice a week patch last year for months before the shortage that actually stuck, didn’t give me a rash and kept my symptoms at bay. My OB wants to know which one it was. We want to keep it in my file so I can track it down if the shortage gets better. CVS can’t seem to figure it out by looking in their computer to see which generic I got.

Which .075 generic patch (I can’t imagine it was brand, but maybe) is an oval. Not Mylan. We tried that and the box was different, the patch was a different thickness and it didn’t absorb properly.

So I’ve had such issues with the patch and with the shortage not being able to get the brands that stick, absorb and don’t leave me rashy. I’ve given up and tried two different times recently to use the gel packs/divagel generic. I want to use the gel but can’t tell when the dosage is right.

How do I tell if my dose is correct on the divagel? I’m not talking the Canadian comparison of double because I don’t think I was absorbing the patch. I’ve realized that I’m super nauseous on the gel both times I’ve used it (about 2 weeks a few months ago and a week just now). I had horrible hyperemesis when pregnant from hormones and I feel a lower level of nausea that is so familiar on the divagel - very nauseous but not always vomiting.

How do you know if your dose is right? My brain fog is better but nausea and hot flashes seem worse.

Is this nausea from too much estrogen, too little estrogen, the switch?