HRT Patches

[Aries]

Hi all

Never posted on here before but wondered if anyone has found there blood levels have decreased since using HRT patches?

I have been unable to go on a coach trip I was booked on today for my hubbies birthday because of continuing low bloods last night. Whatever I took orange juice lift tablets cereal bar didn't make a scrap of difference. Although I've been diabetic for 47 years send know full well it can be unpredictable at times I try not to let it control my life as it has sadly done today Any help or advice please?

 

[rebrascora]

Hi and welcome.

So sorry to hear that your diabetes has caused you to miss a birthday trip. That is pretty extreme! I use Evorel Conti patches and have not noticed anything significant..... been on them for just over 3 years now and I was just 5 months diagnosed when I started on them (I'm a diabetic late starter 🙄) I now use just half the dose as that is all I need, so I either cut the patches in half or just apply one a week instead of twice weekly. If the latter, I sometimes find a bit of instability towards the end of the week .... especially if I forget 🙄 but nothing remotely drastic like you describe. .

Don't suppose you have had your Covid vaccine recently as that has caused havoc for some people?

 

[rebrascora]

Or have you perhaps injected through the patch and taken some of the active ingredient into the subcutaneous tissue with the insulin? Not sure if that would make much difference but it might..... I put the patches on my hips and inject my Levemir into my buttocks, so if the patch was more towards the back, I guess this could happen but hasn't so far that I am aware of and I really have no idea if it might have that effect..... just brainstorming possible reasons...

 

[Aries]

Hi rebrascora

Thanks for your advice very much appreciated. I'm new to HRT been on them just over a week. I have 3 chronic health conditions which all cause tiredness and it is the exhaustion in the main that has made me try HRT. Last night was something I have never experienced before. No matter how I treated my hypo I couldn't get my bloods to stabilise. I use an Omnipod so don't inject but am able to reduce my basal rate which eventually helped but by this time I had had 4 hypos in quick concession leaving me exhausted and unable to do anything today sadly. Here's to tomorrow being a better day. Hope your keeping OK.

 

[rebrascora]

Well that is really surprising that even with a basal suspension you were still dropping.... very scary I imagine!

Which HRT are you using? Did you have significant variation during your cycle pre menopause? Just wondering if that would suggest that you are more sensitive to hormone changes or a particular hormone. I was diagnosed post menopause but I know that many women need different basal rates for different times of the month. I believe some of the HRT treatments have more than one hormone which is alternated, although I think the one I am using is just a single hormone. Just wondering if you are on a dual one if that might be causing the issue.