How to convince a GP to prescribe estradiol patches?

[R1166]

I've been busy with ADT for almost 5 years and one of the most insidious SE has always been hot flushes. I find them quite debilitating as, when they hit (and that's often), I'm briefly incapable to concentrate/perform any task. After reading about some of you guys experiences with estradiol patches I've decided to mention this to my GP to try to get a prescription. Would the wiser of you please help me gather links to publications/studies which I can pass on to him and convince him to give it a try?? Appreciate it in advance ✌️

[GP24]

This is study regarding this: erc.bioscientifica.com/view...

Otherwise maybe you can get a woman in your family to get it prescribed and pass it on to you.

[R1166 in reply to GP24]

Thanks, that was the only one I could find. And good tip....will ask my wife

[Tall_Allen]

Your oncologist may be more amenable. If you can get Veozah, it's even better.

[R1166 in reply to Tall_Allen]

That would be great...it's just approved in Europe but as far as I know not yet available

[Lizzo30]

you could buy a good quality womens menopause suppliment

[R1166]

Anybody had experience with any of those? Are they reasonably effective?

[ARIES29]

Estradoil gel reduced PSA for me. Although not available in this country & my MO would not even discuss it.

[Jac_J]

India Mart

dir.indiamart.com/search.mp...

I have always wanted to try. Can anyone here be my guinea pig?

[Mrtewills]

Try black cohosh. I too had these types of HFs. I take 2 pills day/night. It has decreased the intensity quite a bit. Good luck

[Mgtd in reply to Mrtewills]

This was recommended by my medical oncologist but had little effect. I guess we are different. Honestly I may not have taken it long enough. Cheap if it works for you.

[FortyWinks]

great question, thank you. Following with interest.

[janebob99]

Here's a plot that I made showing the effects of estrogen patches on improving various side effects, including hot flashes. The # of hot flashes decreased by about 60% when using Estrogen patches, compared to Lupron ADT, based on the phase-II PATCH trial in the UK. You can start at a low dose and then titrate the # of patches (or pumps of gel) until you reduce or eliminate the severity and frequency of hot flashes.

If you send me an email to [e-mail], I will send you papers about estrogen patch therapy. You can also google "estrogen patch" and "hot flashes" to find papers about women's experience. It works the same way for women and men.

Another approach is to talk to your local compounding pharmacist and ask for recommendations of doctor(s) who prescribe compounded hormones. He/she is likely to be a more alternative and integrative medicine doctor who will understand your plight and be willing to write a prescription.

A second approach is to contact Estrogel.com and ask to speak to their MD on staff. The doctor will write a prescription over the phone. Or, your wife can call and say she's having hot flashes and/or osteoporosis.

Let me know how it works for you.

Bob Watson

Albuquerque, NM

estrogen patch benefits

[R1166 in reply to janebob99]

Thanks for the infos Bob.....

[bcnulater in reply to janebob99]

As janebob99 has posted before, are you looking for low dose to help with the SE or high dose for ADT. If you show your GP the various studies janebob99 has referenced, they listen to you and agree to writing script, great. Same with your oncologist and/or urologist, will they listen or just shut you down.

If your medical team is not providing the care you are need, may be time to fire them and find new team members that will listen and provide the care you need. Drs and medical professionals will do what is easiest for them, they need to churn patients every 10 to 15 minutes in order to make the numbers for their practice, put you in a box call it standard of care, prescribe whatever the latest big pharma rep has pitched,

It is up to you to do your research - this means looking up actual research papers, studies, medical journals reading and understanding them, assemble a healthcare team that works for you, it is your body and health needs.

Sorry if I tend get preachy - Cheers

[Break60]

way back in 2015 when I was getting imrt for pelvic lymph nodes and was on Lupron my RO subscribed one .1 mg patch for hot flashes . This did the trick.

[Lindajda]

my husband used Estrodial patches of mine that I was no longer using, didn’t help. His oncologist put him on Effexor and it has helped immensely. I don’t advocate for using someone else’s prescription, but watching him suffer…..we gave it a try.

[OFPF16 in reply to Lindajda]

I use Effexor and the hot flashes almost completely stopped. I’ll get 3-4 a day. BUT it is also an anti-depressant. If you stop taking the pill daily, you will feel very bizarre. I ran out of the pills while out of town and I was extremely dizzy and within 24 hours I was getting what is called “Brain Zaps.” It is like someone is beating a drum in your head and it is very unpredictable in the beat patterns. Weird. So I made a few phone calls and they said I needed to taper the drug if I go off of the drug. Lesson learned.

[Ramp7]

I convinced my MO to prescribe Estrodial patches for me, 0.05mg by showing him trial studies of the effectiveness of them for reducing hot flashes. I have to pay for them out of pocket because my Insurance does not recognize the benefit.

[janebob99 in reply to Ramp7]

Once you get your .05 mg patches, and your doctors get used to you taking them, try proposing to increase the dose to 0.1 mg "Large" patches, and watch your T and PSA drop. The PATCH study uses three (0.1 mg patches) simultaneously, and it totally replaces Lupron ADT, and it doesn't have the bad side effects of Lupron ADT (improved fatigue, no osteoporosis, reduced hot flashes, improved lipids, etc.)

Estrogen patch benefits

[j-o-h-n]

Best way to convince a male doctor is to kick him in the balls, best way to convince a female doctor is to take her to dinner. (As per my Chinese fortune cookie).....

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n

[jazj]

Note that if you go with the Estradiol patch there is supposedly a 0.05 0.075 and 0.1mg dose. The study I read only used 0.05 and 0.1. 0.05 was shown to reduce the severity of hot flashes and 0.1 was shown to reduce both severity and frequency. However with 0.1 the probability of experiencing the side effect of breast enlargement and nipple tenderness is significantly higher. Like at least one other suggested, if it were me, I'd titrate as necessary starting at 0.05 and find the lowest dose that gets the side effects down to the point you can tolerate while minimizing the breast-related side effects. For some, the 0.075 dose (assuming it exists) could be the "sweet spot"

[dhccpa]

Excellent question. I just gave my MO the latest results from PATCH trial. We'll see what happens.