Hormones (what do u take?)

[Alyssa87]

Although most of the pics i see on this site are of girls that clearly havent seen estrogen in quite some time,
the members of HA seem to be goodlooking across the board.

Soooo.... what do u take mama?

[Alyssa87]

I’ve tried a lot of stuff and im only 20.lol


Estrace
I changed to prems because i hard they worked better

Delestrogen
But it broke me out on my forehead, made me moody- and it was hard getting it up...

Provera (progesterone)
i stopped because i started taking perlutal and that has 150mg of progesterone and thats the most you can take safely a month.

Buuut as of now I’m taking
Perlutal (Mexican shots … mmmm)
Once a month…10mg estrogen and a 150mg progesterone

Premarin..2.5mg everyday

Spironolactone 200mg/day


I’m about to start taking Progynova (4-6mg) in place of my Prems.
(I heard from a nurse they fuck your kidneys up)

Mind you, I’ve never seen a doctor to do my bloodwork. Hopefully I’ll make it to 21 :cry:

[peggygee]

I have taken Premarin, which is a conjugated form
of estrogen, made from pregnant mare urine. Initially
I was on an oral dosage of 2.5mg twice a day.

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l2/magi43/premarin100x66.jpg

This dosage would be supplemented with subcutaneous
injections of Estradiol (in the fatty tissue of the buttocks)

After a period of time I underwent an orchiectomy, at
which point I was able to decrease my dosages of Premarin
to 1.25mg twice a day. http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l2/magi43/Premarin1.jpg

Now post op, I administer Premarin vaginal cream
with a dosage of .625mg once a day. Recently my
endocronologist has switched me to Estrace vaginal
cream.

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l2/magi43/premarincream.jpg

Throughout my herstory upon the advice of my
endocronologist I have employed a 3 week on, 1
week off approach to my estrogen administration.

I have been fortunate that I have not experienced any
liver problems or clotting issues.

[Alyssa87]

peggy, what do u think about putting premarin cream on your face to get the skin super soft? :/

[praetor]

I'm not a Doctor to explain about it, but i know some brazilian girls take Perlutan, Estradiol and Progesterone . Some cases in overdose, medicated by themselves. Here in Brazil, only Public Hospitals are able to medicate those drugs.

[peggygee]

peggy, what do u think about putting premarin cream on your face to get the skin super soft? :/

It really won't do much good as a topical treatment. And the cost / benifit
also would make it ill advised.

Overall my skin care regimen is fairly basic:

I wash my face with generic Cetaphil, or generic Noxzema. Then for a
moisturizer I use generic Oil Of Olay.

My lipstick is Loreal, which I stock up on when there are the buy one -
get one free sales.

For the most part I don't wear anything around my eyes as they are very
sensitive. If I wear makeup, which is very rarely, I may use Covergirl,
and if I want to splurge I may treat myself to some Fashion Fair, or Flori
Roberts products.

I inherited great skin from my Mom, and I started mones early, and had
an orchi early on, so that helped my skin alot.

[Star]

I take Estrofem Tabs, 2mg daily.

[andyuk]

what % would you say take them without seeing a doc?

[Floyd R]

Alyssa, my suggestion to you is to see a doctor instead of medicating yourself and taking the chance of suffering long term damage.

[KiraHarden]

Ive had a orchiectomy so my dose is low. I inject 1ML Intramusculary every month of Estradiol Valerate in my thigh. I find it easy for me to inject

I was on the Vivelle Dot, and the Clymara patch prior to that.

[peggygee]

Alyssa you need only 2 things, spironolactone & delestrogen, my girlfriend is your age and belongs to the "HOT" program at Cullen-Lorde. Forget premarin and the cream on your face. If you need advice message me.The street ho's have their own thought but it doesn't work as well as the RIGHT WAY.

The anti-androgen Spironolactone in dosages of 200–400 mg per day can
allow a woman to lower her estrogen intake.

I myself never utilized it, as I opted for an orchiechtomy early on, but
I would agree it's a useful addition to a woman's HRT regimen.

Here's more info:

http://www.tgirltalk.com/forums/vbnews.php?do=viewarticle&artid=29&title=antiandrogens

[justatransgirl]

Ok, as usual the drugs and doses are all over the place. And Hostile is right, some girls take all kinds of crap. No offense to any of the ladies taking it but the Perlutal from Mexico is a contraceptive and doesn't have the right kinds of estrogen and is mostly progestrone. It is essentially similar to Depo-Provera and it's not going to give you the best results.

If you are taking it, PLEASE stop. Also the estrogen vials you buy in Mexico under the name "Progynon" is NOT estradiol valerate, it's a version designed as a contraceptive not for HRT - and it's like 10X as expensive as if you have a prescription and buy it here in the States. We pay about $36 for 3 months worth of estradiol valerate.

While certainly I am NOT a doctor, and no regime is right for everyone what I've noticed during a 20 year exploration and course of study on HRT is that the standard treatments are the best place to start, then you make small adjustments every 3-6 months as necessary doing blood test before and after changes.

HRT is really relatively simple. You watch the numbers, and how you body is reacting or not, and adjust accordingly - but you need to have a baseline first to work from otherwise you are shooting in the dark and either not getting enough or are taking too much.

A) Don't take HRT without a doctor's assistance. If you aren't an expert in this you can screw your body up and actually reduce your feminization. Since I know some of you won't or can't listen to that advice, maybe the following will help you.

1A) More is NOT better. More will NOT make you a girl any faster and may slow it down, as your body will increase testosterone to overcome the estrogen unless you have an orchi.

1) Don't keep switching around between drugs.

2) Most of the the "candy" sold on the internet will mess you up. You simply don't need it. Yes some drugs do work for some people, just as some people with migraines respond to one drug over another. But this has to be determined over time. Start with the standard medicines. Then if they don't work work with your doctor to try another combination.

3) Here is Jessica and my pre and post-op (orchiectomy) regimes. Can't say if it's right for you, but it seems to work for us and is pretty standard.

Pre-op:
2.5mg Premarin/day
10mg/ml IM (shot) weekly Estradiol Valerate (40mg/ml month)
300 mg Spiro/dy

Post-op:
.65 Premarin/dy
10mg/ml Estradiol Valerate every 10 days (30mg/mo)

Jessica noticed an increase in body hair and suddenly started getting pimples after her surgery, so she is taking 100mg spiro again and I know of other post op who also takes spiro as the pituitary gland creates a small amount of testosterone. I don't notice any difference in my own body.

Note - we are due for a blood test and based on that I'm hoping we can further reduce our estrogen intake which I feel is high for a post op condition - but our last blood test came back right in the ball park, my prolactin was 19 and Jessica's was 14 - so we will see if it's consistent and adjust as needed.

Note - we both were on high dose hormones for about 3 years prior to surgery and were experiencing negative effects such as lethargy and headache though our liver and kidney function tests (BUN, etc) have always been good.

Things NOT to take:
Provera - some people will find extreme mood swings and depression. And many doctors think it actually aggravates the absorbtion of estrogen. I took it early one and nearly flipped out. I have a GF who takes it and can lactate... so it's obviously very body dependent.

Prometrium (often prescribed in Europe) again I feel it's a waste of money.

Estrace pills / patches, etc. are OK but far more expensive than injections.

Ok so there you have it. Hope it helps somebody.

And remember I AM NOT A DOCTOR - so what do I know - seek medical advice, yada yada.

Hugs,
TS Jamie :-)

[Alyssa87]

hey!
i guess this all helped. especially about the perlutal. but i have to say...it does seem to work. i have 2 shots left. im GONNA take em. but after, maybe not.

but no estrace, no provera, and no prem cream on the face..got it.

the HOT program is great, but im in JERSEY. they supply you thru medicaid(sp) and the requirement is different here. i really cant get it unless i have a baby.lol
(hostile, youre not calling me a street ho, are you?)

seeing a doctor is out of the question right now. i know that sounds soooo sorry, but its true.
maybe after i get these tits i seriously will pay out of pocket to get my bloodwork done, but right now its a no go.

as of now, i take what i can get from friends who dont take their mones because they have to work..and keep that cock hard.lol

but seriously, thanks every1.

[NYTSJulie]

Right now I am taking, 1CC of 40mg per ml of Del-estrogen injectable once a week, combined with 2.5 milligrams of permarin a day. This is a very high does especially for someone who has been on HRT as long as I have. I have tried estradiol valerate and found it didnt work as well. I also inject in my thigh because of my sil, but I have found it absorbs quicker and is more effective in the thigh.

The strongest and most effective stuff out there is 40mg per ml of Del-estrogen injectable. Many doctors dont like to prescribe it though, they like to play it safe.

I have a doctor who knows nothing about hormones and will write me what ever I tell her. She told me "I dont know anything about hormones, just tell me what you need". It works for me because I have done years of homework and I know what works for me. Although self prescribing hormones isn't something I would recommend to someone first starting out.

Over the years (many years) of HRT I have tried several different forms of estrogen. When I first started in my late teens I moned like crazy. I took 10 milligrams of permarin a day, with a shot once a week, 300 milligrams of spiro (anti androgen), proscar (another anti-androgen) and prometrium (progesterone).

I guess you can say I was pretty pickled lol. It was the mid 90's and I used to buy my hormones from a pharmacy in the Bronx where a lot of girls went. You didnt need a prescription lol. You just went in and told him what you needed and paid him in cash. I am lucky I didnt kill myself.

Kisses,
Julie

[BrendaQG]

I took Premarin two x 1.25 mg a day for years. Self administered. It worked great had lots of kick. It's the reason I am the size and shape that I am.

Lately I take estradiol (because I can get it at a huge discount) 5 2mg tablets/day. Not as much kick in my opinion. I got what I paid for.

I also take spironolactone. Blood test say it keeps down the testosterone. A side effect I have noticed is that the spiro makes performce...soft. Estrogens alone will not do this.

[KiraHarden]

Now ya'll have me concerned, I'm not dosing enough... :?

[irishgirl]

I feel like I keep on posting this, but I like making sure everybody has this kind of info, not just spoiled brats like moi.

You can order any and all hormones for sort of cheap from here without a prescription http://www.inhousepharmacy.com/ .

[slinky]

You can order any and all hormones for sort of cheap from here without a prescription http://www.inhousepharmacy.com/ .

They're selling/shipping ultracets with no scrip? There's no way that's legal.

[Tika]

"I heard from a nurse" or "Someone said" is a very poor way to manage your health. Doctors are the only people any intelligent transsexual should be listening to for medical advice regarding hormones.

If you're opting for self-medication, at least have the courtesy to make sure your will is written, just in case. And please, don't be upset when problems arise. Y'all did this to yourself knowingly and willingly. Accept the consequences of your stupidity.

[Alyssa87]

lmaooo. thanks Tika. what a sweety.

and im sure youre gorgeous. how about a pic.lol

[irishgirl]

I'm doing my best to refrain from a pointless internet argument on a board I look at when I'm bored.... but I can't help myself!

Tika, I agree it's awesome to do some monitoring while on mones, but not everyone has access to that. With my awesome insurance I still pay $100 out of pocket for that stuff.

On top of that, no-one knows anything about HRT for trans people. It's just something thats not studied. "How to efficiently feminize ppl who've gone through a male puberty" is not a chapter in any textbook!

They don't teach this to endocrinologists, let alone general practitioners. In fact, a lot of Dr's just say "Hey whatever you want I'll prescribe!" Cause' they understand we've done a lot more research then they would ever have time for.

Also, you can get the meds from that website cause it's from like Vanatu or someting. It comes with a very generic packing slip for customs. I know a bunch of ppl who use (including myself when I don't have insurance).

[Tika]

Tika, I agree it's awesome to do some monitoring while on mones, but not everyone has access to that. With my awesome insurance I still pay $100 out of pocket for that stuff.

On top of that, no-one knows anything about HRT for trans people. It's just something thats not studied. "How to efficiently feminize ppl who've gone through a male puberty" is not a chapter in any textbook!

They don't teach this to endocrinologists, let alone general practitioners. In fact, a lot of Dr's just say "Hey whatever you want I'll prescribe!" Cause' they understand we've done a lot more research then they would ever have time for.

May I ask what you consider $100 worth spending on if not your health? Clothes? Movies? Purses? Shoes? Booze/drugs?

I take issue with "no-one knows anything about HRT for trans people". It's not like we're aliens. There are "male" and "female" normal blood levels for various hormones and the simple goal for transgender HRT is to prescribe medication to gradually shift those blood levels from male normal range to female normal range, while ensuring overall patient health.

You can do all the research you want, but a medical professional should be the final authority, simply because of their training and expertise. Self-medication is basically saying "I'm cheap, stupid, lazy and/or arrogant and don't care about the consequences of my actions with respect to my health."

As for a picture, Alyssa87, I wasn't aware that a person's physical attractiveness or lack thereof had any bearing on an intellectual discussion. "Clearly, you're ugly so you must be stupid" isn't something intelligent people think, from what I understand.

[Alyssa87]

well if youre this ugly inside- i was wondering how bad it gets outside.

how nasty and judgmental you are. my goodness :roll:

[KiraHarden]

well if youre this ugly inside- i was wondering how bad it gets outside.

how nasty and judgmental you are. my goodness :roll:
Girl dont waste your time on Tika. We all know the risks. We get very few interesting theads for us girls here

[Tika]

The simple fact of the matter is that I have zero respect for wilful stupidity, desperation and ignorance. If someone gives you sound advice and you ignore it, that's wilful stupidity. If you think you *have* to have hormones no matter what, that's desperation. If you think breast implants are a priority over seeing a doctor, that's ignorance.

Nobody likes to hear truth. They'd rather be safe in a bubble of self-delusion where the real world can't hurt them. Self-medication is *stupid*, plain and simple. Different people have different reactions to medication, and if you're not under medical supervision you take huge risks with your health. We all want to think we're reasonably smart and can take care of ourselves, but the simple truth is that there's some things better handled by professionals. Medical care is one of them.

Someone saying "Go see a doctor" is sound advice. It's the act of someone who cares. Posting "Here's a link to a pharmacy where you can get ALL THE PILLS YOU WANT" is like giving children razors and plastic bags to play with.

[BrendaQG]

"I heard from a nurse" or "Someone said" is a very poor way to manage your health. Doctors are the only people any intelligent transsexual should be listening to for medical advice regarding hormones.

If you're opting for self-medication, at least have the courtesy to make sure your will is written, just in case. And please, don't be upset when problems arise. Y'all did this to yourself knowingly and willingly. Accept the consequences of your stupidity.

:-? Honey most TS's do this on their own w/o the luxury of a doctor. If they are lucky they know a T who did this already. That includes many TS's you would consider incredibly inteligent.

[cantos03]

Right now I am taking, 1CC of 40mg per ml of Del-estrogen injectable once a week, combined with 2.5 milligrams of permarin a day. This is a very high does especially for someone who has been on HRT as long as I have.

I'm sorry for the personal question, but don't you advertise as being fully functional? I don't mean any offense by the question, I'm just curious. I've heard a certain little blue pill is a bit of an open secret in the business, but I don't know that first hand.

-Legitimately curious

[justatransgirl]

Ive had a orchiectomy so my dose is low. I inject 1ML Intramusculary every month of Estradiol Valerate in my thigh. I find it easy for me to inject

I was on the Vivelle Dot, and the Clymara patch prior to that.

No Kira what you are taking may be just fine for you. Depending upon the amount of estradiol in the 1ML you are probably taking either 10mg/ml or 20mg/ml. Either can be fine for a post-op (orchi) level.

As I mentioned Jessica and I are taking 30mg/ml per month (3 - 1ml shots) but we are only 4 months post op and I think our next blood test may show our levels too high, though I can usually tell via lethargy and headaches if I'm taking too much.

I also know a post-op lady who only takes 5mg/ml once every 6 weeks. So it's really very body dependent. And I've noticed several post SRS ladies who mostly use premarin or estrogen cream vaginally with good results.

Mainly you want a blood test to show your prolactin between 12-19 (my last one was 17.5) and testosterone around 0.06 - 0.7 (last one was 0.03) and estrogen around 150-300 (my last one was like 450 but was a day after my shot) this can higly vary and is not a good predictor. Obviously after a shot it will spike, and Premarin doesn't show up on a straight estrogen test - which is why you want to test prolactin too.

So before you change your intake dear please get a blood test, then you have some data to work with.

Hugs,
TS Jamie :-)

[justatransgirl]

seeing a doctor is out of the question right now. i know that sounds soooo sorry, but its true.
maybe after i get these tits i seriously will pay out of pocket to get my bloodwork done, but right now its a no go.

as of now, i take what i can get from friends who dont take their mones because they have to work..and keep that cock hard.lol

but seriously, thanks every1.

Alyssa honey, please try to get a blood test. You might be able to order one through a blood lab without a doctors prescription. Some states allow it some don't - CA doesn't so we go to Mexico. Unless you follow the numbers you have no idea where you are at. You may be really low, in which case - little nubbie boobies - or you may be really high in which case you might as well drink a lot too because you will need a new liver eventually. :-)

I understand people have situations. But taking a variety of left over hormones, and going on and off is totally the wrong way to do this and in the end will quite possibly mess up your bodies ability to feminize fully.

I'm not trying to sound like the old witch of the north, but honey when I started I didn't think anyone or any doctor would accept my transition and when I finally got my first blood test about 6 months into hormones, my estrogen level was 1,300 - and my prolactin was 59! Like 4 times the normal female levels. If you don't know your numbers you simply can't tailor a regieme to be efective for your body.

Hugs,
TS Jamie :-)

[Steve-Oh]

Please take Jamie's advice and be sure you're taking the RIGHT hormones.

Because

Everybody's special,
Everybody's fine.
Your body's special.
And so - is - mine.

[justatransgirl]

Hi ladies, I'm noticing in this thread a lot of different regiemes, some incorrect information and little actual oversight by medical professionals.

Which is to be expected since private treatment is outrageously expensive. Jessica and I are lucky, we can go occasionally to a clinic here in San Diego and get $20 blood tests and prescriptions, and once your blood numbers are consistant you really only need to monitor things once a year unless your body is telling you otherwise. But if we had to use a private doctor it would be $200 each, per appointment, and roughly $350 for a full blood panel - about a grand for each test - which is b-u-l-l-s-h-i-t and the reason so many girls don't have access to doctors or like us really don't have adequate access.

Julie dear - delestrogen IS estradiol valerate, it's just a brand name. Which doesn't mean that your body may react differently than anothers to similar drugs. There are molecular level chemical differences between brands. I have a friend who noticed a distinct difference between generic and name brand Premarin.

Quote from: http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/estradiolval.htm
"DELESTROGEN® (estradiol valerate injection, USP) contains estradiol valerate, a long-acting estrogen in sterile oil solutions for intramuscular use. Estradiol valerate is designated chemically as estra-1,3,5(10)-triene-3, 17-diol(17b)-, 17-pentanoate."

More info: http://www.drugs.com/cdi/delestrogen.html

Anyway, hopes all this rhetoric has helped someone.

Hugs,
TS Jamie :-)

[NYTSJulie]

Hi ladies, I'm noticing in this thread a lot of different regiemes, some incorrect information and little actual oversight by medical professionals.

Which is to be expected since private treatment is outrageously expensive. Jessica and I are lucky, we can go occasionally to a clinic here in San Diego and get $20 blood tests and prescriptions, and once your blood numbers are consistant you really only need to monitor things once a year unless your body is telling you otherwise. But if we had to use a private doctor it would be $200 each, per appointment, and roughly $350 for a full blood panel - about a grand for each test - which is b-u-l-l-s-h-i-t and the reason so many girls don't have access to doctors or like us really don't have adequate access.

Julie dear - delestrogen IS estradiol valerate, it's just a brand name. Which doesn't mean that your body may react differently than anothers to similar drugs. There are molecular level chemical differences between brands. I have a friend who noticed a distinct difference between generic and name brand Premarin.

Quote from: http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/estradiolval.htm
"DELESTROGEN® (estradiol valerate injection, USP) contains estradiol valerate, a long-acting estrogen in sterile oil solutions for intramuscular use. Estradiol valerate is designated chemically as estra-1,3,5(10)-triene-3, 17-diol(17b)-, 17-pentanoate."

More info: http://www.drugs.com/cdi/delestrogen.html

Anyway, hopes all this rhetoric has helped someone.

Hugs,
TS Jamie :-)

Jamie I am aware that delestrogen is a brand name, and that estradiol valerate is a generic version. Myself and few friends have noticed a difference in using the brand name rather then the generic version of this hormone.

When I shoot delestrogen I instantaneously get nauseous, dizzy and feel weak for the rest of the day. For some odd reason the only think that makes me feel better is something high in sugar. The day after my nipples are very sensitive and tender. When I shoot estradiol valerate none of these things happen.

Another example of brand name vs generic, I hate to fly and when I fly I usually take a Xanax before I even walk into the airport. On a few occasions the doctor did not write DAW (dispense as written) on the prescription. I ended up getting alprazolom the generic of Xanax, it didnt work as well.

[justatransgirl]

That is interesting Julie. Goes along the line of my friends experience with Premarin.

I myself don't notice any difference after taking my EV shot. But I seem to have good enough feminization results. Not sure if it would be any better with the brand name.

Question though. What do you pay for Delestrogen? And where do you get it? PM me if you like. I have my EV compounded and it costs about $36 for a 20 ml vial which is good for about 2 months of shots for both Jessica and I.

Thanks,
Jamie :-)

PS - Didn't mean to imply that you had incorrect info, that was a poor word choice. Sorry.

[NYTSJulie]

That is interesting Julie. Goes along the line of my friends experience with Premarin.

I myself don't notice any difference after taking my EV shot. But I seem to have good enough feminization results. Not sure if it would be any better with the brand name.

Question though. What do you pay for Delestrogen? And where do you get it? PM me if you like. I have my EV compounded and it costs about $36 for a 20 ml vial which is good for about 2 months of shots for both Jessica and I.

Thanks,
Jamie :-)

PS - Didn't mean to imply that you had incorrect info, that was a poor word choice. Sorry.

I get a script from my doctor then take it over to Walgreen's lol. Its 40 milligrams per millimeter, its very strong and not something many post menopausal women take so they have to special order it. My insurance does not cover brand name meds if there is a generic version available. I pick up all meds at once and dont know the exact price, but I think its about $250.00 for the bottle. I get 5 1CC shots so it lasts me 5 weeks.

[bat1]

who wants horse pee?