What's the pro and con of injections vs the patch?

[JennyA]

I don't have any aversion to pain so I wouldn't mind injecting myself.

When I've quit smoking in the past the nicotine patch always feels like it wants to slip off my arm, and I'd be afraid of showering.

Do both processes give you the same results in different formats or is one actually preferable to the other?

Thanks

[sandra-leigh]

That's a good question, and I don't know the answer.

In general terms, injections deliver a large dose every couple of weeks. It seems to me that that would "shock" the body with a high level, and then levels would go down as it got depleted. Patch delivers a more or less consistent dose, more representative of the way it would happen in a GG, I gather.

Thus my expectation is that patch would be more "realistic" and less stressful on the body, but there might be other overriding factors.

[Veronica_Jean]

I have been on injections for a little less than two years. It goes into a muscle so that may regulate how much is released over time.

I can say I have not experienced any roller coaster type of effect where I can tell any difference between right after the shot verses the day before I Get it.

My spouse used the patches and she wore them around the panty area which helps with slipping and falling off. From time to time she would "lose one" and it was hard to determine how long it was missing.

I suspect either way is gentler than oral since it does not have to pass through the liver.

Veronica

[JennyA]

Thanks, I think injections will be my favored way, but whatever way I end up on will be whatever my doctor thinks is best.

[Melody Moore]

I believe that patches are good for delivering a constant steady supply of hormones, however
the biggest problem with patches is they can be irritating on the skin and its awkward & more
expensive having to buy tape or band aids to keep them stuck on for the required duration.

Some girls I know who are using injectable hormones think they are better than other
options because it doesn't have to pass through the liver as with oral hormones, they
believe it delivers a better result with feminisation and in some cases it has, but in one
case I know of, I have to question that. I think the results can differ for different people.

The main reason they like injectable hormones is the convenience of only having to have
a shot about one a week. But I also know they get a surge of hormones a the beginning
then very little towards the end, where oral hormones deliver a steady constant dosage.

I am on oral hormones (Progynova, Progesterone & Androcur) & have to take Progynova
twice a day, but the cost is cheap and the results I am getting I cannot complain about &
would rather orals to patches. Injectable hormones work out more expensive compared
to oral hormones because of how they are subsidised for me, but for others in other places
under different circumstances I know it can be different.

[Bree-asaurus]

The point of the IM estradiol injection is it doesn't deliver a surge of hormones. Unless you hit a vein of course. Injectable estradiol is absorbed into the body over a period of time.

"The average duration of elevated estrogen levels was shortest in the benzoate group (4-5 days) followed by the valerate (7-8 days) and cypionate (approximately 11 days)."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7389356

[Karen564]

Injectable's are the preferred choice for older patients due to a possible compromised liver & other aging factors....But I know many young girls that went this route too...The hormone is suspended in an heavy oil which when injected into the muscle gives it a timed release...usually lasting about a week....Orals are relatively very safe when taken sublingually..which eliminates a 2nd pass through the liver because it's being absorbed into the mucous tissues & directly into the bloodstream..Orals taken in an divided dose, morning & evening give fairly consistent levels day after day vs. injectable's that start dropping off towards the end..
Each has pros & cons, but neither is superior to the other as far as the end result....
As far as the patch..they work well, but your skin has to be properly prepped 1st for the patch to stick & for best hormone absorbsion....the hormone released also drops off before the the last day before a new patch is applied....The one thing I hated the most about the patch was how the adhesive irritated my skin..

[Billijo49504]

I'm on Alora patches, which are changed twice a week. Which is the best way that my doctor said would be for me. He told me to do them, so that is what I will be doing. I went thru the trouble to get the letter, then get the Dr to prescribe the homones. So I will do what I'm told...Billijo

[cara]

I've been using patches for 8 months Just recently I increased my dosage beyond what one patch can provide which means I now use two patches every time. This has doubled the costs of HRT for me, I'm thinking injection-ables might be more economical now.
Cara

[CharleneT]

One big difference is that patches cost more on average. IM EV is very inexpensive, probably the most affordable form. There is a cycle with the IM EV, and some believe that it imitates the natural cycle GG's have better than a steady state release such as patches (GG's do not have a steady level of estrogen). This is one of the two main reasons that my doc recommended IM EV for my regime, the other being the safety issue related to the liver.

[crystalann]

I think it's really hard to say for sure. What I can say I've been on injections for just over 2 years now and feel I've had good result's, I give myself the injection in my butt every 2 weeks. I don't feel any roller coaster effect when I take the shot or at the end of the 2 week's. There have been a few times when a day or 2 later my butt did hurt from the shot.:doh:

[Kathryn Martin]

I have been using estraderm 100 for three months now. I have not lost a single patch and I have showered daily and gone swimming with it without any issues. It does not irritate my skin and if place in the right place is unnoticeable. In addition in studies the patches have had the least effect on the liver, because the active ingredient is not metabolized in the liver bit goes directly into the blood stream, and the results regarding blood clots consider patches the safest form of delivery.

[Sarah Welch]

When I was on the patches, they would always leave adhesive on my clothing and were very expensive.
Been on EV IM for just over 3 month now and I am seeing better results that with the patch, and saving a bundle of $$$$$$.