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So, I have some news.
Had an appointment with my therapist earlier today and after everything was said and done, she is going to write the letter to my PCP. As a result, I am both nervous and excited about this. I plan on starting with low doses to test the waters and then go from there.
Only caveat I can give you is that I've done both "half" and "normal" doses (normal being what my endo prescribed). On low dose, I had terrific night sweats and would wake up soaking wet in the middle of the night, having to change nightgowns, etc. NOT fun! It was a contributing factor (not the only one) to stopping HRT. I'd have stayed on the full dose, but breast development was surprisingly rapid and at this moment in my life I am not ready for that. So it's all or none. At the moment, none. The plus side is that my muscle mass came back and my sports performance improved almost overnight, 4 weeks after stopping HRT. YMMV of course.
Best of luck to you and hope HRT works for you.
Sorry... No disrespect intended, but what does "test the waters" mean? You're undertaking a course of therapy with significant risk, and of dubious value at "low dose", so why do it at all? What do you hope to gain?
Skylance,
To take up Aunt Kelly's point your therapist has got the ball rolling which is great so now it's up to the professionals to assess your dosage and as Jean points out they will keep a close eye on the effects and adjust accordingly .
I'm guessing a relief of dysphoria without significant feminizing. Even on low dose my dysphoria pretty much disappeared. So I consider it a valid therapeutic option if, with professional help, one establishes clear therapeutic goals for the treatment. Given that Skylance is under the care of a therapist, I would have to assume that this has been discussed. If not, it should be.Quote:
Originally Posted by Aunt Kelly
JeanTG, that's it in a nutshell. And yes, it has been discussed with my therapist.
So... we're after the placebo effect.
Look, estrogen is not a psychoactive substance. It is not a happy pill (or patch, or shot). I've been injecting for two months now and will admit that this has provided some marginal relief for my dysphoria, but that relief comes from the decision to take steps that will effect physical changes. If I was taking a dose that would not have that effect, I would not see any relief.
Hi Skylance,
I was on low dose for a while as i decided to slowly titrate up. I did notice some reduction in dysphoria about a month into it. Starting low dose is perfectly fine, and some people choose to keep their dosages low for extended periods of time. Do what you and your doctor are comfortable with. It’s the internet, discern accordingly.
Skylance I am happy for you. Congratulations on your decision. As far as low doses go, do whatever feels right for you. I personally had no intentions of transitioning when I changed my hormones. When I met my hormone provider we talked for about an hour and at the end she gave me a scrip for estrogen and spiro. A couple of hours later I had it filled and took my first pill and placed a low dose patch on my bod. I felt something different in me by the end of the night. Internally I could tell I had chemicals in me that I had never felt before. As far as physical effects go, those took more than 3 months to begin to appear.
I know vast numbers of trans people say that they didn't feel anything and that if you do it is nothing but wishful thinking a placebo. Yeah well people have been telling me that my whole life whenever I tried to explain how things felt for me. It can be quite frustrating to have just about everyone doubt one's lived experiences in life. I'm personally of the mindset that we are all slightly different as humans. Just because something affected one person, or many people, a certain way does not mean that it will affect everybody that way.
The best advice about changing hormones and other's described experiences is to say YMMV (your miles may vary.)
Best of luck to you and enjoy the ride!
Not really at least not in all cases. What I learned from my experience was that my dysphoria was strongly tied to my libido. And low dose with anti-androgen completely kills my libido and T levels (verified by blood work). No libido and no erections. And much reduced dysphoria. YMMV of course.Quote:
Originally Posted by Aunt Kelly
So my dysphoria is closely tied to my sexuality. Autogynephilia? Perhaps but I have some issues with that theory as a one-size-fits-all explanation.
So still trying to sort this all in my head...
Riiiiight.Quote:
Originally Posted by Nadine Spirit
This is why anecdotal evidence is never accepted as credible proof of medical efficacy.
Curious, how does one know what another feels or does not feel? Should we as humans base it on the idea of, if I didn't feel that and nobody I know ever felt it, that means you didn't feel it either? Isn't that also the exact difficulty that so many cis people struggle with in regards to trans people? I'm really not sure why some feel the need to dispute the way another feels. Feelings are so subjective. We are all individuals and may have individual experiences.
Personally I'm not going to insist that others felt something when they say they didn't. But hey, that's cool please tell me again what I felt or didn't.
Again, Nadine, I am not telling you what you did or did not feel. I most definitely am telling you why you felt what you claim to feel.