Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Tuesday, December 09, 2008 massa asks

Q: Can I stop hrt without my doctors order?

I had a total hysterectomy 4 months ago (also removed both ovaries) I am 46 yrs.old and have been using vivelle 0.05 patch changing it every Sunday & Wednesday, but for the last 2 months i have been changing it every Sunday. Since my surgery I have been fine. I stopped bleeding 2 months ago. I was wondering if I can stop using the patch completely without my doctor's permission? I do not take any type of medications. I take multi-vitamin (one a day for women) and try to eat healthy... and also is it okay to exercise?  (like abdominal exercises). I really will appreciate your answers and suggestions! Thank-you! PEACE AND LOVE.

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Answers (2)
12/11/08 9:59pm

Hi massa,

You asked for some advice so I hope you take it. If you've read my posts you know I'm not all about conventional medicine and doctors and so on, but in this case, I think you need to call your doctor and come clean, now. Hormones are nothing to fool aorund with--they affect a lot more than your reproductive organs. So please get in touch with him or her and say just how you feel about the medicine, and what you've been doing. It's important.

Good luck,

--toni    

 

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12/17/08 6:01pm

Definitely you can stop your hrt without a doctor's order or agreement.  I'm glad that you don't seem to be having symptoms even with lowering your dose by changing the patch less often.  As you make this decision, Massa, you will want to consider the impact of estrogen on long-term health issues.  It's not just for managing symptoms.  Estrogen is beneficial to heart health and brain health, protects our bones, significantly lowers the risk of colon cancer, maintains vaginal and bladder health, to name just a few areas affected.  If you decide to continue for this protective effect, you could ask for the .025mg instead, lowering your dose further.  You always want to be on the lowest dose that works.  If you decide to quit, I'd cut the .05mg patch in half and just half a patch for a couple of weeks just to wean your body down slowly.

Hope this information is helpful to you. Wishing you good health,

Sandy

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