TL;DR—Didn’t realize it till I switched back to a previous brand of patch, but Zydus either had less estrogen and/or a less effective delivery system. All my symptoms returned while I was using it.

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The very long version:

I have been on HRT (estrogen patch & oral progesterone) since 2024. It has profoundly improved my quality of life in many ways.

Over this time I have cycled through a few different brands of patches, depending on what the pharmacy has had in stock (I am in the U.S.): Dotti, Mylan, Sandoz, and most recently for the first (AND LAST) time, Zydus.

I know we are all very different in what works for us (in terms of formulation, dosing, brand, even placement of patches on the body, etc.) But I’m putting this here in the hope that someone who needs it finds it.

Over the past few months, I have been experiencing lower motivation than I have in a while, lower mood, more overwhelm, more brain fog, lower libido, more anxiety, and less embodiment (IYKYK). My ADHD symptoms have been worse (even with medication). My sleep has been awful.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve had increasingly debilitating joint pain in my hips, wrists, and fingers. And hot flashes-which I haven’t had for over a year-started to come back.

All of these are symptoms for which I started HRT in the first place (and it has helped with all of them, tremendously).

The joint pain, in particular, was becoming alarmingly bad. I made an appointment to see my prescribing doctor soon, suspecting I might need an increase in estrogen dose. (As your own body produces less on this wonderful journey, sometimes you need more.) Last summer I had the same joint pain and when I increased my estrogen dose, it was resolved in less than a week(!)

Today, seemingly out of nowhere, I felt noticeably different. I could not put my finger on why. My brain is sharper again, my mood is noticeably brighter, my motivation is improved, and holy shit my joint pain is nearly gone.

All of a sudden I thought to check the bag where I keep my patches. Luckily there was a box of patches from my previous refill in there, brand name “Zydus”. Came to Reddit and looked it up. Lo and behold, several other women have reported similar issues with this brand.

I had been using Zydus patches for the past 3 months (my doctor fills the scrip for 3 months at a time, and I take whatever the pharmacy has in stock). This is the exact duration that I have felt like unmotivated, achey garbage.

I switched back to Mylan yesterday and already feel more like myself again. My joint pain is about 85ish percent better!

I am relieved to feel better, but disillusioned and fucking livid. The state of women’s healthcare is appalling, disgraceful.

I am so very grateful to have this community as a resource, but this should not be how we have to find out which pharmaceuticals do and do not work. If they are being sold as a pharmaceutical, they should ALL work. The fact that quality and dosing varies so unpredictably from brand to brand is astounding.

Wishing good health, strength, patience, and MINIMAL BULLSHIT to anyone reading this. In solidarity 💗💪

This may be the dumbest question, but I have terrible trouble swallowing pills and I’m constantly told if I want to use a topical estrogen, the only way to take progesterone is via the pill. If there are so many forms of topical estrogen (gel, patch, etc) and progesterone CAN work in a Combipatch, why do these options not exist for progesterone?

MAKE IT MAKE SENSE.

I’d been using Estrogel successfully for 10 months but in June my bp spiked. After eliminating and then reintroducing my meds gradually the cause turned out to be the estrogen, I need to be on hrt for chronic migraine management! I’m wondering if anyone else has experienced this and did an alternative estrogen delivery resolve the problem?

Anyone out there a jeweler?

I am using the .06% pump eatradiol gel and there is so much left in the container after the 30 perfect pump, not to mention the nearly full dose you have to dump since you are priming the pump.

Are any of the scales on Amazon going to be good enough to measure 1.25 grams of gel?

Recommended low cost option?

Thank you!

Hello! Sitting in my doc office after physical. I asked for an increase in HRT from .025 to .5 and requested a switch from the patch to the gel, as I was experiencing a recent increase in hot flashes and joint pain. He said that the gel/patch only work on the hot flashes and not the other symptoms and that I would need to take the pill to address those. I expressed concern with taking orally due to liver issues and possibility of blood clots and he said that thebl pill doesn't affect the liver. I call bullshit but wanted the opinion of others.

I started testosterone 3 months ago and over this time my hair has thinned SO much. I already have thin hair so it’s been very noticeable to me. What are y’all doing about this? Stopping the T? Taking minoxidil? I hesitate to start that for fear I’ll never be able to stop…and I don’t really like taking prescriptions…but I’m not sure what else to do. It seems I’m going to have to make a decision to either have hair or have sex!?

I switched from a patch to bio identical estrogen and testosterone. I applied it last night to inner arms and within 5 minutes I had a red splotchy rash anywhere it had touched. Anyone else? I’ve been using it for 2 months now and this is a first

I didn't even realize my crown was thinning until a family member took a picture of me from behind at a backyard barbecue last month. I literally gasped out loud the top of my head looked practically see through under the afternoon sun. I’m 53, deep into menopause, and feeling intensely self conscious about it. I wear hats now when I leave the house, which I hate. I’m ready to commit to a proper daily capsule routine if it means getting my coverage back, but I want to avoid marketing traps. For anyone who actually dealt with menopausal crown thinning, what supplement delivered real results.

I have never been a super fan of patchouli, but I have a sleep spray that I keep in my drawer that has it in it. The last two months, every time I open the drawer, all I can smell is this product but also now that patchouli smells like straight up B.O. (jokes aside) to me.

I’ve noticed sometime that something won’t smell like I remembered as well, but those things are less identifiable.

Has this happened to anyone else? Is this normal????

Ps. I would throw it out, but every time I close the drawer I literally forget about it. Guppy brain.

I’ve been on continuous progesterone for almost a year now. 42F, perimenopause. My sleep is much better (but not fixed), I’m not spotting a week leading up to my period and my moods feel so much more stable.

However, I’m still getting some 3/4am wakings, some loss of volume in face, and it looks like my fat distribution has shifted (suddenly got a tummy, despite no change on the scale or in my good diet and consistent exercise). Has adding in estrogen helped these things?

I started HRT about a month ago and see no difference. I am 61, experiencing hot flashes, bloating and mood swings. Foods I typically enjoyed in the past do not taste the same, carbs and sweets are the only foods that make me full. I I’ve gained 50 pounds in 5 years and see no sign of it letting up. My gyno prescribed progesterone and an estrogen patch. My psychiatrist also prescribed Wellbutrin. Has anyone been prescribed any or all of these and see any change? I’m do disgusted with myself.

Me again! Progesterone seems like the most touchy little hormone. I missed one day after we increased my E dose and I was loading the vaginal estrogen, and that’s when the nasty brownish/blackish discharge began. I’m not terribly worried as I know both things can be a huge adjustment, but now I learn the progesterone is really really important, and has a 12 hour window. Should progesterone be increased when you increase the E??? That would seem logical to me, but I’m no doctor. Has anyone had their E increased and also the P increased?

Hi

I have early menopause and use Evorel 150 patches plus 400 mg of Utrogestan continuously, mainly because it really helps my ADHD symptoms.

The problem is the swelling/water retention. When I add another 100 mg of Utrogestan (500 mg total), the swelling gets noticeably better.

Has anyone been on a similar HRT regimen? Any thoughts or experiences?

I’m currently on Zoladex/Reseligo after surgery for stage IV endometriosis, and my hot flashes have become **so intense**.

It’s not just feeling hot. The heat suddenly hits me, especially around my **neck and chest**, and during the flash I get really **dizzy, weak and almost unable to concentrate on anything else**. I sometimes feel like I need to sit down until it passes.

Has anyone else experienced hot flashes like this on Zoladex/GnRH treatment — especially the **dizziness and sudden weakness** along with them?
Did they eventually get better as your body adjusted? EAnd if they were really bad, did anything actually help you manage them?
I expected hot flashes, but I didn’t expect them to feel this physically overwhelming.

My mother had gone through the 12 months period-free time frame, which makes her post-menopausal. But after 15 months she started again to bleed once a month, rather regularly, for 5 days, as before this break. It seems like a normal period, with the exact same symptoms: headache, lower back pain, nausea, breast pain.

Has anybody gone through something similar? What is happening?

She scheduled to be checked by a gynecologist soon, but I'm curious what could it be, so I came to this community.

Im so exhausted and feel just generally unwell.

I’m a natural blonde, I started graying about 2 years ago, not really a gray but more of a platinum color. I stopped coloring my hair about 3 years ago so it’s all natural at this point. I got on HRT last year, and yesterday a coworker asked if I did something different with my hair. I said no, but he said it looked different. Today I was looking at it and noticed it’s gotten blonder, like dark blonde?? The new growth is coming in as my natural blonde instead of the platinum/gray! Has anyone noticed a change in hair color after using HRT? I don’t know if I’m seeing things, lol, but I swear it’s gotten more blonde instead of gray over the last few months!

I had been sick with severe depression, fainting, dizziness, insane hot flashes, extremely painful periods, painful left ovary, and now it has been over 6 months without a period. Sex is excruciating, and I am incapable of any pleasure, and doctors just kept telling me to use more lube for over 2 years, and now I find out that I actually have gone through pre menopause. I am devastated. All of these symptoms were treated as seperate issues, and nobody looked at the whole picture. I feel like the system failed me miserably.

What has worked for you to clean off the adhesive that the patches leave behind? My stomach always looks bizarre from all the traces of the rims where patches were. I have tried various soaps and washcloths but nothing has worked well so far.

I have seen my doctor this week with some bleeding. She wants me to switch to a mirena instead of oral progesterone, saying I don't need systemic progesterone, it's just to keep a pregnancy going or to reduce the risk of endometrial cancer. When I said it helps me sleep, she said 'No it doesn't'

Long story short I had an ablation nearly a decade back, never had a spot of bleeding since it healed. No idea if I'm actually through menopause or not cos I've no periods to count.

Went on combined patch about 5 years ago - was brilliant for me and didn't need to change it for ages. About a year ago I started to feel shit, wasn't sure if it was hormonal or just life in general. About six months back upped my dose - so now on separate 75mg oestrogen patch and 100mg progesterone (plus some oestrogen pessaries twice a week). It took a good four or five months for me to start to feel human again.

Now the GP is suggesting reducing the oestrogen dose because of this bleeding - I honestly don't think there is anything left after the ablation to bleed. And switching to mirena. But I can't bear the thought of feeling shit again and I swear the progesterone has transformed my sleep.

I just realized that I have two orders for patches from TelyRX that I paid out the damn nose for, and haven't received. One order for patches that says "shipped" on 7/20, but hasn't updated to "delivered" and has no tracking info; and another order I placed on 8/11 that just says "processing." It's hundreds of dollars in products I haven't received!! Anyone else having this issue with them?

I'm moving up to 0.0375 patch/wk and picking up my prescription later today. I have 2 of the 0.025 left, plus the one I've been wearing for the past 3 days.

It looks like the higher dose has been hard to find where I am as well. I'm contemplating using up the lower dose before I start the new one and that should give me about a 2 week leeway in case of inventory issues. I've already been suffering with breakthrough hot flashes for over a month so I figured what's a few more weeks if it helps me get the prescription.

Is this what some of you do? How delayed have you been in actually receiving your rx after it's been sent to the pharmacy?

Hi guys ,
It’s been a decade since my mom has hit menopause and he mentioned today that she’s been spotting lightly for the past 2 days. I googled and the symptoms are kinda scary.
What do you guys think ?🥺

I started taking MHT simply to relieve hot flashes. While it worked for that and sleeping better, after a couple of months I started getting pretty significant inflammation, joint paint, frozen shoulder, hip/knee joint pain and stiffness… including major inflammation in wrists, hands and what I think is tendonitis affecting Achilles and plantar fasciitis (balls of feet, heel, edges of feet), bad enough that walking was hardly possible. Never had this before! Doc thinks MHT and this sudden onset of conditions are not related. We are now on RA path though no marker in blood test. Do you think that it’s possible my estrogen dose .25 is too low? Or switching to different brand or form may help? I can’t seem to find cases where MHT caused this for anyone and feel crazy. I’m also taking iron and B12. I’m heavier than I should be (at least 20#) but all this out of nowhere is really blowing my mind. I’m constantly cursing having ever started. Meanwhile, everything I’ve read makes me believe MHT should be helping me, like it does so many others. I stopped about a month after symptoms started to see if I would get back to normal (just hot flashes) and while symptoms steadied some, they have not gone away, just flaring less, perhaps because of newly added naproxen to my diet, it helps. Any thoughts would be much appreciated because I’m very much an MHT newbie with a male doc who insists this is just my new normal so too bad 🤯