Has anyone tried estriol in the US?

[Bookfairy]

I just read an article saying Drs. can fill out a form for the FDA to approve use of Estriol if they consider it helpful for menopause. http://www.fda.gov/cder/pharmcomp/estriol.htm I have been reading about Dr. Rhonda Voskuhl's studies of Estriol and MS since I was diagnosed 8 years ago. http://www.families-first.com/whc/voskuhl.htm Has anyone done this for menopause or MS?

Bookfairy

[Abby2006]

Hi Bookfairy http://img140.**********.us/img140/1531/welcome2io1.gifto the
board


Abbyhttp://img388.**********.us/img388/6650/ebible3sz3.gif

[Lady]

Hi Bookfairy,
Welcome!
Yes, I have been on an Estrogen only, daily pill, as a HRT. It is a stronger form of estriol. You can have your GYN Doctor take a test of your hormone levels, to see if one or the other is low. Your GYN doctor may decide to put you on a pill containing both Estrogen and Progesterone, if needed. Some women use their PCP for GYN purposes. That is fine too.:)

I was surgically forced into menopause at an early age. I have been on Estrogen as a HRT for about 14 years now. I feel it has greatly helped my MS, IMO. I would not stop taking it.

Our bodies make many hormones. They can lessen from illness, surgery, injury, prematurely, or naturally with age.

During pregnancy, the EPF has helped many women, including myself feel terrific. This is also partly due to the mid trimester, higher estriol (Estrogen)release into the body at that time. It lessens naturally after delivery.

Some women relapse after giving birth, other women do not. We are all different and experience MS in our own unique way.

Birth control pills contain both hormones, and may be a better way to obtain what your body is missing, even if you don't need to prevent a pregnancy. Your doctor can help you decide.

Copaxone is doing a Clinical trial with Estriol added to the daily shot routine, to see if it will help prevent disability or progression. Combination therapy seems to be getting quite common. Testosterone for men is being tested also.

If your level turns out to be low, you can get the FDA's approval for Estriol to be compounded. Otherwise, your doctor could prescribe a low-dose Estrogen pill or patch or combo pill or patch.

Let us know how you make out if tested, or what you decide to do. I am sure others will share their experience with you.
Lady

[Ikoiko]

There was an Estriol trial at UCLA, I believe.

[Aiko]

Hi Bookfairy -

Unfortunately, Lady's post is incorrect:

Yes, I have been on an Estrogen only, daily pill, as a HRT. It is a stronger form of estriol.

The estrogen pill that's given as HRT is Estradiol, a synthetic Estrogen that has been linked to an increased chance of breast cancer, heart attack, and/or stroke with long-term use.

Estriol, the estrogen hormone used in the MS studies, is only produced in significant amounts during pregnancy as it is made by the placenta. In pregnant women with multiple sclerosis (MS), estriol reduces the disease's symptoms noticeably, according to researchers at UCLA's Geffen Medical School.

Estradiol and Estriol are very different - please do not think they are the same!

Unfortunately, the FDA is intent on shutting down the use of estriol to help people w/MS. Here's the article (http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01772.html) from the FDA. Estriol (like LDN) is available from compounding pharmacies, and is not an expensive drug patented by a pharmaceutical corporation. The FDA's threat to compounding pharmacies seems to be a response to the profit motive concerns of the drug industry.

Your Ob/Gyn might be more likely to prescribe Estriol for you than your neurologist but if you try it, please post your experiences. This is something I'm very interested in.

in wellness

Aiko
*maize

[lady_express_44]

We talked about this a few months back in the following thread:

http://brain.hastypastry.net/forums/showthread.php?t=27109&highlight=estriol

Also, if you do a "search" on this forum, by typing in "Estriol", there are quite few other threads with discussion on it here.

I was hoping to get into one of the current trials, but they are doing any around here. :(

Cherie

['Lissa]

I started using a testosterone cream about a year and a half ago to see if it would help with low libido. My MS symptoms started to get better - more energy, less brain fog, etc. When I stopped using it, the fatigue returned as well as lightheadedness and dizziness. When I started taking T again, all that stopped. I've been taking it nonstop ever since. It definitely makes me feel better.

I recently read that the body converts testosterone to estriol. Hmmm, maybe that's why it makes me feel better. Anyone else heard that T is converted by the body to estriol?

[Lady]

Hi Aiko,
The Estrogen pill I take for HRT is natural, not a synthetic hormone. It is Premarin. Made from pregnant horses urine.

Premarin® (conjugated estrogens tablets, USP) for oral administration contains a mixture of conjugated estrogens obtained exclusively from natural sources, occurring as the sodium salts of water-soluble estrogen sulfates blended to represent the average composition of material derived from pregnant mares' urine.

The major forms of estrogen in Premarin are estrone (>50%), equilin (15-25%) and equilenin. The estrogens in Premarin are often called "conjugated equine estrogens" (CEE) because the estrogen molecules are generally present with hydrophilic side-groups attached such as sulfate. Thus, estrone sulfate is actually the major molecule in Premarin. Estrone sulfate is easily absorbed into the blood after Premarin pills are taken by women.

Aiko, I am not a Chemist or in the Pharma industry. My GYN has stated these facts to me and gave me a brochure. He would like me to try another synthetic, but I felt if the wheel isn't broken, why change it.

Also I have tried some others that have some food or chemicals in them that my body does not tolerate.

I may be wrong. Do you know better in your field of expertise? I thought these are all natural Estrogens in pill form.:)

I figured if I used Avonex in the past, that is made in the Ovary of a Red Chinese Hamster, what is difference using equine urine.:D Premarin has been on the market since 1942.
Thanks,
Lady

[Bookfairy]

Thanks to all who replied. I have a call into my gynocologist and and hoping to move my March appointment up. I will let you know what he says. The earliest I could get into my neuro is January. Estriol has interested me since I first knew about my MS.

[Virginia]

I think in small studies in Europe Estriol has proven to be helpful in MS. I am currently on Premarin. I wanted to try Estriol, and did for awhile. However, the only way it is available here in the States is if it is compounded by a pharmacist. I stayed on it several months, but felt somewhat uncomfortabe, not knowing if it was being compounded the same way every month, and exactly what dosage I really was on. So I went back to Premarin.

The only reason estriol is not available in pill form here in the States is because there isn't enough money in it. It has been around for a long time and is widely used for several things in Europe.

Virginia

[Aiko]

Lady -

I thought these are all natural Estrogens in pill form.

While, that's true to a certain extent, estradiol (Premarin) is dangerous - it is very different from estriol. They are both estrogens, but they are different as in the way olive oil is different from lard, even though both are edible fats.

from the National Institute of Health (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/), regarding Estradiol marketed under the brand name Premarin (not Estriol):

Estrogen increases the risk that you will develop endometrial cancer (cancer of the lining of the uterus [womb]). The longer you take estrogen, the greater the risk that you will develop endometrial cancer. If you have not had a hysterectomy (surgery to remove the uterus), you should be given another medication called a progestin to take with estrogen. This may decrease your risk of developing endometrial cancer, but may increase your risk of developing certain other health problems, including breast cancer.

In a large study, women who took estrogen with progestins had a higher risk of heart attacks, strokes, blood clots in the lungs or legs, breast cancer, and dementia (loss of ability to think, learn, and understand). Women who take estrogen alone may also have a higher risk of developing these conditions. [Emphasis added]

FYI

Aiko

[Lady]

Lady -



While, that's true to a certain extent, estradiol (Premarin) is dangerous - it is very different from estriol. They are both estrogens, but they are different as in the way olive oil is different from lard, even though both are edible fats.

from the National Institute of Health (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/), regarding Estradiol marketed under the brand name Premarin (not Estriol):

Estrogen increases the risk that you will develop endometrial cancer (cancer of the lining of the uterus [womb]). The longer you take estrogen, the greater the risk that you will develop endometrial cancer. If you have not had a hysterectomy (surgery to remove the uterus), you should be given another medication called a progestin to take with estrogen. This may decrease your risk of developing endometrial cancer, but may increase your risk of developing certain other health problems, including breast cancer.

In a large study, women who took estrogen with progestins had a higher risk of heart attacks, strokes, blood clots in the lungs or legs, breast cancer, and dementia (loss of ability to think, learn, and understand). Women who take estrogen alone may also have a higher risk of developing these conditions. [Emphasis added]

FYI

Aiko

I did say in my reply (above) to Bookfairy, that I have had an early hysterectomy, so Estrogen alone is fine for me. She can talk to her doctor and fine out what is right for her, if needed. There are risks with birth control pills and any other medication we can think of, even Aspirin for some people. Many MS treatments can cause cancer too.

We all treat our diseases and disorders with different medications. One size does not fit all. I am allergic to soy yet you can have it. Lucky you. We do the best we can with what is available to us.

You had stated this a while back about Estrogen.
Yes, I also experience more MS symptoms before my monthly period starts.

It may be the drop in estrogen in our hormonal cycles that does it - right now there's a clinical trial in So. California about the use of estriol (a hormone present in pregnancy) as an MS medication because of estrogen's protective effects against MS.

I drink a small amount of soy milk everyday (actually I put vanilla soy milk in my breakfast cereal which makes it more palatable) and that seems to help keep everything in balance. The phytoestrogens in the soy help balance the female hormones and, for me at least, prevent the wild hormonal swings that trigger MS symptoms and perimenopausal night sweats (another delightful part of middle-aged womanhood).

It's not easy when you're first diagnosed - so many questions about everything - but please do come here and post whatever you need support with and we'll do our best to share our experiences.

in wellness

Aiko

Thanks for your thoughts in this matter.
Lady

[Bookfairy]

Hi all,
I went to my gynocologist today about Estriol or my birth control pill? He said my bcp (Ortho Novum) is a stronger estrogen than anything else he can put me on so I am just going to take it continuously for now. He is checking into a pharmacy to see if the Estriol would be stronger and will write me a script if I would choose to go that route. I took an article from fda with me on Estriol http://www.fda.gov/cder/pharmcomp/estriol.htm. It says they okay it with a IND from him. I also took an article from http://www.families.first.com on Rhonda Voskuhl's study on Estriol.
Good luck to everyone.

[terric]

I was once told that people who are overweight (which I was when I went through menopause) have an easier time of it as fat cells produce estriol. I had almost no symptoms. I don't know if I would take anything orally, by injection or by patch as there have been so many problems with the stuff.

terric

[Aiko]

Bookfairy -

I went to my gynocologist today about Estriol or my birth control pill? He said my bcp (Ortho Novum) is a stronger estrogen than anything else he can put me on so I am just going to take it continuously for now. He is checking into a pharmacy to see if the Estriol would be stronger and will write me a script if I would choose to go that route.

YIKES!! It's not a question of what is stronger!
Ortho Novum is ESTRADIOL - it's different from ESTRIOL.

Get a script for Estriol. Avoid Estradiol.

Aiko

PS: Lady, phytoestrogens from plants are the weakest forms of estrogen that can balance hormone levels with food. These are different from Estradiol and Estriol.

[Lady]

Hi Aiko,
Perhaps Bookfairy needs birth control, she did not say why she took the pill. Taking Estriol alone will not prevent pregnancy.


I truly understand that phytoestrogens from plants such as soybeans, in your soy milk, is a weak form of Estrogen. As I said above, which you must have missed, is that I am allergic to soy. So that would not be a good source of female hormone for me. You might like Black Cohosh. This herb claims benefit for menopause symptoms. We all have to do what we think is right. No one can make choice for another person.

I did say you are lucky to be able to take soy, since it is your choice. I end up with hives all over my body and loose bowels. Then I need more medication to counteract these problems.

BTW, I think too many men are taking soy milk and many other products with soy in it. They are getting breast enlargement and the need for Viagra. JMO Also there is too much Omega 6 in soy.
Lady

Information is stated here also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soybean#Men

PS: Aiko, I am not trying to argue with you. To each his own. :)

[Bookfairy]

The reason I decided to stay on Ortho Novum is that the last week I was off it I ended up having to take the last part of the week off from work. I felt like my body wasn't connected to my brain and all my other symptoms were at peak. Until my gynocoligist talks to the compounding pharmacy we decided to keep me on my pill constantly. I reached menopause this year and it has also been my worst year for symptoms. It wasn't until I was off the BCP the last time that I put it together. I am going for quality of life. Also none of my relatives have had breast or uterine cancer so I am not as worried as some people would be. I have been on my BCP for over twenty years and haven't had any problems. I wasn't diagnosed with MS until 8 years ago and feel like that may be attributed to the BCP considering what is going on now.