Estradot

Estradot is used to treat symptoms of the menopause in postmenopausal women.

What is Estradot?

Estradot is a transdermal patch that contains oestrogen in the form of estradiol, which is identical to the estradiol that naturally occurs in the body of women. Estradiol is a female reproductive hormone. Estradiol is steadily released from the patch, absorbed through the skin, and enters the blood stream.

Estradot is a hormone replacement therapy (shortened to HRT) for the treatment of postmenopausal women who have not had a naturally occurring menstrual bleed (a period) for 12 months or longer. Estradot is used for women whose menopausal symptoms considerably impair their daily life. Estradot replaces the oestrogen that steadily declines in women as they approach the menopause. Estradot reduces or relieves the effects of menopausal symptoms, which occur due to the reduction in oestrogen. Menopausal symptoms include hot flashes (particularly of the face, neck, and/or chest), night sweats, mood swings, and vaginal dryness.

Estradot is also used by women to prevent osteoporosis, a condition that causes the bones to become thinner and less dense as a result of more bone breakdown than bone replacement. The bones therefore become weaker and easily break. Bone loss occurs naturally as people age so the chance of developing osteoporosis increases with age. However, women lose bone more rapidly for several years after the menopause and at a slower rate thereafter. Women are also more at risk of osteoporosis if they have an early menopause or have their ovaries removed.

Estradot is not a means of contraception, and you may require protective measures to prevent pregnancy.

Can I buy Estradot online?

The Online Clinic can prescribe Estradot following a consultation with one of our experienced GPs. Please click on the consultation button below to begin.

How to use Estradot

Estradot is a rectangular transdermal patch that is stuck onto the skin. The patches come in strengths of 25, 37.5, 50, 75, and 100 micrograms/24 hours and should be used for only as long as needed. Women with a womb (uterus) should also use medication containing the hormone progestogen for at least 12-14 days or more every 28-day cycle risk as it reduces the risk of uterine cancer; women without a womb do not need to take progestogen unless they have endometriosis.

Your doctor will tell you the strength of patch to use, and how to and how long to use it. Full details are also provided in the pack leaflet. Estradot can be started on any day if you are not using any HRT or you have been using a continuous combined form of HRT. Estradot is started on the day following completion of the previous cycle if you are changing from a cyclic or sequential HRT treatment. Contact your doctor if you have breakthrough bleeding or spotting after stopping Estradot, and before restarting the patch after a long period without treatment.

The patch is positioned on the lower abdomen, below the waist. It is worn on the skin continuously until its replacement with a new patch. Patch replacement should occur twice a week, on the same two weekdays each week. A new patch is positioned on a different skin site to that just used, with no return to the previous site for at least one week.

The patch is placed onto intact (i.e., without wounds or irritation), dry, clean, and cool skin (without moisturisers, oils, powder, etc). Every patch is provided in a protective pouch, which should be torn open to avoid damage by scissor cuts. Remove the patch’s protective backing to reveal its sticky side, and apply immediately to the selected lower abdominal skin area. One side of the protective backing is removed and stuck to the skin first, followed by the other side. Press each side of the patch firmly in place with your hand for about 10 seconds to ensure good and complete contact between patch and skin. When time to change the patch, peel it off, folding it in half with sticky side inwards for disposal.

If the patch comes off, such as when bathing or showering, shake the patch to remove the water, dry it, and place it onto a different area of the lower abdomen. If the patch only partially sticks to the skin, then use a new patch. Regardless of the day, change the patch again as scheduled and on the usual days. The patch can be worn under a bathing suit, and should be covered when sunbathing. When having surgery, inform the surgeon as early as possible that you use Estradot as Estradot may need to be stopped 4–6 weeks before surgery to minimise the risk of a blood clot. Contact your doctor about when to restart using Estradot.

If too much Estradot has been used, then remove the patch; acute overdose is unlikely with these patches but you may experience tender breasts and/or vaginal bleeding. If forgetting to change a patch, change the patch as soon as you remember regardless of the day; change the patch again as scheduled and on the usual days.

Before starting HRT, your medical history and that of your family should be taken, and a physical examination, particularly of your breasts and an internal examination, may be required. Regular check-ups with your doctor and breast screening are recommended when using HRT. Estradot can affect the results of blood tests so inform the doctor and phlebotomist that you are using HRT.

Who can use Estradot?

Only women who are postmenopausal can use Estradot. It must not be taken by women during pregnancy or breastfeeding (discuss pregnancy and breastfeeding with a doctor before taking this medicine).

Estradot must not be used by women who:

• are allergic to estradiol or any of the other components of Estradot.
• have/may have/have ever had breast cancer.
• have/may have an oestrogen-sensitive cancer (e.g., endometrial cancer).
• have/have ever had blood clots in veins (a thrombosis) of the legs (deep vein thrombosis) or lungs (pulmonary embolism); or liver disease and the liver function tests are still abnormal.
• have/have recently had blood clots in arteries causing angina, a heart attack, or a stroke.
• have unexplained vaginal bleeding; endometrial hyperplasia (an over thickening of the lining of the womb) and it is not being treated; blood clotting disorder; or the blood problem porphyria.

Stop taking Estradot and contact a doctor immediately if any one of the above conditions develop for the first time.

Before starting Estradot, inform your doctor if you have ever had any of the following conditions: an increased risk of oestrogen-sensitive cancer, excess endometrial growth or growth outside the womb (endometriosis), fibroids in the womb, are at increased risk of blood clots, high blood pressure, high blood triglyceride level, liver disease, gallstones, epilepsy, migraine/severe headaches, diabetes, systemic lupus erythematosus, asthma, otosclerosis (ear disease), and/or angioedema. These conditions may get worse or come back with Estradot.

Stop using Estradot and seek medical help immediately if any of the above conditions or the following problems develop: angioedema (symptoms include swelling of the face, tongue, and/or throat, with problems swallowing, and/or hives, and difficulty breathing; a pregnancy; sudden chest pain; increase in blood pressure (causing symptoms including headache, dizziness and/or tiredness); a blood clot (signs include red, painful, swollen legs); jaundice (signs include yellowy skin or eye whites); migraine-like headaches for the first time.

The action of Estradot can be altered by some medicines, including those used to treat epilepsy, HIV, Hepatitis C virus, tuberculosis, other infections, and herbal remedies containing St John's Wort

Estradot side effects

HRT in general is known to increase the risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, endometrial hyperplasia or cancer, venous blood clots in legs or lungs, stroke, heart disease, and probable memory loss if HRT is started at 65 years of age or older.

Not all women experience side effects. Some side effects of Estradot are serious and their symptoms require immediate medical attention, such as sudden chest pain, chest pain that spreads to the arm or neck, breathing difficulty, red, painful swollen legs, unexpected breakthrough bleeding from the vagina after using Estradot for some time or stopping treatment, breast changes (e.g., skin dimpling, nipple changes, lumps), jaundice (yellow skin and eye whites, dark urine, itchy skin), painful menstrual periods, and/or unexplained migraine-like headaches. Stop Estradot in these circumstances.

It is very common to experience headache, breast pain and tension, menstrual pain and disorder, and skin reactions at the patch application site (e.g., itching, burning, rash, dryness, bleeding, swelling, hives, blisters, and skin pigmentation). The following commonly occur: mood changes, depression, nervousness, sleeplessness, increased breast size, heavy menstrual periods, irregular vaginal bleeding, white/yellowish vaginal discharge, severe uterine contractions, vagina inflammation, endometrial hyperplasia, weight changes, nausea, indigestion, abdominal pain and bloating, diarrhoea, skin rash and dryness, acne, pain in back and limbs, weakness, and swollen hands and feet.

Uncommonly, migraine, dizziness, increased blood pressure, vomiting, skin discoloration, and impaired liver function tests may also occur. Rarely reported side effects include: tingling/numbness of hands and feet, blood clot, benign smooth muscle uterine tumours, cysts next to the fallopian tubes, uterine polyps, gallstones, muscular weakness, changes in libido, hair loss, and allergic reactions such as rash. Very rarely, a serious allergic reaction (difficulties breathing; swelling of skin or face, tongue, or throat; hives), severe skin lesions, reduced carbohydrate tolerance, or excessive hair growth occurs. It is not known how often there are instances of breast cancer, benign breast lumps, abnormal liver function tests, and/or allergic skin inflammation.