Question 43

Allergy To Estrogen Patch

Dr N,

IS IT POSSIBLE TO GET AN ALLERGIC REACTION TO THE PATCH. I WENT ON ONE ABOUT 2-3 WEEKS AGO AND WHERE I HAD A PATCH I ITCH SO BAD IT DRIVES ME CRAZY, BUT ABOUT 3 DAYS AGO I ITCHED SO BAD I COULDN'T STOP SCRATCHING AND NOW I FEEL ITCHY ALL OVER. I HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING DIFFERENT EXCEPT THE PATCH.

Reply:

Hi,

Yes, this does happen in some women and is usually is due to an allergy to the adhesive in the patch itself. Sometimes, a switch to another brand of patch may help. If it does not you might consider speaking to your Dr about using an transdermal estradiol gel. This is basically the estrogen in the patch without the patch adhesive unit that you are allergic to.

You would need to obtain this from a compounding pharmacy and if there isn't one available in your area, you could contact College Pharmacy through the link on the "links" page of my web site.

If you would prefer not to do this, you will need to use one of the other routes of administration, such as the oral, sublingual, or subcutaneous routes.

Dr N