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Too much cream?

Wray, I have read a lot of your replies here regarding progesterone use, and I think what you say makes a lot of sense. What I can't seem to wrap my head around is saying most women need to use 100 mg's a day more more of this cream. It doesn't sound healthy to use such a large amount - that is A LOT of cream to rotate over various parts of the body long term. And progesterone can get stored in fat if I am not mistaken. How can someone really bank on using this cream in such large amounts longterm without significant side effects? Most creams dose out 20 mg's...you are saying we should use five times that amount or more. Is this really practical for long term usage? How does one prevent this from getting stored in the fatty tissue and building up, or becoming ineffective over time?

I am pretty sure I am low on progesterone, but not feeling that it is practical or even affordable to use so much everyday. How many tubes of cream are you using monthly? It just seems like an awful lot.

I want to find some relief, but at the same time want to make sure what I do is practical and will be more than a short term fix. How long have you used progesterone cream at those doses? Did it stall at some point in effectiveness?

I am just really trying to educate myself on this. For example, I read "The cream is easily soluble in fat, due to which it gets stored in the fat tissues. After applying it over a period, the progesterone in fat tissues starts accumulating and disrupts the functioning and production of adrenal hormones in the body." How are you combating this? Also that high progesterone levels can cause similar symptoms as low...so what happens when using that much cream makes the progesterone too high?

Thanks for any advice you might have. Just looking for answers as I have felt a high hormonal imbalance for awhile now.

Comments for Too much cream?

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Apr 28, 2013
 Too much cream?
by: Wray

Hi there I've learnt from people who use too little that it generally makes them worse, and that larger amounts are needed to overcome any adverse symptoms. Most companies do suggest 20mg/day, based on the fact we make 20mg/day. But the range is actually 5-20mg/day, some studies saying we make up to 40mg/day. So why chose 20mg/day, why not 5mg? Why don't they read the studies, there are thousands of them. And always quoting Dr Lee too, as if that makes all right and exonerates them from any blame. I've read his books and heard him speak a few times, a most excellent doctor and a sad loss to us all. I've read Dr Dalton's books, her papers and heard her speak, sadly she has also died. I was fortunate to have met too, and she gave me much advice. She used far higher amounts for her patients, finding that low amounts don't work. As I've said repeatedly on the site, it all depends on symptoms, if severe far more is needed to get things right again. You might like to read this comment here. 20mg/day won't touch sides if someone has bad PMS, due no doubt to a defective luteal phase, or possibly they are not ovulating at all, so therefore making no progesterone. Once bad symptoms have begun far more is needed than if the progesterone had been started when they were first noticed. For instance hyperemesis needs at least 400mg/day to stop it, but if begun when nausea is first felt, 100-200mg/day will be effective. When you say a lot of cream it depends on the brand of course. The standard creams on the market are all about 1.6% so a great deal is needed. But if using a 10% cream very little actual cream is used. I go into the fat storage on our Progesterone Misconceptions page. It's a curious thing, but Progesterone and Vitamin D are made from cholesterol, vitamin D by the action of sunlight on the skin. So vitamin D is absorbed topically, and like progesterone both are fat based substances. There is never any concern that vitamin D will get absorbed in fat cells, build up and loose it's efficacy, why should progesterone. And long term, it's up to the individual, I for one will continue till I die, knowing it's benefits. It's been 16 years now and there are no signs I'm saturated with it! I use about 170mg/day which is about 5ml of cream, so I use 2.5 to 3 tubes a month. I don't bother with the rotation, some places get it twice a day such as my face, neck and breast. I'll rub the balance off wherever I feel its needed. I might use it three times a day, so of course my hands get a great deal. Continued below
Apr 28, 2013
 Too much cream? part 2
by: Wray

Hi there I have heard that high levels of progesterone apparently causes the same symptoms as low, but I have no idea where they got this info from! It can be used an an anaesthetic with no ill affects such as the drug anaesthetics give. And please look at the amounts used in this study here, it would shock most. And as for disrupting the function and production of adrenal hormones, if it was stored in fat cells then it wouldn't affect them. It needs to be in circulation to have an effect. The two main steroid hormones made in the adrenal cortex are cortisol the stress hormone and aldosterone. The adrenals first secrete progesterone which they then convert to the two hormones. Most of us are stressed with high cortisol, progesterone suppresses this if enough is used, 20mg/day will not. It's a potent anxiolytic. Aldosterone causes water retention, progesterone occupies the same receptor sites as aldosterone, so it's an excellent diuretic, 20mg/day will not do this, see our page on Traumatic Brain Injury. The main protein based hormones made in the adrenal medulla are adrenaline, noradrenaline and dopamine. Stress raises adrenaline, if this is too high progesterone cannot enter the cells, so is ineffective. But high amounts of progesterone will lower adrenaline levels, 20mg/day will not do this. Dopamine is one of the most important neurotransmitters, progesterone helps raise levels. There's more about the two on our Libido and Prolactin pages. Take care Wray
May 01, 2013
 thanks for your response
by: Anonymous

Thank you for your detailed responses. Is the natpro you mention on this site the 10% variety and if so, how much do you recommend in terms of teaspoons (or is it a premeasured dose)?
One of my main concerns (i.e. fears) is that I might be one of those people who have the side effect of weight gain. I know some women gain a lot of weight on progesterone cream, while others do not. I am in my 40s and a really good weight - I am afraid of introducing something that might make me balloon up and then being my age not be able to get it off. If a woman does gain weight on progesterone cream, how long does it normally take coming off of it to go back to 'normal' (normal as in pre cream hormonal levels)?

I am experiencing thinning hair, a lot of gray hair (that is coming in looking really bad - kinky whereas my normal hair is very straight), increased pore size, cellulite and a few other crazy things that came on pretty suddenly. Obviously these are all just part of the aging process but I feel like I have a depletion of progesterone perhaps that could be really aggravating the aging process further since I have been up and down estrogen dominant for years. I have heard so many stories where you have to be patient when you start the cream as symptoms can be far worse for awhile, and that is the part that is a bit scary as I won't know if it stays worse or not.

I know that you cannot predict how every person will react to the cream so I am just asking as an average that you have heard about.
May 01, 2013
 thanks for your response
by: Anonymous

Thank you for your detailed responses. Is the natpro you mention on this site the 10% variety and if so, how much do you recommend in terms of teaspoons (or is it a premeasured dose)?
One of my main concerns (i.e. fears) is that I might be one of those people who have the side effect of weight gain. I know some women gain a lot of weight on progesterone cream, while others do not. I am in my 40s and a really good weight - I am afraid of introducing something that might make me balloon up and then being my age not be able to get it off. If a woman does gain weight on progesterone cream, how long does it normally take coming off of it to go back to 'normal' (normal as in pre cream hormonal levels)?

I am experiencing thinning hair, a lot of gray hair (that is coming in looking really bad - kinky whereas my normal hair is very straight), increased pore size, cellulite and a few other crazy things that came on pretty suddenly. Obviously these are all just part of the aging process but I feel like I have a depletion of progesterone perhaps that could be really aggravating the aging process further since I have been up and down estrogen dominant for years. I have heard so many stories where you have to be patient when you start the cream as symptoms can be far worse for awhile, and that is the part that is a bit scary as I won't know if it stays worse or not.

I know that you cannot predict how every person will react to the cream so I am just asking as an average that you have heard about.
May 02, 2013
 thanks for your response
by: Wray

Hi there No Natpro is a 3.3% cream, and comes in a tube, see here. I can't recommend an exact amount, so I generally advise 100-200mg/day, it is trial and error. This would be 3-6ml of cream if using Natpro. The women who gain weight are not using sufficient, i.e. about 20mg/day, possibly 40mg/day. That would guarantee most women would put on weight. I can't tell how long it would take to come off either. Some women persist with the low amounts and gain a great deal, that would take time to come off. I'm not sure how old you are but it appears you could be in Peri-menopause. I had acquired many 'ageing' symptoms, or so I thought, but they all went once I'd started progesterone. It is good for ageing, see here, here, here, here and here. Some women with few symptoms do well on low amounts such as 100-200mg/day, others need far, far higher, see here and here. Take care Wray
May 05, 2013
 How do I know what % my cream is?
by: Corky

I have my cream compounded and it's 200mg with 2mb of Bi-est. When I called the pharmacist, they said it's 200mg, so it's 20% cream, but that was the girl who answered. I suppose I can call back and ask the pharmacist.

But if it is 10% cream, than 200mg a day would be too much? I am on this dose, and at times 100mg for the past two years, and I cannot seem to budge any of the 30lbs I gained since getting on bio HRT.

I too am wondering if it's the progesterone, however, I have one non functioning ovary, and cycles every 10, 11, months.
Sep 10, 2014
 how do i know what % my cream is
by: AnonyMalikamous

Corky, Bi Est. ...Bi (2) Est ( estrogen) You r using estrogen, not progesterone.
Hope u have checked with your compounder by now....it may also contain progesterone and find out why u have been prescribed estrogen perhaps.?
Apr 11, 2015
 You can have too much progesterone cream
by: Anonymous

I know because it happened to me. This is for all the women out there who are seeking help for hormonal issues and are using progesterone cream because it says "out there on the internet" that it will solve all ills and that you cannot use too much. I was one of those women who did not listen to my body and instead listened to my doctor and websites like these who tell you to use more and more. After 1.5 years of continuous (every day) use of 30-80mg of compounded progesterone and Progest cream I needed up with a P/E ratio of 1700 (based on saliva results) and daily debilitating anxiety and other symptoms too numerous to mention. I am sure for Wray and others like her who tout the benefits of daily prolonged progesterone use that they indeed feel great. But one size does not fit all and not every body processes drugs and chemicals and hormones exactly the same. And yes, the progesterone at first made me feel great and normal. Then it flipped and I became a physical and emotional wreck. I still am 2 months after stopping. Need to get this out of my system and balanced again, if that is possible. So yes, you can use too much progesterone cream. You are your own advocate. Listen to YOUR body and do your research.

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