Use with care

Estrogens:
The Transforming Drugs

By Kelly Ann Stiles

If you're like me, a strong minded, self motivated, focused and full time transsexual, you've probably had a lot of help from your friends, especially your TS sisters, in learning not only more about yourself but how to transition and what's involved with the process of correcting nature's mistake. Besides courage, determination, desire, and willingness to give up everything dear to you, including your job, you need drugs.

You're not going to be a junkie, these are not mind altering illegal substances, although they are controlled. We're talking about hormones and anti-testosterones. A great deal of the transition process is accomplished via drug therapy. Any surgery you may elect to have from plastic to SRS is simply the "icing on the cake", which makes it all worthwhile. Also, like myself, I had my own schedule to follow which was incompatible with the Standards Of Care.

I was self medicating long before I entered formal therapy and got referred to my current endocrinologist. So for my sisters who are self medicating or wish to start I must say, out of moral obligation, don't do it.

While these transitional drugs are easily obtainable in Mexico, they are nothing to play with and can be fatal if abused. A serious transsexual is a wise transsexual. Transition safely and get medical attention and do try to follow the SOC as difficult as it may be. It's there to protect us.

Estrogens are the needed female hormone to replace your male hormones and anti-testosterones are needed to shut down any further production of your male hormones to allow the estrogens to work. The two most widely prescribed drugs are Premarin in dosages of 2.5mg to 7.5mg and Spironolactone which is started at 50mg and progressing over a set period of time to 400mg.

These choice drugs and dosages are specifically designed for transsexual therapy although it is not their primary commercial purpose. Premarin was designed to treat menopause while spironolactone was designed to treat congestive heart failure and high blood pressure as a strong diuretic.

You must take some precautions while on these medications. A dosage higher than 5mg of Premarin is highly ill advised and a dosage higher than 200mg of spironolactone is also unless prescribed by your endocrinologist. Estrogen's side effects include weight gain (ask me!) in the right spots, nausea, mood swings, hot/cold flashes, breast growth with tenderness, male genitalia atrophy, in otherwords, everything we TS's look for. Also sensitivity to the sun, and Vitamin C above 1000mg makes estrogen toxic. With spironolactone you can expect body hair loss, impotence, dehydration and increased potassium levels. Do not use salt substitutes, you'll need the real sodium. Also breast growth and muscle cramps. Do not drink as this drug already causes drowsiness. Do not use aspirin or other salicylates as it will decrease the effectiveness of the drug.

Your endocrinologist will see you every 3 months for monitoring as these drugs place a strain on your liver. You should also have regular breast exams as estrogens can cause breast cancer. If you're self medicating, which is not advised, see your family doctor for the same thing and request blood tests for liver function and breast exams or learn how to do your own breast exam.

This article originally appeared in "Reflections" the magazine produced by San Diego's Neutral Corner. Used with permission.
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