this post was submitted on 19 Apr 2025
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Weird Pains on Estrogen? (lemmy.blahaj.zone)
submitted 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
15 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

So I started oral estradiol 2mg and bicalutimide 50mg about 2 weeks ago. A week in, I started feeling these weird pains in my body. They felt like small stabbing pains that immediately dulled - almost like the pain of getting an injection, and were always in my legs, arms, or chest.

I asked my doctor about it, and he had no idea. He just said they weren't a reported side effect of either med, and the only way to tell if it was the meds was to stop them.

I'm really paranoid about, like, fucking dying, so I stopped my medication 3 days ago and the pains have subsided. I was just wondering if anyone here has shared my experience. I'd like to know what the hell that was, and if it's safe to continue treatment.

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[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (2 children)

@[email protected] and @[email protected] I think I might have a guess as to what the pain is.

I was having some leg pain that sounded similar to the symptoms you both report, and it made me think about what it was most like. Then I realized I experienced this most when I was a teenager going through puberty!

I think they're growing pains!

Growing pains are often described as an ache or throb in the legs โ€” often in the front of the thighs, the calves or behind the knees.

from mayo clinic

Does that seem right?

It wouldn't be surprising to me that starting second puberty you might experience growing pains again ๐Ÿค” And like growing pains, they seem to subside over time.

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

I was thinking about that but like, growing pains come from actual growing... I doubt I'm getting taller than my current 6+ ft on estrogen.

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago

we don't actually know that it comes from growing or the lengthening of the legs, though

from that mayo website:

Growing pains don't usually happen where growth is occurring or during times of rapid growth. It's been suggested that growing pains may be linked to restless legs syndrome.

It could just be that like in first puberty, the change in hormones is causing some other physiological changes we don't understand, resulting in these pains; could be vascular or other causes, but either way I think the phenomenology seems rather similar and the onset in both cases are caused by the start of puberty.

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago

Gosh you know that sounds likely. I did notice other pains which I wrote away as growing pains and such, I don't remember if I mentioned the day sometime a few weeks after first starting E where every single joint in my body hurt at the same time.

The only odd thing is that I only got those leg pains from injections, not from gel :S Still growing pains sound more likely than any other thing so far

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Are the stabbing pains skin-deep like an insect sting, or deeper like a pulled muscle?

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

deeper, like a pulled muscle. My paranoid brain thought blood clots immediately buuuut that seems unlikely

[โ€“] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

When I started HRT, my doctor had me ramp up the antiandrogen slowly over the course of 4 weeks. It was spironolactone and that caused some odd issues shortly after the increase day. Also I was on 4mg/day of sublingual estradiol. The weird feelings were weakness and an inability to regulate temperature, but nothing painful.

Other antiandrogens are available, it's probably a good idea to make some sort of change to your medicine. Pain is usually an indication that something is wrong.

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

Not only slowly ramping up, but starting one then the other separately (i.e., starting one, then starting the other two weeks later) means you can isolate which one is causing you problems

[โ€“] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

See https://lemmy.blahaj.zone/post/14985192 and paging @[email protected]

this seems similar to what she was describing, pain in legs after injecting estrogen

EDIT: I should say, I've never experienced this, even when I was taking bicalutamide. I did have some sensations I would describe like a body buzz, but it was never painful (was pleasant, even).

You might experiment with different doses and see if switching to spiro makes a difference. Might also try monotherapy, just see if any of those experiences are different.

But yes, bioidentical estrogen should be totally safe, esp. if you are injecting it or using it transdermally. Oral is still safe, but it's very spikey, and arguably not as great:

Estradiol levels are found to rapidly rise on the order of ten times that of the peak of oral estradiol, then rapidly decline with an elimination half-life of a few hours (Kuhl, 2005).

For that reason I wouldn't recommend oral, even though it's so popular. I would assume negative side effects like mood swings, slower and uneven testosterone suppression, and low average estradiol blood levels are more likely on oral. Still, lots of people are fine on oral so it's more something for you to experiment with and see what works best for you.

[โ€“] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

For me they stopped eventually, but was there constantly for a few days after each injection. I tried three different esters and thought the newest one worked because of different ingredients, but when I tried one of the previous ones again I had no pains. I dunno if it was caused by stress, if me doing more exercise or eating better helped, or really have any good explanation for what happened and why it stopped.

I also did have some random but minor pains when I first started HRT, before I tried injections, but it was very bearable and stopped within a few weeks. To me it seemed like different kinds of pains because my body got new instructions etc, like my ligaments changing, but I don't really know. All I know is it was just briefly now and then before stopping.

[โ€“] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

sounds hopeful, yay! Glad that they eventually went away โค๏ธ

[โ€“] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I should have specified in my post, but I was taking oral estrogen.

[โ€“] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

Unclear whether it matters or not, but you might experiment with other routes of administration as well as dose to see if they make a difference. Hopefully that other post will give you some helpful ideas, too, in case it's related.

[โ€“] [email protected] 17 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I've not heard about a common reaction like that to estrogen, but I'm not a doctor. No clue about bicalutimide though.

[โ€“] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago

Can confirm I didn't have this when I took bicalutamide, nor is it a typical side effect.