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Have you had experience with the Wiley Protocol?

By March 3, 2009 - 11:15am
 
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Has anyone had experience using the Wiley Protocol of hormone replacement therapy?

It is a method where bioidentical hormones are prescribed and are given transdermally -- through the skin -- in a patent-pending cream. A primary

difference between this protocol and some others is that the hormonal levels rise and fall, similar to the way a woman's normal cycle did when she was still menstruating.

There is some controversy on the web about T.S. Wiley's qualifications for developing a medical protocol, since she is not a doctor herself, she studied anthropology (though she co-authored the book "Sex, Lies, and Menopause" with Julie Taguchi, M.D.)

Some women claim wonderful results; others claim very troubling side effects. Does anyone out there have personal experiences to share?

Add a Comment317 Comments

EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

I’ve been on Wiley for three months and really struggling with leg pain, breast and nipple pain, headaches not clear head and some weight gain. I’m getting concerned that this is not normal, thoughts?

June 27, 2020 - 11:35pm
Guide (reply to Anonymous)

Hello Anon,

Some common symptoms during the adjustment period to the protocol include and are not limited to: headache, nausea, dizziness, fluid retention, and breast tenderness. That said, it's always best to check-in with your doctor if you are concerned.

Helena

June 28, 2020 - 6:00am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

Most of these comments on her are old. What is new with Wiley Protocol? It's now March 2019.
I've been using this product over 10 years but take a very low dose and do not have periods. I am thinking about getting off of it. I get it from a doctor that is not listed on the Wiley website. I get it from a compound pharmacy and it does look official (comes in the green and purple packets with the Wiley name on the vials and the registered trademark ®). I've looked thru these comments and see nothing that answers my questions. Here they are: I get my bloodwork tested once per year. I've been getting it done on day 21. I used to go on day 12 and 21 but my doctor says just day 21 is ok. I take the hormones in the morning and get the test done in the afternoon. What are the normal ranges supposed to be on the test results? This has never been clear, even thought my doctor seems to think the results are fine. Also, I take one line of testosterone in the morning. What is the best place to put that cream on? Inner thigh? or on side lower stomach area?

March 5, 2019 - 10:10am
HERWriter Guide (reply to Anonymous)

Hello Anon

This is not a Wiley Protocol website or advocacy site. You need to address these questions with your physician. Most of the comments here are anecdotal and are not provable. It is not a good idea to ask or take prescription or instructional advice from a chat board regarding medication. Every woman has their own story, their own symptoms and their own prescriptions/dosage instructions. To know what is "new" with Wiley Protocol, you could check their website.
Best,
Susan

March 5, 2019 - 3:22pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

I’ve been on the Wiley protocol for 15 years. I’m 63 and in very good health. I have met TS Wiley several times, and while I agree that she is a challenging person, I can’t say enough about how great this protocol is. My clarity of mind, energy, sleep, sex life, mood, joint health, skin, hair, and bone health are all pretty fabulous, and I think this is largely at cause. My doctors and I have had to adjust it several times over time, and who knows how long one can be on it, but regular testing (blood and ultrasound) continue to show good results. I would nonetheless caution people going into it to expect a high degree of maintenance and alertness, and to allow several months for any changes in it or other health events/actions to evidence themselves. Also, there’s a lot of spin in both directions about it—it is still experimental in many ways, after all—so do your research. As they say, your mileage may vary.

December 13, 2017 - 10:49am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

I would like to share my experience that I had with T.S. Wiley. First of all, she is not a healthcare professional of any type. Second of all, her interaction with those of us who are, leaves a lot to be desired. She is neither interested in learning or being educated on hormonal therapies, or the reality of what her so called "protocol" could mean to certain patients, in the terms of the protocol not being covered by insurance and totally out of pocket to the patient, side effects down the line, or ease of therapy for the provider and patient, as many patients have complained about the constant changes in dosages they have had to make. Trying to talk with T.S. Wiley is like doing a battle of wits with an unarmed person. Her ignorance of clinical pharmacists is profound, thinking all we know is how to mix a few things together and slap it in her special little vaginal syringes. Never mind that she wants pharmacies to render free goods at her whim for those who cannot afford this (what criteria decides this is not known) and she wants protected patient information made known to her on demand. Furthermore, many pharmacies have signed this contract, which is illegal, as your patient information is PROTECTED BY HIPAA LAW. Since T.S. Wiley and her associates are NOT part of your active patient care, she is not entitled to know anything about patient information.
If you are thinking about trying the T.S. Wiley Protocol, remember that you will have a period. When I talked to Wiley about this, she was quite proud that she had a woman 90 years of age who still had a period. She really couldn't answer me when I asked her what the purpose of this was, but she was quite adamant that it was "natural". What is also quite natural Ms. Wiley, is that a woman this age having a period is in danger of anemia, and also if the hormones aren't meticulously balanced, stroke and heart attack.
I urge everyone to think again. I am not saying that you shouldn't gave BHRT during menopause, but be cautious, and ask questions, not just of your physician, but also other health care clinicians in this field. You could be heading for disaster.

November 18, 2017 - 3:51pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

I've been on the WIley Protocol -2 for estrogen and standard progesterone for about three months. I get sort of mini-periods - two days, max. I felt wonderful when I first started, but now even on my high estrogen days I feel like it just isn't having an effect. My waist is thickening unattractively and I don't have very good energy. My skin is also going downhill and my sleep is barely OK. My doctor increased the estradiol dosage by one line, but it doesn't seem to make any difference.

Has anyone else experienced this? The estradiol working at first, and then the effect radically diminishing? What did you do?

Thanks,
Gail

November 13, 2017 - 9:30pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous (reply to Anonymous)

Most likely your Estrogen is still too low for you to feel normal. I'm 51. I have been on Wiley for about 8 months. Once blood testing indicated that levels were not within WILEY RECOMMENDED RANGES, each month I gradually increased Wiley estrogen to the max + dosage on the packet and now during my low estrogen days I still feel good. I take the highest + dose of Progesterone as well. I take Wiley (for women) testosterone +2. Also it helped overall well being and to ease application, to divide the dosages to 3 time a day, 7am, 3pm & 11pm, or whatever evenly divided times work for your schedule. As far as application site goes, lower inner thighs are a must for good absorption in my experience. T is applied in an exact bikini zone area indicated in the directions.
Also it really helped me to set alarms on my phone so I wouldn't forget to apply. Another tip, once you figure out the dosages for 3x a day application, if you have a good calendar app for your phone, you can add the dosages for each day. Once you have added Day 1 through day 28. It's easy to auto add future months, as that info is saved. This makes it quick to check and apply. Well being, energy, weight around the waist, have all improved greatly! I started Wiley after trying regular bio-identical hormone replacement for almost a year. No matter how hard I worked to stay fit, along with eating a very healthy diet, plus supplements, I was getting a belly, I felt weak during workouts, hair was thinning some, the bloating was terrible. Wiley is more exact and balanced, and more natural, cyclical! I am so thankful for Wiley. Now I don't have to feel or look old. Unexpected bonus - hair is looking good again, and it's thicker than ever.

August 14, 2018 - 5:05am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous (reply to Anonymous)

Hi Gail, I started the Wiley at age 60. I had to go up to E5 to feel good, but then I gained weight in my middle. I found out that I had adrenal fatigue, so i started taking supplements for that, and also raise my thyroid medicine. When estrogen goes up, thyroid goes down. Things are starting to click now. The older you are, the more depleted you are and the longer it takes to figure and balance everything. It has taken like 4 years to get to this point. I was on static Bioidentical hormones before and ended up with a fibroid which forced me into a hysterectomy. So what ever form you do on bioidentical hormones, be sure to get blood test done at least 1 time a year to see if you are in estrogen dominance. When I was on static hormones, my sex hormones were never tested which resulted in a fibroid.

May 4, 2018 - 2:12pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

I’ve been on Standard Wiley dose for 12 years. Before going on it, I had terrible hot flashes and felt tired. I would get up in the morning and hobble out of bed, - felt like I was getting fibromyalgia.
I read Wiley’s book first, - made sense to me. Then I started using is and have never looked back.
This summer I tried going on 1/2 dose but found my aches and pains returned. I’m on Wiley for life, - I just feel so much better overall.

November 4, 2017 - 8:16am
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