HRT - transdermal patches

Hi Shelley:

Do you know anything about transdermal patches?

At the moment I am on a program to wean myself off HRT patches which I have been using for almost 20 years. However, in the meantime, I've noticed for the past few months,that my skin has been turning red underneath the patch - (which I take as another reason that I shouldn't be on them).

The other problem is that I have to remove the patch in order to take my "therapeutic" baths ( Epsom Salts , etc) otherwise the skin gets even more irritated. Then, when I get dried off and try to put the patch back on, there is hardly any "sticky" left to make it adhere to my skin, so I use tape instead. In fact, the patch looks pretty dry - even those I have been wearing for a day. So I wondered, is most of the "medicine" in the patch absorbed in the first 24 hours and should I even bother putting it back on?

Hoping you can answer.

Thanks - Penny Tweet