Yeah, I was hoping the topical would work. I, too, get some gas on 1-AD and was trying to avoid it.
The good news is that this last week of oral 1-AD, I have had little gas. Weird. It was really bad during my first cycle.
Rotty: If I were to take 3 caps at a time, I'd probably get sick. My dosage is 1 capsule 3 times per day, sometimes 4 times per day. I basically just keep a few caps in my pocket and whenever I eat a reasonably large meal during the day, I'll take a capsule. (protein shake meal is not enough).
Regarding adding it to an existing 4ad topical. You could try that, but then you won't know which element is working. Most 4ad topicals are made up of exactly what I used (alcohol plus IPM, in Ergopharm's case). If you try this, you'll have to remember to remove the undisolved solids (binders used by Ergopharm in the capsule production) by pouring off the top of the mixture. Plus you'll spend lots more $$$$ than 1-AD orally.
If I were you, I'd try 1 cap 3x per day with large meals. Maybe add an anti-gas treatment like simethicone from the drug store.