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[Roadrunner]

Hello Everyone

I posted about a month ago as a newbie asking for support and advice, which I got, thank you to everyone for your kind words, thoughtfulness and help. 

To recap: I'm 48 and perimenopausal. I had regular periods until my last one in November 2015 and my main symptoms have been crashing tiredness, headaches, limbs aching, dizziness and tinnitus, hot and cold flushes, palpitations and whooshes, sleeplessness, struggling to concentrate and keep up the pace at work (and really not liking stress at all) and lots of discomfort down below, with bladder pain and frequency. When I really think about it I reckon I've had probably had some symptoms on and off since 2011, but it's all so insidious and gradual, and comes and goes, so I didn't really notice what was happening. I'm not as tuned in to my body as I could be!

I had blood tests in December (thyroid etc) which were all normal except very low hormones (“menopausal screen”) and I started taking Elleste Duet 1mg in January. My GP is good and signposted me to this website. I'm going back to see her on Monday 11/4/16.

I'm now nearly at the end of month 3 and feeling generally better. My bladder can hold more than a cup of water (!) and I'm much more comfortable, using a small amount of Replens a few times a week. I still struggle with energy levels but find that eating frequently helps. (Thanks MM!)

So a few questions – I do realise it's a bit trial and error, and we're all different, but I would value the benefit of your experience again please.

I think I probably need a higher dose of oestrogen. I'm still getting night sweats, requiring a change of clothes, but not every night and only once per night. I still have poor quality sleep with lots of vivid dreams, and I'm still quite irritable on and off. This month I have found I'm having headaches daily on the oestrogen only days – responding to paracetamol or neurofen, so not terrible, but I'm taking daily pain meds, and I have a feeling a bit more oestrogen would help.

I also notice that on day 1 to 3 of oestrogen only I am very sensitive to noise and bright light. I have not had bad headaches or migraines, I just feel ****ly and have a low threshold to noise and want to get the hell out of it! (note: irritable!) I'm wondering if this is progesterone related? Typically I used to get a bit ratty the day before my period (and have a hot night) and then get a headache as my period finished.

I guess I would prefer to be on the lowest HRT dose I can manage on, and wonder whether to keep going for a few more months on 1mg oestrogen might be a good idea? I know some of you said give it 3 – 6 months to work.

I'm also toying with the idea of changing to Femoston 1/10, for the “kinder” progesterone to see if it helps. Would going from Elleste Duet 1mg to Femoston 2/10 be too great a leap do you think? Would I be better to take it in stages and see what works?

Any thoughts/wisdom gratefully received.

Roadrunner xx

[Roadrunner]

Hello Stellajane and thank you.

The headaches seem to diminish the further away I get from the progesterone days, yesterday and today I'm headache free - that's why I was wondering whether to swap to Femoston. Headache was definitely a pre HRT symptom too, which is why I'm wondering about more oestrogen ... well that and the night sweats.

Aarghh it's such a guessing game!

RR xx

[Pollie]

I'm no expert on progesterone intolerance so won't comment on that but I do know that lack of sleep is very damaging.

I think that you should take as much oestrogen as you need to prevent night sweats completely and then see how you feel. Our bodies do a lot of repair work in deep sleep - your headaches may go completely 

Pollie

[Roadrunner]

Hello Stellajane,

Thank you again.

That (progesterone withdrawal) would make sense and fit with my pre peri headaches.

Had a few rubbish energy/wooshy head days and today a couple of sneaky hot flushes and palpitations so it does feel like I need more oestrogen. These were all pre HRT symptoms.

I'll have a chat with the GP and see what she says. Not sure I'll be allowed to increase my dose AND swap brands too!

GP is lovely but has a CCG guideline/treatment pathway she has to adhere to .... looking after the £££s!

RR xx

[Roadrunner]

Hello Pollie

Totally agree! Lack of sleep is torture.

I think there's some tension headaches going on too tbh.

RR xx

[Sal]

Hello Ladies,  Good to meet you. Those are not empty words.

I made that switch recently Roadrunner and in fact am on here today to make my first post and ask a couple of questions about it. So I'm going to tag onto your question because I'm a month or so ahead of exactly where you are with similar issues.

I'd better start by introducing myself...

I'm 53, 8 stone 10, No children, Own teeth, Own hair, Active job with too-high pressure (Self employed in Engineering) but I doubt any worse in terms of pressure than having children and perimenopause.  Oh, and just to make you  green, starting a month off at the end of the week.  My first decent break in years.

I saw my GP last October with a list of sudden onset things that was so long you'd have been forgiven for thinking it was the list I was taking to Sainsbury for the weekly shop.  ' Err, I don't recognise myself and I think we might be about to have the menopause conversation Doc'. It included tingling fingers but not hot flashes or night sweats.

We were indeed.  She ran the blood tests.  My levels were shockingly low and all of a sudden I was feeling very unwell. It all came on in about two weeks.  My options were anti depressants or HRT. Seeing as I don't consider stress and generally feeling unwell to be depression I went for the HRT.

With the Elleste Duette 1mg stashed in the bottom of the handbag I set of in search of the glass of water.  I couldn't wait.

After 10 days I was absolutely rocking. Fantastic.  I went through the first month of the green pills still rocking and the second month of the white ones.

Then the headaches and migraine aura started.

For me, the progesterone pills were , I suspected, inducing the migraine Aura and headaches. Daily and with a near constant headache.

I didn't want my GP to tell me I wasn't suitable for HRT because of the rocking days I'd had but I forced myself to go back to her.  I am now coming to the end of month 2 on Femoston 1/10.  The migraine headaches and aura have reduced dramatically and the bleed is only a day long so far (at about half way through the white pills).

But,  I'm not rocking any more and I really liked that woman. Have you seen her anywhere?  I'm just sort of normal if not, to be honest, a bit flat. Very tired.  It's like it's not doing anything. Question 1 therefore is this;  Do our bodies become accustomed to the new Estrogen and stop noticing it?

Double but...two week's ago I was on site (indoors)  a long way from home and had been up since 5 am with barely controlled man-flu (cor that's dreadful isn't it?  How on earth do they manage?), when my left arm went numb.  Bang. Gone.  Hot and tingly and not co-ordinating.  I called NHS direct who were concerned enough to get a GP on the phone to me and the next thing I knew I was in a Taxi to hospital and being shown straight through.

It wasn't a stroke and I passed all the tests where you have to touch your nose and kick your own leg etc.  They told me I am exhausted hence the forthcoming time off.

But this arm numbness refuses to budge. Nothing like it was that day but it seems to be going on for most of the time.

I've read lots about arm tingling and Menopause (I'd say it is like it is drunk) and I have taken your guidance and looked at the 34 symptoms web site.  I can find all sorts about it being a symptom of perimenopause' but nothing about it being a side effect or otherwise of HRT. So question 2 is should this be being controlled by HRT?

What do you reckon?  Oh, I never stopped having my periods by the way and I've noticed Femoston is for those who have stopped. I'm doing the three months which is so oft mentioned on here and I have an appointment in May. I've also booked to see an acupuncture man and I'll let you know if that is noteworthy.

So back to Roadrunner's - Apart from the question mark over the arm which may not be connected to HRT and might yet turn out to be a nerve thing..my headaches and light sensitivity are miles better on the Femoston.  But the Rock-chick seems to have run away.

Sal

[dazned]

Hi    Sal

Cant comment about the numb arm,sure others will be along to help with that one soon ! 

Just to let you know that there is Femoston 1/10mg and 2/10 these are sequential hrt,you get a bleed each month for those still in peri. Then there is Femoston conti which is for post meno ladies,so it would depend what you have been given as to whether it's the correct one,road runner is talking about the sequential one.

[Kathleen]

Hello Sal and welcome to the forum.

Just to confuse you further I had six months of daily headaches when I was post menopause and not using HRT so although hormonal they are not necessarily due to the tablets. I would also say after those six months the headaches disappeared, never to return.  I wonder if this wonderful journey is made up of a series of phases  that we pass through as our bodies learn to tolerate lower hormonal levels? If so I wish mine would hurry up  and reach the promised land, I've been travelling this road long enough I reckon!

Wishing you well and keep posting.

K.

[Noodle]

I recently made the swap from Elleste 2mg to Femoston 1mg, both of mine being the conti version.

When researching the type of prog in Femoston I think I remember reading that that it wasn't so anti-estrogenic as others.  So, you may find that your 1mg in Femoston is more effective than the 1mg in Elleste.

On the other hand, I'm fairly new to all this HRT malarkey so I may have made a link that is nonsense.

x

[Sal]

Hello and thank you for your replies.

This one is Femoston 1/10mg. A cream and white pack with white and green tablets.  The leaflet might in fact be a bit ambiguous ' HRT is used in woman(sic) who require oestrogen replacement and who have not had their womb removed.  Femoston is used in postmenopausal women at least 6 months since last menses.' So it kind of confuses things. 

My GP is super and I doubt she'd make an error so I'll wait it out and check.

RoadRunner and I seem to be in about the same batch at the moment. I shall watch with interest to see how you get on and let you know likewise.

In passing, I notice if I don't take an evening primrose capsule each day .. they certainly do something good.

Sal 


 

[Hurdity]

Hi Sal

 

The leaflet for Femoston is shockingly inaccurate - even the more detailed product info is misleading as it refers to post-menopausal women in the same sentence as 6 months since last menses - when the definition of being post-menopause is 12 months since last period because until then you can't say that you are!

Any HRT where you take some oestrogen only tablets for approx half the cycle and then ditto combi tabs with progestogen, are for women who are not post-menopause (but they can also be taken by post-menopausal women - who prefer to remain on a cycle and have a bleed rather than take prog continuously).

It's only if continuous combined HRT (ie oestrogen and prog tabs the same all the time) are taken by women before they reach menopause - that you sometimes get unpredictable bleeding because their own cycle kicks in.

Hope you feel better. if after 3 months you don't then there is always Femoston 2/10 which is double the dose - and then you may start rocking again 

Hurdity x

[Roadrunner]

Hi Sal

Thanks for reviving this thread!
Glad you're feeling better having changed to Femoston I'm hoping the same happens for me.

I'm not sure what to make of your drunken arm. It's not one of my (many and varied) symptoms so can't really comment about whether it's meno related or not. Hope it settles with some rest.

Keep us posted.

RR xx

[Noodle]

This is what I found on Wikipedia about the prog in Femoston that made me think the amount of estrogen alongside might be more effective and accessible.

"The progestational efficacy and potency of dydrogesterone was confirmed by standard test (i.e. delay of menses and induction of withdrawal bleeding). The benefits of estrogen or other target organs are not compromised by dydrogesterone."

Noodle.