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[julieb]

hi i am 48 and peri menopausal for about a year.  My symptons included hot sweats, dizziness, heavey periods,mood swings, feeling of impending doom and unable to sleep.  the doctor pescribed femi conti which i took for about 6 months but had to stop due to the dreadful headaches and pains in my legs (weight gain as well but i can live with that) so she but me on a lower dose but unfortunately the side effects were the same.  I am now on patches which donts seem to have any effect at all as the original menopausal symptons are back - they also now include paranoia and dreadful drepession.  Should i go back to the doctors or should i try and find a natural remedy - are there women out there who just cannot tolerate HRT?  I am dreading next month.

[Suzi Q]

Ok if you can stop they dont suit you not everyones suitable for HRT not everyone takes it or can take it
See GP ask about a HRT Vaginal cream AND the mini pill I did that for over 10 years
I didnt put on weight it helped fab got the sweats under control mostly as for the doom
Beta Blocas are a fantastic boon I still take them occasionally 17 years in August since my last  period at 42

[Hurdity]

Hi julieb

 

Sorry to hear the HRT you are taking is not suiting you - but do not fear - there should be one that does suit you!

Firstly if you are peri-menopausal then the doc should not have put you on a conti (no bleed) preparation. You should be on one that  gives you a cycle with a bleed ( unless there was a particular reason not to do so).

Secondly it could be either the fact that taking HRT orally does not agree with you, or that the synthetic progestogen in Femoston (called Dydrogesterone) did not agree with you.

You don't need to find a natural remedy because nothing but oestrogen will replace the oestrogen that is decreasing in your body.

What patches are you using and how long have you been on them?

It will take a while for your body to adjust to the different type of HRT. You may also need a different dose and on top of that if you have been given a conti preparation then Evorel contains the synthetic progestogen Norethisterone - which can cause problems for some women, and Femseven contains levornogestrel - again which some women cannot tolerate.

I would suggest in your case going onto a cyclical HRT and then at least you know if it's the prog causing the problems....

I use Estradot 50 patches along with bio-identical progesterone (Utrogestan) on a cyclical basis and this is fine for me in terms of how I feel.

Hope we can help further

Hurdity x

[Billie Blaster]

Wow, Hurdity, you are a font of knowledge! 

[julieb]

hi
sorry i am late getting back to you.  i am using evorel sequi patches.  Into last stage of third month.  I do not feel good.  Anxiety is dreadful and now last few days palpitations. Saw the nurse who said i should give it more time, but i dont know how long i can.

[Hurdity]

Hi julieb

If you've taken them for three months and still not settled then maybe still need to find a different one.

Do you feel OK at all in the first part of the month ie on the oestrogen only patch, just after your period has finished?

Maybe you need a higher dose of oestrogen - you are still young. What those patches give is 50 mcg of oestrogen which is a standard post-meno dose but you are still under 50. Also check it is sticking properly - see recent threads on the subject

If you feel particuarly bad in the second half of the month - then it could be the progestogen again.

I would really suggest what I thought before. Go for separate oestrogen and progesterone on a cyclical basis - then you can take a higher dose of oestrogen and having it cyclically means you can adjust the oestrogen dose to what makes you feel OK and then only take the progesterone for part of every month as this is what gives pms symptoms for some women.

As I said below micronised progesterone (Utrogestan) which is bio-identical is at least the same as you would make in your own body and not a synthetic substance. Estradot patches are very small and come in a range of strengths. Alternatively many women in your position like to use gel - which does need to be applied daily - but where the dose can be tweaked to suit.

I would go to a doc to get advice on this and a change in prescription, if your nurse is resistant, but that would be my idea for you next to try. Are you at a meno-clinic?

No need to suffer and you have given it 3 months.

One thing I would say is to increase the oestrogen dose gradually as sudden increase can also cause side effects.

Also having said all that if you are still peri then your own hormones will still be fluctuating and giving rise to unpleasant symtpoms but HRT dshould make you feel generally better rather than generally worse!

Hurdity x

[julieb]

hi
i feel brilliant in the first half of the month, then dreadful the 2nd
been back to the docs today and she said to stop taking HRT altogether, which i will for a while.  But then maybe go back to another doctor?
julie

[Nykola1234]

I have just found this site too and am relieved to know that there are many others feeling the way I do.  I am 48, I started experiencing weird systoms last year, never had them before in my life, I had bad anxiety and a panic attack, mood swings etc, went to doc, who did blood tests but all came back clear.  Tested for Thyroid etc but that was ok, as (my sister and dad have an underactive Thyroid) and thought might have the same problem.  I felt dreadful, so was perplexed as to what was going on with me.  I have always suffered from really bad PMS, i did read somewhere im sure that when peri menopausal you can experience extreme PMS!  Anyhow my monthly cycle has changed radically in the past two years, it has gone from being 32-36 days, to 28 - 30 days, this month 26 days, last week i had palpitations together with a awful butterlfly nervous feeling in my stomock and on Thursday could not stop crying, this only disappeared when i got my period on Monday. Iv gone back today for more blood tests, and would be extremely releived if they tell me that i a have a hormone imbalance! as would explain a lot!  I feel that my Dr (who is rarely there)  does not really give me much info regarding this and lets me speak but i am looking for answers and dont feel like i am getting any.

[Hurdity]

Hi again julieb

In that case it is definitely the progestogen in the patch.

You do not need to stop HRT if it makes you feel better the first half of the month. Also the drop in oestrogen could well make you feel worse overall.

Is there any other reason the doctor would say this other than the HRT?

How far into the last stage (second half) of the Evorel sequi have you got? If you can bear to, continue so that you've had at least 9-10 days of these, you will have a bleed, and then I would say go back onto the oestrogen only ones and in the meantime find another doc urgently before you are due to take the progesterone again - either one in the same practice or a referral to a meno-clinic (although it will probs take longer than 2 weeks  to get an appt depending on where you are in UK?).

This time if the doc is not a meno speclialist you will need to tell them what you want to try - or at least get them to refer you urgently if they won't/can't help.

You could e-mail Dr Currie through the facility on the home page of this site if you wanted professional backing from a gynaecologist - it only costs £15, but anyway I would recommend what I have said already below - separate oestrogen and progesterone.

Good luck!

Hurdity x

[Joyce]

 

I'm not much use as only on oestrogen. But others will get back to you soon.

[julieb]

thank you!
I think I will get  referral and do that
keep you posted Julie

[julieb]

also, if I take the oestrogen ones until I get sorted, is the pros essential - why do I need it? Can use a cream? I have learnt more off this site than my doc ever explained. I am now on a bleed so I have 2 more patches left before I go back to the oestrogen ones.