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[jaydee]

Evening All

Just wondered how many of you ladies are aged 60 or older and still on HRT?   I'm nearing 60 and the GPs in our practice are already making noises about me coming off it.  The  mere thought of it terrifys me, as I'm one of the lucky/unlucky ones who will have to work full-time until I'm 66.   Please get back to me so I can be armed with info when I go to my next check-up.

Many thanks
Jaydee

[Taz2]

I will be 60 in February jaydee and I feel exactly as you do! I have tried to come off a couple of times in readiness for having to come off at 60 but after a few months the symptoms have always been so difficult to cope with that I have restarted. Actually, my GP will allow me to continue but has made sure that I know she is worried about the outcome. Interestingly enough the menopause clinic was adamant that I should come off by the age of 60 and began reducing my dose a eighteen months ago but I couldn't get on with that and went back to full patches.

At the moment I have been without HRT for two weeks as my patch fell off and I hadn't renewed my prescription. I am just beginning to have hot flushes again and feeling uncomfortable bladder wise. On the plus side I have lost 5lbs without doing anything different.

Have the reasons for wanting you to come off HRT at 60 been explained to you and what type of HRT are you on at the moment?

Taz x

[jaydee]

Hi Taz,
I'm on Femoson 2/10 at the moment.   I did try Femoston 1/10, but felt really lethargic and run down while I was on it.  I persevered for a year, but gave in and went back to the higher dose.  I immediately felt much better.   

Jaydee

[Taz2]

If you do have problems with your GP wanting you to come off then patches may be the way forward. They are less likely to give blood clotting and stroke problems in over 60's than the pills apparently.

The many problem seems to be that not much research has been carried out so far on women over 60 taking HRT. We can be guinea pigs!

Taz x

[Trey]

I'm over seventy and been on estrogen only since 41.

[skkb]

63 and still on low dose hrt.........now 10+ years. Doc seems quite gappy for me to continue, hope he doesn't change his mind !!

[Evenstar]

How long is it recommended that someone should stay on it ?  Is it length of time or age that is a cut off?

[Taz2]

It used to be thought that five years should be the recommended time but as long as you are in good overall health re weight and blood pressure then sixty seems to have become the age where you are advised to come off. When I started it at age 54 it seemed fine to come off at 60 as I would have been about to retire but now I have to work to 65 it is much more of a worry as to how I will deal with work and horrible symptoms.

Taz x

[Rosebush]

Jay I started HRT at 60, after over 10yrs of hot sweats, had to give up my job due to lack of sleep, just kept saying surely they will stop soon, but didn't happen, tried various tabs, no change then tried patches, stayed with Femseven Conti 50, they have stopped day sweats, except on very humid days i get 2 or 3, also nights one's less intense but not stopped    like Taz I have stopped the patches twice, sweats came back slowly after just a few days, and by week 3 were horrible so went back on patch again, then a few months later tried cutting off a 1/4 each every 2 weeks, sweats started every 90mins, but at 1/2 patch (again end wk3) sweats returned every 40mins and again were horrible made me feel sick..so I hope my GP lets me stay on them, he is a new GP, and did mention last year my age, and was I aware that maybe I should start to try and come off HRT, told him I had tried and felt so poorly, so he agreed
to a new prescription, he mentioned a patch was better than a pill at my age, hope if its your choice you are allowed to stay with HRT..

[Melbury]

I didn't start using HRT until 58.  I have no intention of stopping as I have to take thyroxine every day and post menopause this can cause osteoporosis (which my mother suffered from) .  I only have two squirts of Oestrogel a day, so can't see any reason why they should want me to give it up - of course oestrogen helps protect your bones.

[Taz2]

Hi Melbury - I take it that you have had a hyster if you are using just oestrogel and no progesterone? It seems that oestrogel on it's own is ok until 65 it is the addition of progesterone which raises the risk of breast cancer in older women - well this is how I read it anyway! http://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/medicine/19898/spc

Taz x

[Cassie]

Unless of course you use an Progesterone eg, Utrogestan, & not a Progestogen.

[Taz2]

I'm not sure about that over the age of 60 - the meno clinic still said that I should come off it even with utrogestan    this was before I realised I couldn't take it because of the soya content.

Taz x