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[karin]

Hello
Ive been on hrt combined patches for 3 months but after much thought Im going to come off them for a while and reconsider. Can anyone suggest any other therapies/ meds that might in any way be helpful for when my flushes surely return!! Thank you there are so many products on the market

[libby1]

Hi Karin

I take sage capsules and it seems to help

Libby
x

[rosebud57]

There are so many products  you could try, but different things help different people.  Why not buy a book first, which will guide you in the right direction.  Here two:-

The New Natural Alternatives to HRT by Marilyn Glenville (I have this one) and

Natural Solutions to the Menopause, also by Marilyn Glenville

[Dandelion]

Why are you coming off HRT?

Mine doesn't work and I am going to the GP to get another sort.
I hate the flushes and the added anxiety and depression.

I tried menopace which worked for about a week
I tried magnesium which worked for a couple of weeks
I've had a ladycare magnet in my knickers contintually (barring shower) for a fortnight and it isnt working, yet, your'e supposed to give it three months so I will leave it where it is.
I've tried varoius supplements, but I think that nothing works as well as hrt.
That's just my view and I am  open to changing it if anyone comes along who has had long term success with alternatives to HRT.

[Dancinggirl]

Hi Karin
You don't say why you want to abandon the HRT patches? Are you getting side effects?  If so what side effects? Are you frightened of possible cancer risks?
I am not on HRT at the moment but after a year without full HRT I am really struggling with sleep and atrophy symptoms so really considering going back on HRT.  BTW I'm 58.

In the past I have spent a fortune on herbs and remedies with no success.  Some ladies who have very mild symptoms seem to do well with herbs etc.  I have seriously upped my intake of soya and other isoflavines (phytoestrogens) plus Red Clover supplements but I actually think my flushes etc. have been worse!!!!  I am trying melatonin to help with my constant waking in the night but that doesn't seem to help either.
I think if you can keep to a healthy diet, do plenty of power walking alongside plenty of rest, avoid stress, wear natural fibres in layers - these are the strategies that have kept me going through the last year.  Unfortunately my meno symptoms are becoming more bothersome  - the heat this summer was torture.
The only thing I haven't tried is acupuncture which I believe many women find helpful but you need to find a good practitioner.
Sadly HRT is really the only natural remedy for menopausal symptoms.
DGx

[CLKD]

If alternatives were helpful they would be on the NHS 

If you stop taking your HRT then you will see how much/not it has helped thus far.  Let us know!

[karin]

Thank you all. I have suddenly lost a considerable amount of hair and and am close to having uncover-able  bald patches, the oestrogen 2 weeks are lovely but the oestrogen/progesterone are not, I'm getting terrible pmt symptoms which i didn't have before, I've put on weight too. I think i want to take stock, i know i can go back if needs be.
I know the chemist options don't really touch the sides but was interested if some products may help even a little bit,?
 

[starfish]

Hi,

I know a lot of posters on this site haven't found it helpful but I do seem to be having good results with red clover - for most of this year. It definitely seems to do something as when I don't take it daily the flushes come back and they are quite frequent; when I go back on it they seem to fade in quantity and intensity over a few days and then pretty much stop. So - at least worth a try? I've had promensil and menopace's version of red clover and they both seem to have some effectiveness. I'm not against HRT at all by the way and if/when the phytoestrogen route stops working I am definitely prepared to try it.

Hope this is of interest. I've also recently got a free sample of the blackcurrant concentrate (curranz?)I saw in the MM advertising spots by the way - think this is still available to ask for. You get a 'hot ladies' form to fill in. They sounded good and won't do any harm. I'm all for trying things finances permitting!

Starfish X

[karin]

Thank you all xxx

[Dandelion]

Thank you all xxx

Why not try a different hrt.
IT sounds like you are having a reaction to th the progestin in your current hrt.
Lots of women cannot tolerate norehisterone, a synthetic progestin.
There is utrogestan, for some reason, i'm having some trouble with getting prescribed it, some doctors say they don't prescribe it in certain areas, but its cheap to buy anyway.
Try estradot and utrogestan as utrogestan is much more well tolerated by women.

[Rowan]

The title of this thread is "Ladies not on HRT"

There must be millions of women not on HRT and healthy and well, its a shame that some of them don't post on MM, a lot of women who are members I am sure would post  if they thought they would be taken seriously talking about how they were doing not using HRT, with whatever regime they had if any, without being told the perils in store if they don't embrace HRT.

Even worse being told what they use is a nonsense, just a placebo effect and HRT is the thing!

[rosebud57]

Well said silverlady.  Around 80% of women who start HRT abandon it within 1 year.  That speaks for itself. Not everyone wants to take HRT.  The menopause is not an illness and the over medication today is a serious worry. There are plenty of natural holistic methods, some of which women have used for 100's of years.   Early meno and hysterectomy are one thing.  Medicating all women for a natural stage of life is another.  What next the medication of puberty.

[Hurdity]

Even worse being told what they uses is a nonsense and just a placebo effect and HRT is the thing!

The main point about any alternative remedies - if women are casting around for something to use - is to have an objective measure of whether or not it works.

As I have explained before - no amount of personal testimonies will tell you whether a product is worth buying or not or has a track record for being helpful in treating menopausal symptoms.

The only way this is determined is through randomised placebo controlled trials - because  yes, the placebo effect is very powerful (not to deny this can be helpful), and also important is that you do not know whether the changes you experience as an individual would have happened anyway.

The whole of medicine is based on this. We take aspirin or paracetamol for headaches because trials have shown objectively that these drugs are effective.

I am sure the OP is interested to know what has been shown to be effective - otherwise anyone will just post - well try Black Cohosh, try this, try that etc, and end up spending a fortune on products whose safety has not been tested, or whose efficacy is in question, and just end up making money for the companies that produce them.

There are products I understand that may look promising and I think trials are being carried out through the recognised research channels.

As CLKD said earlier - sadly, if many of these products were effective they would be available on NHS.

However there are many self help methods I am sure which are helpful to women experiencing flushes and sweats.

Replacing deficient hormones is not administering medication especially with bio-identical hormones like I use!! Natural it may be, and although menopause itself is not an illness, oestrogen deficiency is associated with some serious health problems and when we may spend a third of our life and more in this state it is wise to consider the health implications.  Diabetes is also natural - but no-one thinks twice about replacing insulin.

karin - I sincerely wish you well but I would hate to think of you spending large amounts of money on products and alternative remedies to no avail!

Hurdity x

[Rowan]

The above post only emphasises what I have said!!!

We certainly won't be getting any posts from Ladies not on HRT now and doing well.

Not everyone develops Diabetes but every women who has ever lived and reached middle age goes through menopause.

A lot of women go through menopause with not to much problem, and there is an awful lot of women hale and hearty who live well into old age. It would be good to hear from them.

I do hope this has not put off women not on HRT posting. There should be room on MM for all women taking HRT, alternatives or nothing at all , and for any other experiences of menopause all valued.

Just a thought why has the NHS not declared that it is mandatory for every woman going through menopause to be prescribed HRT following the stated argument.   

[LizeeeH]

Hello ladies

I have aches, pains, mood swings, hot sweats at night....you name it I've got it! Ive resisted HRT instead I throw myself into work, mountain bike 15 miles every day and try to eat healthy although I do like a glass of red wine before dinner. I don't know if I will ever take HRT, my GP isn't really enthusiastic