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[Kathleen]

Hello ladies can I pick your brains please?

I am 58 and haven't had a period for four and a half years. For the past three months I have been using 50 mcg patches and Utrogestan orally. Initially I thought I was improving but the last three weeks I have been feeling worse and worse and today has been terrible. I feel anxious and flushy and the last few days I have been feeling nauseous  as well. I've laid on the bed this afternoon and generally feel low, to top it off I've just had diarrhoea.

Do any of you ladies have any ideas? I will try my GP but he readily admits that menopausal problems are beyond him. I am wondering if the 50 mcg patch is too strong for me and causing the digestive upset but the flushing has come back as well. Also could it be a reaction to taking Utrogestan orally, I had used it vaginally in the past but I was getting a pink discharge that worried me. 

My husband is fed up with my complaining but I feel so ill and I would love some guidance from you lovely ladies.

Thanks for reading this and sending hugs to those in need.

K.

[honeybun]

Could you possibly have a bit of a bug. My sis has just had what you are describing and she is well past meno.

Sorry I can't think of anything else.

If you are not reacting well to urtogestan orally would you just consider a combined patch.

I do very well on Evorel Conti. I don't have any side effects at all....in fact I'm only on half a patch now as I'm cutting down with the intention of stopping completely.


Honeybun
X

[dazned]

Can't help you with your type of Hrt ,no experience with that one sorry.
But I can offer support and sympathy to you as my hrt has recently been changed after 4 years and feeling rough so know how you are feeling.

 

Someone I'm sure will soon offer you some good advice on way forward . X

[Limpy]

Sorry Kathleen - don't know enough to help.
Could it be a bug / virus?
Is there any other way of taking Utrogestan, could it be used via a gel or patch?
Hope things improve. 

[Dancinggirl]

I've had a virus recently that gave me these symptoms it seemed to come and go over 3 weeks.  We often blame HRT but it can often be other things. Viruses can often make us feel flushed and nauseas. DG x

[Night_Owl]

It could be that you are suffering with the cumulative effect of Utro.   Are you on conti Utro?  For some, it does seem to build up in the system and create bad side effects.  Could you try v-route again, just to see if you find some relief?

Utro always gives me digestive upset.  I can't stand the stuff and only take it once every six weeks v-route as I'm highly progesterone intolerant.  It made me feel very ill when I took it oral.

My GP said the same to me (in 2008) - that my symptoms were beyond her remit and referred me to a meno clinic.  Could you ask for a referral?

I hope you find some relief.  It's rotten feeling so ill all the time, you have my sympathies.


Night_Owl
x

[Kathleen]

Hello ladies.

Thank you so much for your replies.

Dnacinggirl - I did wonder if I have some sort of virus and maybe that combined with meno has made me feel terrible.

Honeybun -  I will ask my GP for the combined patch as this is something I haven't tried and may suit me better.

Night Owl - I am taking Utrogestan for 25 days a month and there is never a bleed when I have a break from day 25 to 29. I did wonder if that was causing a problem.  Can I ask you how your progesterone intolerance was identified and what were your symptoms? I will ask to be referred to a meno clinic as I can't go on feeling like this, life just isn't worth living.


Thanks once again ladies for your help and support, I don't know how I'd cope without you all.

Wishing everyone well.

K.


 

[Night_Owl]

Hi Kathleen

Regarding progesterone intolerance, in the early days I was on sequi tablet HRT - Evorel first and then and others, can't remember now - immediately when I took it, on the combined section I felt beyond hideous - PMT x 100 - could hardly get out of bed, crying, mood swings, snappy, more panic than normal, irrational thoughts, character change, unreasonably picking arguments with OH, brain fog, feelings of depression/worthlessness/hopelessness, morbidity, migraines, suicidal thoughts - when I stopped, I felt much better.  Not great by any means but I could tell the extreme difference, it was like poison.

The meno clinic then tried me on Utrogestan sequi - initially I was 'sort of' okay on it, then after about 3 months as I recall (long time ago now), it became unbearable with worsening of the above symptoms each time I took it.

Then I tried Cyclogest for some time - ditto and migraines worse.  Then I tried Crinone gel - same.

Then back to Utrogestan - v-route, only 100mg x 12 nights - but the only way I can just about cope with using it is every six weeks, a long gap inbetween to clear it out of my system.  I'm only on half 25 Estraderm patch though.  I can't risk the coil as if I react badly I couldn't just take it out.  Hyster is the other option offered so I could take estrogen only but it's too drastic.  I would dearly love to come off HRT altogether so I never have to take prog again.

When I stop taking progesterone, it's like a demon leaving my body - it's that dramatic!  I would not be able to exist if I took Utrogestan every day!  However others are fine on it.  We are all so different.

The clinic advised that as I always had such bad periods/pain and PMT/depression/mood swings, I was probably intolerant to my OWN progesterone, so to introduce any other prog into the body was always going to be a problem for my particular biochemistry.

If you type in "progesterone intolerance" in the top right hand box, there are many threads about it.  Apparently there is a 'cumulative effect'.  I'm not sure of the length of time it can  be stored in the body.  Hurdity would know.

Here's one such thread:

http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,24537.msg374003.html#msg374003

You may feel better on long cycle use of Utro. 

If you try the combined patch and still feel awful, then it may start looking like conti prog doesn't suit you.

Good luck with the referral - or combined patch, Kathleen, I hope you find a tolerable regime.  I know how rotten it can be when you so desperately want to feel better, be gentle and kind to yourself.


Night_Owl
x

[Night_Owl]

ps - K, here's a scientific paper by Nick Panay and John Studd - if you want to find out a bit more about prog intolerance from the specialists

Progestogen intolerance and compliance with
hormone replacement therapy in menopausal
women:

http://humupd.oxfordjournals.org/content/3/2/159.full.pdf

It is rather heavy going and technical - however found I could skim read it and pick out certain relevant parts.


Night_Owl
x

[Moomcat]

I am so thankful that I've come across this thread!!

I was diagnosed with peri-menopause last month at the age of 43 and prescribed Evorel Sequi. I was reticent to try HRT as I never got on with the pill but after weighing things up and because of my age I'm giving it a go.

I got on fine with the evorel, hot flushes stopped and I felt fine. I started with the Conti part of the sequence and everything seems to have turned to crap.

I feel awful, I had a headache the day after changing, I'm nauseated, my anxiety levels are through the roof, I'm irritable, tearful, angry, I feel worthless, paranoid that everyone hates me, I feel really pre-menstrual, I just want to sleep and not wake up, snappy, irrational thoughts, really low mood, I'm depressed, I can't think or engage with anything, I can't be bothered with anything. I'm all over the place and I'm SO angry (did I mention that?). I'd stomp off on a big long walk if I could motivate myself!! I just want to crumble and my university work is suffering because I can't be bothered with it and I feel like I don't care.

I can't cope with feeling like this every month. I'm ok with the oestrogen but this is just horrendous. It's such a change and i can't handle it.

[Dancinggirl]

Moomcat - you may find that Femoston could be better for you as the progesterone is kinder and less synthetic that in Evorel.  You could try Utrogestan as well but many GPs don't know about this one so you often have to print off stuff from this site to show them. I'd give Femoston a try first if I were you.  DG x

[Limpy]

Moomcat - It may be that you get used to the progesterone phase in time.
The progesterone in Evorel is the same as that used in the Loestrin 20 COCP. It took me several months before I settled down on that when I swapped from Microgynon.  I got really ratty and snappy, especially with OH, he didn't know what he'd done. And that was before meno hit   

[Moomcat]

Thank you Dancinggirl and Limpy.

Thank you for replying to my rant, I wasn't feeling too good yesterday but I'm slightly better today.

I'll give the Evorel another cycle but if it's making me feel as bad as that then I'll be looking to change it. I know I should give it a fair crack at the whip but I've felt so awful since going onto the Conti stage I've gone off it!! Along with all the mood changes my boobs are really sore too.

I've always been really sensitive with hormones and as I've suffered depression in the past I'm very wary of their effects.

I just want to feel 'normal' again (don't we all?!) and I don't have the time to feel crap and for it to affect everything.

I ended up taking myself off to bed yesterday afternoon because I was so fed up. A few tears a good sleep seem to have helped though...

[Millykin]

Moomcat
Glad your feeling a little better today, hopefully it will continue to improve each day.x

Kathleen you any better? X

[Kathleen]

Hello ladies, I have an update for you.

I've just returned from the GP and we've agreed to change my HRT to Evorel Conti 50 mcg patches so I'll be giving up Utrogestan. The plan is to give this new regime three months and then book another appointment. I will keep a record of any developments and promise to post anything of interest.

Night-Owl - Thank you so much for all your information, really appreciated.

Moomcat - I hope you can find the balance you ( and we ) are looking for.

Millykin - Thank you for asking. I am feeling better actually so hopefully that nasty phase has passed and won't return ?!

Once again thanks to all the ladies who responded, you are all such a comfort.

Wishing everyone well and take care.

K.