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[SueRoe]

I stopped my HRT (Evorel 50 and conti Utrogestan) on 1st April. My system had been feeling overwhelmed and completely out of control - wild mood swings, big anxiety, itchiness, erratic sleep, exhaustion, sore joints, low blood sugar-type crashes - things were becoming unbearable and because I didn't know what else to do I stopped the HRT. I felt calmer within a couple of days then my energy levels improved and the itching has stopped. I haven't woken up with that feeling of dread since, and my knees don't hurt as much. Maybe it's temporary. Maybe I just don't need the "topping-up" benefits of HRT anymore (I'm 53). Maybe it's got a psychological element - relief that I've done something definite? relief not to be medicated? I don't know but I hope it lasts. I know we're all different and my experience can't necessarily be applied to others but if you're feeling dreadful/desperate and you're on HRT it might be worth thinking about lowering the dose or stopping altogether if that's appropriate for you medically. 

[rosebud57]

That's good Freda.  I'm a great believer in 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'.  Sounds like you are not 'broke' and your body is putting itself back in balance.

There is no point taking meds if you don't need them.

[Dancinggirl]

Freda - HRT doesn't suit everyone and the benefits do have to outweigh any side effects. You may be very sensitive to progesterone and for you it's just not worth putting up with these side effects. Concentrating on lifestyle and diet can be good - you may well find you are OK. Perhaps just try a good all round vitamin supplement and go on good brisk walks to help lift the mood.
Good luck  Dg x

[SueRoe]

I don't think the progesterone was the problem - I felt better with it than without. I suspect that after a year on HRT I just don't need it anymore. It's long been an issue that the only way to tell whether you still need HRT is to come off it and see what happens! I'd felt rotten for a few months and I want to tell those other ladies who are overwhelmed by feelings they can't control (anxiety, low mood, feelings of dread, etc) about my experience of stopping HRT in case it might help them too. I hope so.

[karin]

I feel tons better after stopping HRT 6 months ago, it obviously didn't suit me. Glad you feel better too!! 😄

[Taz2]

That's good news Freda. I've tried twice to do without it but, at the age of 61, I think I will always need it in order to function.

Did you have any vaginal symptoms before going onto HRT? I wondered whether these have resolved as well.

Taz x

[Cazikins]

That's brilliant news Freda, it sounds like HRT didn't agree with you - long may it last.

I stopped HRT last Oct/Nov & have suffered every day since.
Hot flushes being the main symptom, closely followed by tiredness/aching limbs & a weight increase of 1 stone 
Hopefully things will get better for me in a few more months time.

[SueRoe]

Taz2 - no vaginal symptoms, thankfully.
Cazikins - oh dear, 6 months is a long time to put up with all of that. Why did you stop HRT? I think HRT did agree with me for a while but I'd put up with years of feeling awful before trying it (I was put on ADs instead) so maybe I was at the end of the time when I needed the support of HRT anyway. I hope you are too. An awful lot of women are losing an awful lot of normal life because of all this aren't they?

[Cazikins]

Hi Freda - I stopped because I couldn't find a continuous/combined HRT that suited me - they all gave me a bleed 3 out of 4 weeks, & I stuck with this for 10 months. Doc wanted me to come off to see what happened - hey presto the bleeds stopped.
The flushes haven't been quite so bad for the last 2 days which is such a relief but I am now 1 stone & 4lbs heavier then I was in October last year.
Hope you are doing ok.

[Libralady]

Hi Freda, I also stopped my HRT last week and like you feel relief and so far, although only a few days I feel as though I am getting back to normal but terrified all the menopausal problems will come back.
I have been on combined patches, oestrogen patch plus utrogestan and latterly livial. With the first 2 combinations I bled an awful lot. Livial were great no bleeding and no menopausal symptoms but awful side effects that I could not live with so I stopped. Going to see GP next week to discuss. I am 54 by the way.

[Cazikins]

When I stopped HRT I felt great for about 4 - 6 weeks then the hot flushes started up, then the aches & pains etc.
I do hope it all goes well for you Libralady, let us know how you get on.

[SueRoe]

I too have gained weight Cazikins which I'm having trouble shifting - frustrating after a lifetime of being a skinny little thing. On the plus side I've got boobs for the first time ever! But overall feel so much better (energy, mood, skin, hair) that I'm just feeling relieved and lucky. The only menopause-type issue that's a problem is sore knees but this could just as easily be an old problem recurring and nothing to do with my hormones. Fingers crossed Libralady that all your symptoms don't come back. I think for a lot of us it's the sheer range and quantity of problems that's overwhelming - the reappearance of just a couple of your symptoms might be easier to cope with, I suspect. Hopefully you'll stay well. Good luck.

[babyjane]

Hi, I don't know if I am relevant to this thread as I do not use HRT.  The GP tried me with a few types about 10 years ago but I didn't really want it back then and it made me feel wretched.  I just don't thing the GP knew what to do with me.

Since then I have not used anything other than Vagifem, which keeps me comfortable and has taken away all the cystitis and thrush I used to get.

I don't feel 100% good, but then I am nearly 60, no longer young although not old.  The menopause symptoms I did hav - insomnia, night sweats, flushes - have become milder in the last year but I have developed the anxiety which I have learned a lot about from this forum.

I guess what I am trying to say is to agree with these ladies that HRT is not a cure all for everyone.  If it works and suits you then it is good but if you aren't taking it any more and that is right for you then good luck with it.

[Hurdity]

Hi Freda - I stopped because I couldn't find a continuous/combined HRT that suited me - they all gave me a bleed 3 out of 4 weeks, & I stuck with this for 10 months. Doc wanted me to come off to see what happened - hey presto the bleeds stopped.
The flushes haven't been quite so bad for the last 2 days which is such a relief but I am now 1 stone & 4lbs heavier then I was in October last year.

Just a quick comment Cazikins to ask have you thought of or tried being on a cycle rather than continuous combined HRT? If you were having that much bleeding it means surely either that there was something amiss ( eg fibroids or polyps - did you get checked out for these?) or that the HRT wasn't the right type or at the right dose for you.

It does seem miserable to have to suffer every day when help could be at hand!

Hurdity x

[Cazikins]

Hi Hurdity,
Yes I do have a 3 - 4cm fibroid but no offer of having it removed. In fact it has shrunk a bit in the last year.
I tried Femoston & Kliofem & like I say I bled 3 out of 4 weeks. I was just so fed up with it all in the end.
As I am now 57 I don't think being on a cycle HRT would be an option as I'm sure my doctor wouldn't support me in having HRT for life - to be honest the thought of going through all this withdrawal symptoms etc when I'm older fills me with dread. It has to end some time surely.
Many thanks for replying
Cazikins xx