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[GypsyRoseLee]

Oh and wanted to add re: taking HRT after 60.

I saw my consultant on Tuesday and she spoke very confidently in terms of me still taking HRT 'as you go into your 60s' almost as though it was a fait accompli. I am only 44 now, and she just took it for granted that if HRT agrees with me that I would still be taking it in 20+ year's time with no issues.

So it's ridiculous when I read on here how GPs tell poor women that they can only take HRT for a maximum of 2 years and must come off it as soon as they are past 55 

[TropicalVon69]

How are you doing gypsy rose, sorry to hijack thread just have evorel sequi patches and not had the courage to start them yet and have been watching your posts for feedback....I think you have a different patch but keen to see if they are helping....how did you get on when first starting?.... Sorry for the questions but worried abut starting as can't take feeling any worse to be honest....period time and been feeling horrendous......hope you are good x

[GypsyRoseLee]

Hi Tropical. I don't mind you asking me at all. I have Estradot 25mg patch and separate Utrogestan 200mg on days 15-26.

I have just finished my 5th week on HRT. It is still very up and down.

The first week was very up and down, and the insomnia was bad. Then it seemed to settle and I felt okay for about a week. Sleep was really good. But then my withdrawl bleed started (I started my HRT mid cycle, so had my first withdrawl bleed only 2 weeks in) and on the day is started my mood seriously dipped. I felt dreadful. Insomnia came back a few times. But after 6 days suddenly my mood improved to the point where I felt almost 'stoned' I felt that relaxed and buoyant. I then enjoyed 2 weeks of feeling really good. Sleep was really good too.

I 'thought' HRT had cured me  But then on Tuesday evening my mood started to really dip again. I barely slept that night and kept waking with horrible adrenaline surges. Felt very low and quite anxious all day Wednesday. Back to square one really 

But my consultant has very recently said she thinks my 25mg patch is too low and she wants me to increase to 50mg. So, I felt that desperate on Wednesday that I stuck an extra patch on at lunchtime. By tea time I started to feel a bit better and at bed time I felt sleepy and slept okay.

I woke up this morning feeling quite a bit better, but I wouldn't say I feel 'good'. Certainly not like I felt during those 'good' two weeks. I feel a bit on edge today, and a bit irritable. But on the advice of my consultant I stopped taking my Utrogestan after only 4 days this time because I want to avoid another nasty mood dip when my withdrawl bleed comes, because it will happen when we go on holiday.

So right now, I am wearing 2 x 25mg patches, and I really shouted at my daughter earlier over a spilt bottle of shampoo. I can't remember the last time I shouted or felt irate, so maybe the extra oestrogen is doing something? But at least my mood isn't horribly low. I feel quite 'up'.

I am seeing my GP next week to ask for 50mg patches. And I hope that within the next couple of months I will stop having these ups and downs and will feel stable and generally 'good'.

Hope that helps? Probably very boring, I know. But I do keep a mood diary which is invaluable in seeing patterns emerge and seeing if you're improving or not.

[TropicalVon69]

Thanks Gypsyrose for sharing your experience.....still not sure whether to start or not lol.....I have had acupuncture the last couple of weeks which I feel has helped and have a session today....may wait til after to stick patch on....lol I just seem to be procrastinating out of fear of not feeling better or feeling worse.....The depression this week has been horrible though not as bad as last month and just scared as I'm sure you were before trying hrt.....hope you continue to get better and flourish on hrt xxx

[GypsyRoseLee]

It's worth just giving it a go for 3 months. It is very likely to help and unlikely to make you feel any worse. Oestrogen is the 'feel good' hormone. And even if you don't react as well to the progesterone at least you should feel better whilst taking the oestrogens. And if you've had a couple of good weeks then you will feel better to tolerate a bit of downtime on the progesterone. But actually a lot of women are fine on the progesterone too. I was!

[TropicalVon69]

Thanks gypsyrose....I am going to give them a try....can I just ask your advice....I have evorel 50....do you think I should half them to see if OK?....I am still in peri....thanks :-)

[GypsyRoseLee]

I'm afraid I'm not one of the very knowledgeable women on here about dosage so I would be reluctant to suggest anything.

I do think that 50mg is a very standard/average dose so you should be absolutely fine to give it a try. Let me know how you get on.

I'm 5 weeks in on HRT and apart from a lovely 2 week stretch of feeling happy and ebullient my mood has still been ridiculously up and down.

Before I took HRT I used to get a couple of weeks of feeling good anyway. The rest very up and down. So right now I don't feel HRT is making any difference as yet.

But I am prepared to stick it out for another 8-10 weeks to see if it has worked at all.