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[Debe]

Hi everyone!

After 2 months of Elleste Duet, after 8 years of NO PERIODS, and having just now had 2 periods from Hell, I am now taking the Femoston conti low dose Estradiol 0.5mg, Dydrogesterone 2.5mg, and already I feel like crap, all my joints are aching and I am feeling depressed. Dr said I had to try the low dose first. I've been on them for just over a week and today I am going to take another dose (after 12 hours of the first) to see how that feels. I was starting to feel a little better on the Elleste Duet, but cannot bear to have these awful painful periods. I was starting to get some energy back and my aches and cramps and tinglings had disappeared. Is it because the low estrogen dose or the higher progesterone, does anyone have any ideas. Should I ask the Dr for the higher dose or put up with it for a bit longer. I don't feel I have the time to waste anymore time feeling like crap and not being able to get on with the things I want to do. Its also making my ankles swell.

Thanks girls.

[dazned]

Hi what dose of estelle duet were you on ? If it was 1mg you should have femoston conti 1/5 ,don't really understand why the Dr said to start on that low a dose 
I don't think Estelle duet dosage is that low so if you suddenly dropped estrogen levels think that is probably why the original symptoms are creeping back in.

[Debe]

Thanks for the reply dazned,

I was on ELLESTE DUET 1mg Estradiol 1mg (Norethisterone 1mg for 12 days/28). Well you know the dr is not a fan of HRT and she is very young, thought she is very nice and she did say I could have any HRT I wanted but to try to low dose one first. 

My concern is, with the Femoston conti low dose Estradiol 0.5mg, Dydrogesterone 2.5mg, the progesterone is taken daily, would that have an adverse effect on my mood? And if I get the 1/5 that's even more progesterone?  There is so much to HRT!

[dazned]

Femoston conti has a much kinder progesterone than Estelle duet,most ladies do very well with it because of this. As I said I think it's because your body has been used to getting the 1mg estrogen that things have taken a backward step. Maybe go back to Dr and explain what you are experiencing and tell her you want to have the same amount of estrogen that you were having. Northisterone is a very strong progesterone ,dydrogesteron is very much user friendly and kinder to your system.

[Debe]

Ok, thankyou dazned, that explains why the progesterone in Femoston appears to be a higher dose then the one in Elleste. I did take another pill about 1 1/2 hours ago. I was feeling quite depressed earlier and very tearful but it seems to have eased off a bit. Could it be the extra estrogen has kicked in and helped already. I hope so. I will go back to the drs and ask for the higher dose.

Fingers crossed.

I could really do with some medical marijuana! Now that would help.

[Debe]

2 hours since taking the extra tablet, and I feel like I've had a valium. That is no coincidence.

[Hurdity]

Hi Debe

Cointinuous progestogens can adversely affect some women. I realise you are well post-menopause and I agree with the others - why reduce the dose to ultra low when you were on 1 mg?  I would try the Femoston conti 1 mg for a couple of months and see how you feel. If the continuous progestogen does not suit you then the only option is to go back to a cycle and hope the bleeds are less heavy than with the Elleste. It may just have been also because you were starting HRT for the first time that your periods were heavy - maybe your lining was a bit thicker than it should have been before you started and the progestogen helped to shed it. It may well have settled after another couple of months.

Anyway see how you go - the final alternative is a Mirena coil which should allow less absorption into the body so have fewer side effects, allowing you to use any oestrogen you like, safely - including patches or gel if you preferred.

By the way you didn't say how old you are?

Hurdity x

[Debe]

Hi Hurdity,

The Dr, insisted I try the lower dose first and she's lovely and very young and she specialised in gyni she told me she's not a fan of HRT but I guarantee she will try it when she goes through what we're all going through.

Period is still not quite finished - that's a full week and it's now really dark gunky and 'orrible.

I'm 55. I started having night sweats in my early 30's. I had painful periods every 22 days my (male) Dr (who is lovely) knew this but put my symptoms down to stress as I was very stressed at the time due to exams etc. I used to get the most horrendous PMT. It just feels that I've lost so much time feeling miserable. I have spent so much time crying since my late 20's. I just thought I was a very emotional person. But now it all stacks up. My periods stopped at 48. I was just glad to be pain free! Then the atrophy started and I thought it was thrush initially. I thought it was from working in an air conditioned building that was usually too hot for me!  When sex became uncomfortable and my orgasm became elusive, I sought help (this is last January now) at a sexual health clinic. I do have a partner and he thought I'd gone off sex, Well I had, but you know, he thought it was him. Anyway, I realise now I have so many symptoms, I just put down to old age! Particularly the arthritis and the extreme tiredness. I could go on and on. I just got so much I want to do but no energy or motivation to do it.

I am a bit concerned about the continuous progesterone, not sure what ill effect to expect should I get any.

Anyway, thanks for 'listening',

Debe x

[dazned]

Try not to prempt what you might get ,you could well be fine,many,many are 

Are you using a local estrogen cream to help with the vaginal atrophy ? You don't have to suffer unnecessarily,if your Dr isn't clued up or worse thinks she is ask to be refered to a menopause clinic if you have one near or a gynecologist. Alternatively pay a small fee for a consultation with Dr Currie on here.

[Debe]

Yes, fingers crossed, dazned!

I am using Replense until the "estrogen from the HRT works", but it has been a bit better with Replense but now the period has dried it out again with the tampons. And not using it with the period as too yukky and would only be absorbed by the tampons I thought.  From what I've read, I could do with the estrogen cream on top of the HRT!  So, I'll ask for that too! Unfortunately,they are not that clued up. I suppose they are all overloaded.

[peegeetip]

Hi Debe

after 8 years of no periods you should have been put on Elleste Duet "CONTI".

You were put on Sequi option which gives periods.

The 1mg on the Elleste Duet is on available in the Sequi version.
The Elleste Duet Conti is only available in medium 2mg dose.

So in effect if this young doc gave you this then she is "VERY" wrong to have done so.

You have been badly let down.

The conti option your now on is very low and now not able to bridge the gap to the Elleste you had grown used to in 2 months use.

The doc is wrong to force you to use ultra low dose as this is usual for ladies that are older coming to HRT late (unless your over 60 that is, but as they gave you higher dose already then I'd say not).

The trouble is that the doc is already anti HRT so seems to be blurring the rules.

I think sequi was given to me to try and put me off tbh.

As mentioned above the 1/5 femoston option would be the one to move to on conti to bridge the gap.
If you symptoms are not being kept at bay then the ultra low dose is not for you.

Hope you get another doc who actually listens and understands your needs asap.

If you want to check if the higher dose is correct then simple take 2 of the 0.5mg/2.5mg tablets per day.
This will immediately tell you if the higher dose would give you relief.
You can also take one in the morning and one in the evening.
This would be no danger to you as its only adding up to the "low" 1mg/5mg per day dose.

[dazned]

You probably will benefit from the estrogen cream as main hrt will not address the VA on its own you need both ,so try and get your assertive head on when you see your gp 

[Morwenna]

I'm the same age and stage of menopause as you Debe and moved on to Femoston Conti 1/5 from Sequi 2/10 earlier this year. The drop in oestrogen has triggered the odd hot flush and the return of night sweats (to say nothing of a sex drive nosedive!) but I'm struggling on as the continuous Dydrogesterone reallly suits me and there is no higher dose version of Femoston Conti. The 0.5/2.5 version would definitely be too low for me - peegeetip is right in everything she says but one thing I will add to that is you almost certainly need topical vaginal oestrogen in addition to the oral HRT to keep your VA symptoms at bay. I use one Vagifem pessary every three nights and coconut oil for lubrication - without it I suffer almost continuous bladder symptoms and internal burning.

[peegeetip]

Hi Morwenna

same logic would apply to you.

If you took 1mg/5mg in the morning and then same again in the evening then you'd be back to the 2mg estrogen.

Each tablet in itself has the correct amount of prog to oppose estrogen for Conti result.

Its just your taking 1 tablet ever 12hrs instead of 24hrs.

The only option on the Dydrogesterone a few years back was 10mg which could have been used in conjunction with a 2mg estrogen tablet like Elleste Solo.
The issue with that is its discontinued (due to lack of use) and the option I've stated using the 1mg/5mg morning then evening spreads out our estrogen during the full 24hrs. Avoiding a spike in the morning

There would be no issue with doing this other than getting a doc to double the prescription so you dont run out.

Hope that helps you too.

 

[Morwenna]

peegeetip, I've considered this idea certainly - it would mean paying for two prescriptions but then I was doing that when I was on Femoston sequi. I'm keen to persevere at the moment as some ladies on here say they've stabilised on a lower dose eventually but it's something to keep in mind for the future if my mild symptoms don't improve.