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[GypsyRoseLee]

Have noticed this month that 5 days after stopping Utro I suddenly went very downhill moodwise and felt anxious and jittery again ( having felt great for the last 4 weeks). It only lasted 24 hours but was pretty unpleasant.

Just wondered if it was progesterone withdrawal? It would also have been day 4 of my bleed and I'm sure I've read that your oestrogen is at its lowest in about day 3/4 of your period?

Could there be a connection there? And anyone else get that nasty slump in mood and anxiety during their bleed?

[Hurdity]

Hi GypsyRoseLee - while you are still peri-menopausal it's difficult to say which hormonal changes are responsible for your symptoms. The mood dip during the menstrual cycle ( just before and in the early stages of the bleed) is usually a result of oestrogen being at its lowest then as you said. The progesterone withdrawal will give rise to typical pmt symptoms for a few days until the body is rid of it and stabilises without it - these can be extreme fatigue, headache, irritability, thick head, and other changes as the body's physiology re-adjusts.

When I had periods I felt like this and then like magic some days into the bleed, all the tension and irritability would melt away and I would feel normal and alive again  - this was undoubtedly due to oestrogen rising - - the change was so marked though and became more so as I became peri-menopausal.

Hurdity x

[GypsyRoseLee]

Thanks Hurdity.

I wasn't sure if it prog withdrawal because it doesn't happen until a good 4-5 days after stopping it. But I suppose it takes a few days to completely clear my system?

I was the same as you. As I started into peri menopause my PMS got so much worse and lasting several days into my period. Then my mood would rise and rise until when I ovulated I would feel almost euphoric.

This has still benn happening while on HRT I think. Some days I feel almost too good and a bit out of control with it. Really odd.

[Briony]

After a few months of HRT I definitely developed progesterone withdrawal - bit ironic given that I thought I'd react to actually taking it, not stopping taking it. I think it was worse cos my own hormones were still there mucking around in the background. Qlaira has helped as there are more days with the combined drugs, but ideally, I'd like to take both every day. Do you notice the withdrawal affects your hair and nails too?

[dogdoc]

Gypsy...I 100% have progesterone withdrawal symptoms. Still peri like you. Tried various doses of estrogen with progesterone via different delivery routes, and without a doubt when I take progesterone  I lose my marbles about 4-5 days after stopping ( weeping, headaches, irritability, anxiety ..the works). Estrogen should be at the lowest at the start of the bleed...so I should be increasing in my estrogen at the time I lose my mind...so figure it's gotta be the progesterone.

 I'm off all hormones right now for the last 2 months and the post progesterone weeping is gone.

My symptoms have improved markedly from last year although I still get them all...just less intense. I'm hoping this means I"m on the downward slope of this journey. I've decided for now that I'm going to avoid hormones as long as I"m still getting periods ( some estrogen going on in there)...and when they start to space themselves out ( like skipping periods) I'll add in estrogen and some form of progesterone. However...if I go nuts every time I come off progesterone I am not completely against having the whole kit removed Then I'd just need to deal with the estrogen ( and testosterone possibly .

Tara

[GypsyRoseLee]

Well I had awful insomnia on Sunday night which I put down to prog withdrawal. Slept okay Monday night (probably as I was so knackered) but then had awful.insomnia again last night. Feel like the walking dead this morning.

Not sure if this is still prog withdrawal as it's been 7 days now since I stopped taking prog. How long can this go on for?

[GypsyRoseLee]

Hi Briony

Like you I assumed prog would be a problem for me but actually I'm fine while on it, though I do find it harder to wake up in the mornings after about day 7 on it.

And like you my hormones are still jigging around in the background so they're hard to control. I sometimes feel like I'm trying to wrestle with smoke in trying to deal with my hormones.

I have just had 4 weeks of feeling great so I shouldn't complain. But this insomnia is a killer, though at least I don't have the awful anxietydreads as well.

I am still so tempted to try the Pill to see if that would be better for me?

[GypsyRoseLee]

Hi dogdoc, we really seem to suffer in the same way with peri don't we?

That's reassuring that your prog withdrawal symptoms also kicked in 4-5 days later. But I don't know what to do to best control them. I still have my own hormones going on so I suspect it's always going to be a bit of a rollercoaster for me. But the unpredictability is a killer.

I would love to just not take anything like you but I am too scared to as the anxiety and low mood is just so awful at times. I have just had 4 weeks of feeling so great again, it was amazing. But I don't know if that was because of HRT or not? Because just back before I started HRT I also enjoyed a 4 week stint of feeling perfectly normal too.

[Briony]

It's hard to advise you as every body is different - but looking back at my diary, I am definitely better overall on the pill than anything else. It hasn't been easy as even in month three, my hair was still dropping out, I was tearful and I had random fatigue. However, by month six, I felt soooo much more normal. Yes, I have the odd blip, but actually, who doesn't?
I do think, if I wasn't such a high risk, I'd ask for a higher dose pill so it would be more controlling - but having migraines with aura, plus a history of strokes at a young age in my family, I know the doc would be unlikely to agree.

If you are still considering the pill, it's worth researching a bit first so you're aware of potential side effects from the various progesterones. There's a lot of pressure on GPs to prescribe the cheapest, regardless of s/e, hence the reason so few mention Qlaira ! (On the plus side, Qlaira's free to us as it's classed as a contraceptive rather than HRT, despite it having HRT type estrogen).

[GypsyRoseLee]

I am very seriously tempted to ask for the Pill Briony. I just think maybe my own hormones are still too strong for HRT to overide them properly. They just keep on breaking through and when they do they ruin my life. Honestly.

I was going to ask for Qlaria but I wonder if I would be better on a more conventional Pill, a stronger one, as I don't have any contraindications at all.

Did you just stop HRT and switch to Qlarua or did you phase out HRT? Also how quickly did you notice any improvement in Qlaria?

You are my Pill guru by the way...

[GypsyRoseLee]

To add, I am now 8 days post progesterone and 'should' be feeling good again on patch only. But I'm not. Feel flat and deslondant and very tired. And I can sense the anxiety nipping at my heels.

I think HRT is fighting my corner heroically but it's just quite strong enough?

[Briony]

How are you feeling today?

[Twinkle82]

Hello,

I know it’s been a long time since this thread but I found that after taking prometrium for the first time, I got awful withdrawal symptoms after about day 5 of finishing the 10 day course - bad tension headaches, bloating, intrusive thoughts (I have OCD). So it was like PMS on steroids. And I didn’t get a period! I had an early period about a week in to taking them so on day 23. Keen to hear other experiences and how long symptoms lasted as mine still going almost 10 days after they started! Mainly mood issues.

[Tribbins]

I also felt mentally horrible after stopping Cyclogest, very irritable and also had a resurgence of intrusive thoughts. I certainly didn't feel great whilst taking it, so expected the negative feelings to stop after a few days. It just felt like progesterone undid any of the positives of oestrogen and that feeling didn't improve after I stopped progesterone, hence I'm currently cutting down the Evorel patch until I'm off it completely.

[Twinkle82]

Thanks for the reply, Tribbins - how long did it take you to start feeling better from the psychological symptoms after withdrawal from the prog?