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[tiredmum]

Well I finally saw a go after waiting 4weeks.although I asked about identical hrt she persuaded me to try Evorel Sequi although last time it gave me a panic attack.I did ask about 25mcg dose instead of 50 but she told me to cut the patches in half.I 've been given 2 months to try if it doesn't suit me she may refer me to a menopause clinic.Now a bit scared to try to put patch on after bad experience before.Ladies any words of wisdom?

[CLKD]

Ring the Surgery and ask for a message to be passed to the GP for a letter of referral to a Menopause Clinic.  Why won't GPs listen to patients 

Better now  …….. referrals cost the Practice money. 

[Hurdity]

Sorry to hear this tiredmum. You mean you tried Evorel sequi before and she has just re-prescribed exactly the same one? How long did you take them for before and are you at a different stage in your menopause journey? This could make a difference to how well you tolerate them.

Why not give them a try and see how you get on? The thing is if you cut it in half then you will have two weeks on oestrogen only and a very small dose so side effects should be minimal (and depending where you are in menopause). The combi patches will also be low dose but you will be able to tell if there is a change when you add in the progestogen.

However, if you tried them for 2-3 months before and always felt bad on the combi patches then she should not have prescribed them again!!

Yes I would ask for a referral to a meno clinic now if this service is available! After all you will have to wait a few months before your appt probably anyway.

Hurdity x

[Taz2]

Hi tiredmum - how long were you using Evorel before it gave you a panic attack? Could it be the worry of using the patch that brought on the panic rather than the patch itself?

Taz x

[Taz2]

Whoops - posted at the same time just about!

Taz x   

[tiredmum]

Thanks for the advice ladies.just to add I tried the same patches 6 months ago and only last ed 3 weeks before the panic attack and took the patch off.May try half a patch and see how it goes.GPS don't seem to be very interested in the Nice guidelines as she started off offering me antidepressants.I thought things were changing but it's not happening very quickly!

[Taz2]

It could be the progesterone part of the Evorel which upsets you tiredout. It's well known for causing pmt type symptoms and anxiety in some women although some get along with it really well. Also, the side effects can decrease over the first three months so it is worth persevering. You could swap to FemSeven which has a different progesterone or try Evorel 25 or 50 patches (oestrogen only) and add in a different progesterone such as utrogestan which might suit you better?

As for being offered anti depressants. They are usually prescribed in a smaller dose than those used for depression if you want to stop the hot flushes/sweats but don't have other meno symptoms which need addressing. I have two friends who are on AD's for their hot flushes and they have worked really well and another who is on a blood pressure lowering medication which has also stopped the sweats in their tracks. None of them wanted to go down the full HRT route for their own personal reasons.

Taz x