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[Vanessa1]

Hello everyone, my name's Vanessa, I'm from Liverpool and I'm 48 

Had peri-meno symptoms from the age of 45 then full blown meno from age 46;  every symptom on every list; I had them!  Tried all the 'natural' remedies but finally asked GP for HRT in November;  he has not got a clue about HRT (he was actually on Google during my appointment ) but is very kind and sympathetic.  So I did my own research and decided I needed a continuous combined HRT as period free for 18 months.  I chose Angeliq as it was the first one on the list and I've been on it for 11 weeks.  I've decided to get another pack and give it a full 6 months before I decide if I need to change.

Thing is, I'm not sure if 'this is as good as it's going to get' if you know what I mean?

My awful hot flushes (30 per day!) have more or less disappeared, though the odd one tries to creep up on me, the bloating and looking like I was pregnant has gone and the crying all the time has simmered down, plus I'm sleeping much better.

However, I still have awful fatigue (though I do get up at 5.30 am for work so this could be why!) anxiety (though always been a bit nervy) and depression (though not as bad).

Plus I have some side effects;  headaches, slight spotting & itchy skin.  The leaflet does say that side effects should disappear after a few months;  this is why I'm going to persevere for a bit longer.

I was wondering ladies, is this normal and do I have to put up with all of the above?  Or should I change after 6 months to another type of HRT?  And if yes, do I choose one from the same group or go on to a higher dosage?

Sorry for the long post, but felt I had to get everything down or you'd just have half the story!

Thanks so much in advance for any info/advice xxx

[dazned]

Hi 

Good to have you join us.

Firstly its good to hear that alot of your symptoms have abated in a few weeks . Realistically you can't expect hrt to " cure " every little symptom ,also as much as we don't want to admit it we are all getting that tiny bit older and what we could do easily a few years ago now maybe we need to adapt somewhat ,after all it isnt called the change of life life for nowt 
Try and pace things out more and you might find looking at lifestyle changes appropriate for you too . Maybe with a few more weeks of hrt you might yet get more positive results too.

[Vanessa1]

Hello and thank you for replying!

Yes I know what you mean;  I was in danger of thinking once I was on HRT I would feel 'marvellous' like I've heard so many women say haha!

Thanks for the advice;  I'll give it a few more weeks and then decide;  looking forward to having a look around;  what a great website 

Hi 

Good to have you join us.

Firstly its good to hear that alot of your symptoms have abated in a few weeks . Realistically you can't expect hrt to " cure " every little symptom ,also as much as we don't want to admit it we are all getting that tiny bit older and what we could do easily a few years ago now maybe we need to adapt somewhat ,after all it isnt called the change of life life for nowt 
Try and pace things out more and you might find looking at lifestyle changes appropriate for you too . Maybe with a few more weeks of hrt you might yet get more positive results too.

[dazned]

Your not alone in thinking that dont worry 
A few think that it is some miracle wonder hormone but it can only try to mimic as best can a very complicated endocrine system. If you expect this you can sometimes feel " let down " and this could escalate into a nasty vicious circle.

[Vanessa1]

Thanks 
Gosh, it's confusing isn't it;  I'm constantly thinking; 'how do I feel today?' so prob need to chillax and stop thinking about it all the time haha!

Your not alone in thinking that dont worry 
A few think that it is some miracle wonder hormone but it can only try to mimic as best can a very complicated endocrine system. If you expect this you can sometimes feel " let down " and this could escalate into a nasty vicious circle.

[Hurdity]

Hi Vanessa1

 

It's good that you have started HRT - in fact your doctor should have put you on HRT from the start because any woman who reaches menopause under the natural average age of menopause (which is 51/52) is advised to take HRT until this age to help protect heart and bones.

First thoughts are - the oestrogen is obviously suiting you and doing the job - as it has eliminated the flushes and sweats.

Secondly - because you are taking continuous combined HRT as you are post-menopausal, then you are also taking progestogens all the time. The one in Angeliq is a synthetic one but I don't know much about this - it's one of the newer ones and not listed here: http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/perimeno.php - I know it is used in some CCP types though. Some women find that they experience continuous low level adverse side effects from the continuous dose of synthetic progestogens. You are very sensible in continuing for a little while longer to see if these side effects settle, but if not it could be time to try a different type - Femoston is often better tolerated as the progestogen in this one is most like our own progesterone. If after this you still suffer then it may well be better to go onto a cycle - but the drawback is that you have to have a withdrawal bleed. There are several of us on here who opt to have a bleed even post-menopause because we don't want to take progesterone all the time.

There is also bio-identical progesterone (Utrogestan) - that is - the same molecule as our bodies make, and this can be taken along with separate oestrogen as tablet, patch or gel.

Also have you had blood tests to see whether your symptoms could be due to something else - eg any deficiencies, or thyroid function? Be sure to get a print-out of your results when you have these done rather than just accept the "everything is normal" response. Thyroid function in particular can be the cause of fatigue - but has other symptoms too notably weight gain and feeling cold.

Finally - testosterone levels also decline with age and deficiency can cause headaches and fatigue as well as low libido (although this ie low libido can also be caused by HRT tablets too!). I would look into this if you have everything else sorted, tested and treated if appropriate - and you are still feeling fatigued etc.

Yes - as dazned says - HRT is not a miracle cure but hopefully it can eliminate the worst of the bad symptoms, and help protect our future health to some extent - without too many side effects.

Hope this helps

Hurdity x

[Vanessa1]

Hello there and thank you so much for all that valuable information!  I am going to print it off so I can read it again in a few weeks.

It's a minefield and the confusion can add to the anxiety etc. etc. so I am so glad I found this website!

Yes, bloods all came back as 'normal' and I don't have any other symptoms other than the fatigue, which is probably due to getting up at silly o'clock for work and having two geriatric cats (both 21!) who get me up 3 and 4 times during the night for feeding as they are senile and get confused with the time

As for libido, that's not an issue as I am happily divorced so enjoying my single life haha!

I might try the Femoston next - I feel like a kid in a candy shop not knowing which sweets to choose eek!

Thanks so much again xxx

Hi Vanessa1

 

It's good that you have started HRT - in fact your doctor should have put you on HRT from the start because any woman who reaches menopause under the natural average age of menopause (which is 51/52) is advised to take HRT until this age to help protect heart and bones.

First thoughts are - the oestrogen is obviously suiting you and doing the job - as it has eliminated the flushes and sweats.

Secondly - because you are taking continuous combined HRT as you are post-menopausal, then you are also taking progestogens all the time. The one in Angeliq is a synthetic one but I don't know much about this - it's one of the newer ones and not listed here: http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/perimeno.php - I know it is used in some CCP types though. Some women find that they experience continuous low level adverse side effects from the continuous dose of synthetic progestogens. You are very sensible in continuing for a little while longer to see if these side effects settle, but if not it could be time to try a different type - Femoston is often better tolerated as the progestogen in this one is most like our own progesterone. If after this you still suffer then it may well be better to go onto a cycle - but the drawback is that you have to have a withdrawal bleed. There are several of us on here who opt to have a bleed even post-menopause because we don't want to take progesterone all the time.

There is also bio-identical progesterone (Utrogestan) - that is - the same molecule as our bodies make, and this can be taken along with separate oestrogen as tablet, patch or gel.

Also have you had blood tests to see whether your symptoms could be due to something else - eg any deficiencies, or thyroid function? Be sure to get a print-out of your results when you have these done rather than just accept the "everything is normal" response. Thyroid function in particular can be the cause of fatigue - but has other symptoms too notably weight gain and feeling cold.

Finally - testosterone levels also decline with age and deficiency can cause headaches and fatigue as well as low libido (although this ie low libido can also be caused by HRT tablets too!). I would look into this if you have everything else sorted, tested and treated if appropriate - and you are still feeling fatigued etc.

Yes - as dazned says - HRT is not a miracle cure but hopefully it can eliminate the worst of the bad symptoms, and help protect our future health to some extent - without too many side effects.

Hope this helps

Hurdity x

[CLKD]

 

[Vanessa1]

Thanks so much!  x

[Mary G]

Vanessa1, welcome to MM!

I was on Angeliq for quite a while and although it was not my worst experience of HRT, it definitely was not the best either.

I liked not having periods but I always felt a bit half baked and tinny on it, not quite there.  I always had constipation, indigestion, heavy breast discomfort and after a while, I started getting silent migraines (migraine aura without headache) but that is because I am intolerant to synthetic progestins.  I then started topping up the Angeliq with an oestrogen patch and that stopped the migraines but the gynaecologist suggested I switch to patches and separate progesterone which I agreed to do because I felt that there must be something better out there. 

To cut a very long story short, that didn't work very well either so I then went to Professor Studd who prescribed 3 pumps of oestrogen gel every day (I now take 2), 7 days of 100mg Utrogestan (the minimum because of my intolerance) and a tiny bead of testosterone every day.  It's taken a while but I think I have finally found a regime that works and as long as I split my gel dose to 1 pump every 12 hours and I limit the Utrogestan, it seems to be keeping the migraines away and working well and I feel much better than I did with the Angeliq and patch. 

I think you should keep going with the Angeliq and give it a fair trial but if it doesn't work out, you might want to consider something similar to my regime. 

[Vanessa1]

Thank you & hello Mary oh gosh what a pallava! So sorry you've had an awful time but sounds like you've found the right mix at last. I'll deffo consider this route if I fall out with Angeliq! Looks like it may take months if not years to get it right! I thought I'd pop a pill and hey presto, I'd be OK, how wrong was I? Thank goodness I can talk to you kind ladies for advice. Thanks again xx

[Vanessa1]

Hi ladies, just a little update & some more advice is possible??  OK, so I've been taking Angelique now for 14 weeks;  my hot flushes are creeping back ever so slightly and I am itching all over argh!!  Question is, do I give it a little bit more time or do I need to change my tablets?  I was thinking of waiting another 6 weeks or so and then asking for Femoston Conti which seems to be a popular form of HRT on this forum.  Or do I need to up the dose from 'low' to .medium'?  Or maybe change to one that gives you a period?  Sorry for all the questions, I am so confused !!!!!