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[pepperminty]

Hi ,

I am taking Femosten 1/10 and I am 49 years old. It seems to be working on the whole. Will I ever need to increase it ? If I do then when will this be and how will I know?

 I tried Femeton 2/10 and had a bad reaction - I went panicky and my anxiety hit the roof as well as feeling crap.

I do not want to change anything at the moment, but I would like to know what others have done. Are there  women who stay on the same HRT for years ( a low dose), or does everyone change dosage as the years advance?[/color]

I know that they recommend a continuous regime around 55 yrs , but you don't have to do that. also I know they recommend patches as you get older due to lees side effects.

Thanks

Pepperminty x

[Dancinggirl]

I had a premature meno and increased my dosage from one pump to 2 pumps of Oestrogel per day when in my mid 40s. When I went back on HRT in my mid 50s after a break I went back to using 2 pumps per day but I am now using one pump per day and actually feel better on this amount.  We are all different and the amount of oestrogen we need will vary.  If your symptoms are basically under control then stick with what you are on - I do think it can be a mistake to think that a higher dose will fix things better. Dg x

[pepperminty]

Thanks ladies ,

good advice and very interesting.

Any other experiences?

PM

[Sweetscarlett]

Pepperminty , I am on femoston 1/10 and have been on it for a few months , it's an interesting post as I was unsure if I should be chopping and changing .Thus far it suits me well and so I won't be tampering with my dosage just yet and I feel somewhat comforted that I'm on the lower dose.
I am a similar age to you and I mentioned patches to my gyno and she said if what I'm on now is working , then stick to it !
❤️❤️❤️Ssxx

[Dana]

I started out on a low dose when I was 51 (Livial). That worked really well for about 9 months, then all my symptoms returned and I had to go to a medium dose (Estradot 50 patch). I'm now nearly 57 and I've stayed on a medium dose ever since, so I assume that's the dose I will remain on.

You might be lucky enough to stay on a low dose forever, but you'll soon know if you need to increase it because you'll probably get a return of symptoms.

[DebsMK]

I was on Femoston 1/10 for around a year and then started to get some symptoms back I had pre-hrt.  I went back to my clueless GP and asked if it was possible to increase the dose to Femoston 2/10 which I have been on for 5 months now.  At first I got palpitations and felt jittery but I had that at the start of taking hrt.  I felt so much better and all of my symptoms vanished so I decided to give it a few months to settle. A month in I started to get eczema and sinus problems which I attributed to stress as my Dad was very ill and I was visiting hospital and coping with his alzheimers as well as sorting out exams, new schools and uni for my daughters.  Things have quietened down on the stress front but I still have eczema on my face and neck which is really getting me down.  A week or so ago, I realised I had the same problems just before both of my daughters were born and I began to link it with hormones.  I have done a little bit of research and have read that hormone imbalances can effect the skin and at that point I made a link to the higher dose of hrt.  I am now so fed up with the itchy, dry skin around my face and eyes that I am thinking about lowering the hrt dose again to see if that is the cause.   Has anyone else had these problems?

[Dancinggirl]

DebsMK - from what you are telling us I would put the eczema down to the traumatic time you have had rather than hormones.  Skin becomes dryer when starved of oestrogen so the eczema may be worse with the lower dose.
I would try some of the usual washes and creams to treat the eczema first - if you lower the dose of HRT and get flushes etc back that may make you feel dreadful. Some Omega 3 and Vitamin D3 would probably also help. Skin conditions are often linked with our emotional state - some sunshine and R&R are probably what you need. Dg x

[flutterby]

I have been on HRT for over 15 years, I am 63. I was on Evorel Sequi 50 and did very well for a long time but due to spotting and bleeding throughout the cycle which was investigated and nothing nasty found. I had an email consultation with Dr Currie who suggested taking Urogestan and reducing the oestrogen to 25. I am now well into the third cycle and the only thing I have noticed is having a feeling of warmth, not a flush and not a night sweat as I occasionally had. So instead of increasing I have actually reduced the oestrogen. I know everyone is different but I do feel less worried about coming off HRT. Although I had 4 weeks where I stopped bleeding completely I am spotting now, which I always used to when I tried continuous HRT. Stellajayne may I ask how you do a long cycle.

[DebsMK]

DebsMK - from what you are telling us I would put the eczema down to the traumatic time you have had rather than hormones.  Skin becomes dryer when starved of oestrogen so the eczema may be worse with the lower dose.
I would try some of the usual washes and creams to treat the eczema first - if you lower the dose of HRT and get flushes etc back that may make you feel dreadful. Some Omega 3 and Vitamin D3 would probably also help. Skin conditions are often linked with our emotional state - some sunshine and R&R are probably what you need. Dg x

Thank you Dancinggirl.  I hadn't actually thought of the dry skin problem associated with lower oestrogen, just so desperate to get rid of all these itchies!  I will try the vitamins and keep my fingers crossed for sunshine . x

[Mary G]

pepperminty, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.  If you feel OK in general then it must be working but obviously if any menopause symptoms return in the future you will need to increase the dose.

DebsMK, in your case, I would not risk reducing the oestrogen dose.  I had eczema when I was on the pill in my 20s but I think in my case synthetic progesterone was the culprit. 

It could also be partly due to stress you have been having because I do remember that when I had eczema I had a demanding job and was hammering round the M25 most days which would not have helped. 

I certainly don't think it has anything to do with the oestrogen part of your HRT, if anything oestrogen helps skin.