Hello, I joined before Christmas and said I would write about my experience with taking Tibolone. Sorry it took me a while to pop back, but here goes....
I'm 48 and in Perimenopause. I have been on tibolone for 2 ½ years now. I started getting peri symptoms in my early forties. I'd never found a contraceptive pill that suited me, but I agreed to try again as my periods and PMT ware getting debilitating; Awful PMT, IBS (I'd never had it before), spotty, crippling anxiety, moods, tinnitus, cold fingers and toes, flushing face, low mood, energy, libido..... etc etc.
With my GP we trialled a few contraceptive pills first, changing brands to try and eliminate various side effects. Then taking them continuously to try and even out the fluctuations of my cycle etc. The pills reduced a lot of my symptoms, but like in the past, still came with side effects for me like breast tenderness, dragging lethargic mood etc.
I kept symptom diary etc, then after a year or so I asked to try HRT instead. ( I was now 45 yrs old) and I asked if tibolone was a possibility? Around 42 I had also developed a horrible condition called Lichen Sclerosus., this has a hormonal element and possibly autoimmune too, not known exactly yet. Lichen Sclerosus is most common in women who have been through the menopause. Physically it made sex very difficult until it was treated and got under-control. It also had a strong psychological impact on my libido too, even after I'd got it under control. I remember telling my GP that I loved my husband very much, but that I genuinely didn't care if I never had sex again in my life....I was sad about this. I think this additional factor was another reason why my GP may have been willing to try Tibolone for me?
So, she almost agreed, but then hesitated. Then she said we should try another HRT first. She told me to come straight back if there were any probs. I almost felt like, she had to follow a prescribing protocol? Cost and Safety I guess? Prove this standard cheap one doesn't work before patient is prescribed something off-licence and more expensive?
Anyhow, it was Premique and it was awful. It gave me headaches which was a completely new symptom/side effect for me, so I went back after 6 weeks and have been on tibolone ever since.
The first 18 months were amazing. I felt so much better, so much so that I almost wished I could have had something like this back in my 20's and 30's even; I'd never had a good time with PMT for around 10 days each month even before Peri hit.
Tibolone reduced most of my symptoms, improved energy and libido. The IBS issues which had been a big problem completely went. I had no breast pain, no swollen engorgement at PMT time, just a bit of nipple tenderness and even that didn't happen every month. I kept a careful track of any symptoms and when my periods were and there was no breakthrough bleeding.
I googled and googled and found very limited info on women taking this in peri. Sometimes I felt a bit nervous about that. But, I felt so much better. It was like a miracle!
Unfortunately though, for the last year or so, things are not so good. Either my body has adjusted to the Tibolone or, more likely, I have just entered the next phase of Peri and it's just not as effective at smoothing out all the hormone fluctuations now?
My Periods are coming every 3 weeks or so now, with the odd 5 week one thrown in. It used to be a regular 34 day cycle back in my youth. And with my periods, the IBS symptoms are back. It is the IBS, gut symptoms that really get me down. There is also a return of some of the anxiety and that causes the gut problems too, so the gut issues are sometimes popping up at other times in my cycle.
PMT symptoms are back too, but not too bad.....I can work around that. But the gut stuff impacts hugely on my life and I avoid all social activities around my period.
I'm not sure what to do about it next really. I am reluctant to stop the Tibolone as I still feel great on it most of the time and I enjoy having a libido again......but.......I just wish I didn't have to have periods anymore.
Anyhow, I was interested to see if there was anyone else out there who was taking tibolone in Peri and how they were getting along? And I also wanted to share my experiences so far for anyone else who is thinking of trying it in Peri .I know it is not usually prescribed; although maybe that will change? ( I did see mention of an on-going trial in Australia)
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Topic: My Experience with Tibolone in Perimenopause (Read 17140 times)