Gosh thanks for all the replies, ladies, I'm pleased that I broached the subject now
I think question to ask Ghostgirl is would it be worse without the hrt?x
Peri, a year past in November my doctor explained to me that my GP's surgery made it a kind of policy to have HRT users try to come off HRT at around 5 year mark, just to see how they got on without it, I agreed, albeit reluctantly, to give it a go. I had reservations, because I did still suffer from the original hot flushes and day and night sweats although certainly they had greatly reduced since starting on Prempak C, 5 years previously. In a matter of weeks I was right back to square one, breaking into sweats every half hour and doing the covers off, covers on, covers off, covers on, all through the night, shattering not just my own sleep but my husband's as well. The spare room got used quite a bit!!
However there was a plus side, I did experience a definable "lifting of the fog", mentally, and so I persevered for a further 3 or 4 months, hoping that things would settle down. The sweats got so bad though and I felt so yucky all the time, that I decided really the trade off wasn't worth it and went back to see my GP at the end of March and went back on the pills.
Still, it wasn't until now, with my Prempak C being discontinued, that I've ever thought to ask around, or do a bit of my own research. Silly of me, I guess. Particularly after browsing around this forum over the past few days and starting to realise that not all GP's are terribly well-informed on the subject of HRT.
Anyhow I'm on it now, and determined to learn all I can so that when I see my GP on Friday I know what to ask, and what to ask for. Perhaps I should see this as an opportunity to find something that suits me better, rather than going with whatever he sees fit to prescribe me.
I think if you are taking progesterone in your hrt, that could account for the mental sluggishness.
However one of the reasons I saw my GP in the first place is because my performance dropped at work. He then carried out tests and diagnosed peri - menopause. To be honest, now I'm on HRT, I still don't feel my sharpness has improved.
Apparently testosterone helps with cognition, focus and mood.
Thanks Marchone71, I'm sorry to hear that you still feel less sharp and that your work has suffered, that must be extremely frustrating for you! Really interesting comments about progesterone and testosterone though, I would like to find out more about this whole subject.
Six weeks in on Femoston and I've noticed I am getting things done much more - my organisational skills have come back and i'm doing lots of little jobs as I go along. Sharper? Maybe.
I've noticed a number of ladies talking about Femoston, ancient runner, mostly positive one I might add, and it sounds like this is one of the more modern types of HRT?
Thank you again everyone, it's nice to feel able to discuss things. And, as TheOtherOne mentions above, I do realise that this is not about medical advice. In fact thanks to you all I've decided that this time when I speak to my GP I will lay out my concerns in full, especially in regard to my family history! I'd still like to hear a bit more about your individual experiences though?
