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[Deeble]

Hello- I haven't been on here for a while. I have mostly been doing pretty well with femoston conti 1/5 over the last year, taken for mostly high anxiety and low mood meno symptoms. I did try a few different patch types when my mood initially went very low and my anxiety went off like a rocket but I struggled with low mood after a time on any of the patches. I seem to do best with femoston because of the 'kinder' progesterone (dydrogesterone) and have been taking the conti 1/5 this last year - which is only available as a tablet. I should mention too that in the last 6 months my Mum has died after being in and out of hospital with parkinsons and frailty. This may also be significant to my mood?  But anyway I thought I would return to the forum to ask if the recent reappearance of tearful low mood and increasing anxiety underpinned by a steady low-grade lack of energy/tendency to fall asleep in chair! - might be that my own oestrogen level has fallen further so that the femoston conti 1/5 has become too low - or - that after a year of steady dydrogesterone my body feels out of kilter again and it no longer suits me? I have just tried the lower dose (ultra low .5/2.5) for a week as I wondered if the progesterone being lower would help, but unfortunately it just made things worse as my low mood was a bit reduced but my anxiety decided to come in and go sky high!! So now back on the Conti 1/5 in the hope my anxiety will die down again. Not sure if the low mood will also get a bit worse again but it's hard to know what is driving a mood. Any thoughts about the Conti 1/5 changing in 'efficacy' over time would be very much appreciated. And probably needless to say, but I do seem to be very sensitive to hormones ... !
Many thanks Deeble x

[Hurdity]

Hi Deeble

First of all - so sorry to hear that you mum has died and of course this will affect your mood as you will still be grieving,

Re the Femoston - remind us of how old you are and where in menopause - how long since periods stopped did you start the HRT? I presume you are well post-menopause now?

Sometimes as natural oestrogen levels drop during the couple of years following the last period (the last ovulation) women do find that some symptoms return and they need to increase the dose slightly.

As you recognise - even though dydrogesterone in Femoston is one of the better tolerated progestogens as it is similar to progesterone, you are still taking them continuously so this could give rise to continuous side effects - such as depressed mood.  It is a great pity that Femoston does not cone in a higher dose in the continuous combined preparation.

The only thing I wold suggest if you could bear it, is to return to a cycle and try the Femoston 2/10 to see if your moods improve - that way you would only be taking the dydrogesterone for 14 days. You would have to put up with a withdrawal bleed - but this may be light....

I hope this helps and that your mood improves soon - but in view of your recent bereavement, you will still be feeling sad and it is so important to allow yourself to grieve properly but to take care of yourself at the same time. Don't expect miracles from the HRT - but hope if you manage to change your preparation that you feel better than you have done recently.

Hurdity x

[Deeble]

Hi Hurdity - thank you so much for your kind reply. I have tried to post a reply to answer your questions, but it was lost each time!  I'm going to try again in a minute if I can get this to post! Many thanks Deeble x

[dazned]

So sorry to hear about the loss of your mum.
I personally would not be in too much of a hurry to tweak/change hrt yet,you are probably still mourning and low from your bereavement. Make sure you are eating well,getting adequate rest,exercise etc. As you say your mum was ill prior to her death you must have had quite a bit of stress ,tension etc this too will have taken a toll on you.

[Deeble]

Hi Hurdity - thank you for your wise words. I'm struggling to get my posts to send ...  I'm 58 and last period 2012. Elleste for a year. Gave up because of negative progestogen response. Vagifem since then. Mild uterine prolapse. April 2016 began femoston 1/5 and in fairness have done pretty well on it. I appreciate what you say about not expecting miracles. Dazned - thank you for your thoughtful and kind response. Deeble x

[Deeble]

Hi again - I've carried on with my usual Femoston 1/5 after a week when I tried to drop down to the ultra low dose because of low mood and thinking the progestogen had 'built up' and was making me low. Going back to the 1/5 my low mood is not so bad but my anxiety has come back - very similar to how I was before I first started hrt (for low mood/high anxiety) over a year ago! I've been quite panicky this last few days and it feels very hormonal. I suspect something's changed. A build up of the progestogen? I appreciate the advice already given and am thinking it all through. Just feeling slightly bonkers and disappointed to be back in this very anxious jittery place again and having a bit of a moan - sorry!! Thanks for reading. I 'll keep you posted on what I decide to do next. xxxx

[dazned]

Have a 

Sorry to hear that you still in a low place,and you're not moaning ,you are suffering ,there's a big difference. See how the next week goes back on the higher femoston,let us know how you get on.
Hope your anxiety lessen for you,I really empathise with you.

[Deeble]

Hi - nearly a week back on femoston 1/5 - after dropping down to ultra low dose (as mood felt flattened) for just a week but ended up with high anxiety instead ... My anxiety after a week back on 1/5 is not improved. I'm waking anxious in the night - maybe night sweats?? Feeling dreadful. Nerves are shot and also tired. Does it make any sense that such small, short lived changes could trigger this anxiety. It feels familiar - like before I started hrt for low mood/ high anxiety more than a year ago. Should I sit it out a bit longer and give it a chance to settle down? Such a horrible feeling. x

[dahliagirl]

Hi - with the low mood and falling asleep in the chair - has your doctor done bloods, with thryroid?

With all you have been through, I expect you need to give yourself some tlc - tuck yourself up in bed at a regular hour, nice food with plenty fruit and veg, and a bit of pottering in the garden in the morning sun when you get the chance.

[Deeble]

Hi dahliagirl - thank you. x  I did have my thyroid done about a year ago in a similar scenario ... but I was thinking of contacting gp in a few days if still getting so horribly anxious. Hard to relax anyway at the moment as life seems to conspire against you sometimes!  I think I'm beginning to feel a bit stronger though, as not a great day, but I haven't lost the plot, so I think that must be a good sign!!!!!

[Deeble]

Hi again - can't get an appt with a doctor for weeks. I can talk to a gp on the phone on Friday - not my own gp. My anxiety is not improving. Feels very familiar and hormonal. I am taking. Femoston conti 1/5. Hurdity mentioned asking for femoston 2/10 so as not to take the progestogen every day. Would 1/10 possibly be appropriate too - or do you think upping the oestrogen as well as reducing the days of progestogen is the way to go? Hope Hurdity sees this or anyone who is able to advise. Many thanks. Deeble x

[Deeble]

Ps - has anyone gone from the femoston conti to femoston sequi because of progestogen issues, mood etc.  Would be good to know if they  have experienced a benefit in mood by keeping the progestogen element to just 14 days rather than daily, continuously. Thanks x

[Deeble]

Hi - I keep losing my posts unless I just use the quick reply?
I was just wondering if anyone had any view on going from the femoston conti 1/5 to sequi 1/10 or to the 2/10 to see if mood improves by returning to a cycle? Hurdity mentioned 2/10 - am speaking to a gp tomorrow. There is also a 1/10. Might this also be ok and not such a jump in oestrogen?
Anxiety has improved a bit this week but slow and painful!!
Hoping this posts!! Thank you for reading. D x

[Deeble]

Hi - I can't seem to get my posts to post - fingers crossed with this. I still have high anxiety and low mood after 10 days back on the Femoston 1/5. Speaking to gp this pm - tel call. Been very tearful anxious and wobbly. Jelly legs in the mornings, cold sweats, anxious and a bit worried it going on like this.
Do I ask for the 1/10 to have a progestogen break to see if that is the culprit -,or the 2/10 which would also up the oestrogen. Work, life and relationships a bit of a struggle now. Thanks for any input.  Deeble
58
Last P 2012
Femoston conti 1/5 - 1 year
Don't do well with progestogens

[dahliagirl]

Not sure I can help but hope your GP comes up with something 

My approach with hormonal stuff is to give it a good 3 months, keep a diary and to take it at exactly the same time every day.  This is to keep everything as much the same as possible until you can work out what the problem is.

Some of it has short term effects, some medium and some long term.  Often the short term effects sort themselves in time.  I have always found the effect on mood/libido to be one of those long term things that you aren't aware of until something jogs your memory, then you realise that things were different!  However, I am sure I am inured to the effects of progestogens these days........  A diary helps sort it out.

It may be that your low mood and energy problems were something else, and trying a lower dose has given you a bit of a blip that needs a bit of time to sort, then you can work out what the original problem was.

Meantime, get a bit of sunshine in - it may not cure everything, but it makes it look better