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[Tapnut45]

Hello everyone, I found this forum at the weekend after googling "does withdrawal from norethisterone cause hot flushes?". I'm 45, peri-menopausal, irregular periods, some night time sweats and tremendous stroppiness tied in with some anxiety which has improved as I started low dose anti depressant (citalopram) 3 months ago. Saw a lovely GP who gave me the choice of wait, HRT or citalopram. As the anxiety and mood swings were the worst at the time I chose that and have to say I feel much better.
Just been taking norethisterone 5mg for about 12 days to delay period for holiday- no saying whether it would actually have arrived or not as I can go 16 days, 23 days, 46 days, 28 days........... Then when I stopped it I've got hotter and hotter and been walking round with kitchen roll mopping my face. As for doing the vacuuming, I need another shower after just the ground floor!
I read some of the other posts on here and recognised a lot of symptoms like tiredness, aching joints, lack of motivation, feeling low about ageing in general etc, so thought I would join up and see how other people are getting on.
I had a ruptured ovarian cyst in 2004, no previous symptoms, it was all very sudden, had to have an emergency op to remove most of my right ovary. Wondering if it will have an effect on menopause, i.e.make it earlier as functioning basically with one ovary? My mum had a fairly early menopause- all done by 45, she had heavy bleeding but mine is pretty trouble free. More the psychological symptoms so far, being horrible with my hubby and kids. I'd like to think that's improved now, although the norethisterone seemed to make it worse again! I'll try and avoid that in future...
Hope you "meet" some of you soon.

[Kathleen]

Hello Tapnut45 and welcome to the forum.

There are many ladies here who are going through peri menopause so you are in good company, plus you will find lots of information about HRT.

Wishing you well and keep posting.

K.

[Tapnut45]

Thanks Kathleen, it seems like there's a lot of help and support available, I will have a good look around the site.

When do others think is a good time to start HRT? When you're peri, menopausal or Post? I don't really know. Is it more dependent on how you're coping with your own symptoms??

[Bane]

Hi Tapnut45 welcome to the forum, you certainly come to the right place. Hope you like the support and company here. There are lots of threads so get started and keep on sharing and asking

Good Luck!!

[nearly50]

Thanks Kathleen, it seems like there's a lot of help and support available, I will have a good look around the site.

When do others think is a good time to start HRT? When you're peri, menopausal or Post? I don't really know. Is it more dependent on how you're coping with your own symptoms??

Definitely seems to depend on the individual. My symptoms are at their worst when my oestregen levels are surging so I think adding HRT to the mix would not be a good idea. Others feel worse when oestregen levels are low. HRT works great for some people, and not for others. Think it is all just trial and error really to find what suits you, and that might change through time as you progress through menopause.

I do think extreme PMT is quite common in the late reproductive stage and improves for some once you're in peri, which co-incides with the irregularity of periods you're seeing. Hopefully you'll follow your mum's journey and be done with it soon

[Hurdity]

Hi Tapnut45

Sorry to hear about your symptoms but glad that before this you were feeling better.

However your doctor should not have given you the choice of HRT or anti-depressants at the point you went to see him/her because as your periods have become irregular and your cycle varies each month - sometimes stretching to longer than 28 days - then you are peri-menopausal and HRT is the first line of treatment. Boosting your oestrogen should then help with low mood at the low point in the cycle. If you haven't suffered from mental health problems in the past and your anxiety is hormonal and you have other menopausal symptoms then ADs are not appropriate - at least not at first and not until HRT has been tried for some time.

Having said that as nearly50 says some women start HRT very early on when periods are still regular or only slightly variable and from what I've read because this does not suppress the cycle - the hormonal fluctuations still occur to some extent.

I waited until I was in late peri-menopause - I suffered the extreme pms that nearly50 refers to and hot flushes and sweats for maybe 18 months ( I can't exactly remember), cried buckets and took nothing (except Black Cohosh now and again which didn't work!) - until I started HRT which then worked a treat so much so that I am still on it 10 years later!

Another option is to take a gentle form of the CCP which is like HRT (the oestrogen is the same - unlike the strong synthetic oestrogens of the other types) - there is one called Qlaira and another called Zoely ( the latter is lower in oestrogen) which will suppress the cycle and eliminate the wild hormone fluctuations.

Some women do find that they even get sweats taking norethisterone as part of their HRT and it appears to upset the themro-regulatory system - perhaps interfering with the beneficial effects of oestrogen. In your case, if you are peri-menopausal then your oestrogen will be lower at some points - at least on a downward trajectory and the norethisterone is maybe making it seem like you've got less!

There is a great article on peri-menopause here you might be interested in:
https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/magazine/pdf/Article%20-%20Perils%20of%20the%20Perimenopause.pdf

Do have a think about HRT and then if you do start it you will maybe be able to wean off the ADs if the HRT does its job.

Have you seen the site "nomorepanic" which also gives strategies for coping with anxiety, in addition to or instead of medication.

Hope this helps and hope you enjoy your holiday

Hurdity x

[Tapnut45]

Dear Bane, nearly50 and Hurdity,
Thanks all for your welcome and replies, appreciate you taking the trouble.
Nearly50- my periods continue to take me by surprise as been irregular for12-18 months and I've no idea where in the cycle I am most of the time. I've no clue whether my oestrogen is high, low or non existent. I really need to revise some biology and find out what should be happening and when! I haven't been recognising when my bad moods were PMT as I'd got no clue when my period was due so when it actually arrived I could look back on my moods and sugar cravings and realise after the fact that it was PMT.
Hurdity - what made me go to the doc was realising I didn't feel like myself, I was very moody and up and down, and had a meltdown one Sunday where I felt like I couldn't cope with anything- fed the kids then got in bed and pulled the covers over my head and cried till my mum came and scooped me up and took me round to their house to look after me like a 6 year old. Tea and toast and cake etc, hugs and sympathy. Worked wonders. I hadn't been sleeping well, kept waking up about 4-5am, couldn't settle at home in the evenings, I would be wandering around aimlessly downstairs till late on, struggling making decisions, wanting to be alone a lot, sitting in my pyjamas half the weekend which is very unlike me. So when I saw the doc, I was at the point where the psychological symptoms were far more troublesome than the physical, so I was happy to try citalopram rather than start HRT quite young when those symptoms seemed less of an issue. If I get more physical symptoms or the psychological ones return, I will consider HRT, it was just that I know you're not meant to take it for ever, and I might need it more in 3 or 4 years time.
 I did an anxiety and depression questionnaire after I saw the doc out of curiosity and came out with moderate scores for both. I was surprised as I hadn't recognised myself as depressed, and it actually helped me to realise that. I've read the NICE menopause guidance and I've seen that women should be offered HRT, and I'm not anti, I suppose I would like to wait and see if I feel I do need it. I had migraine when younger and was taken off the COC and took Noriday before kids, then been on IUD since, so only natural chaotic hormones .
Thanks for all your help and info. I have a medication review booked with the doc so maybe I will ask her if she thinks the AD is the most appropriate choice at present, but to be honest I feel so much better at present that I'm quite happy.
Many thanks again.
I will have a look at the article you mentioned, info would be great.

[Mazza27]

Hi tapnut,

I am and have been in the same place as you. I am convinced perimenopausal and gp/gyne don't want to give hrt one because of age two history of migraines.
My moods have been horrendous over last 12 months and been in real anxiety states with this one pushing me to citalopram to get me back to some normal level. It has is only day 2 and the say it gets worse before it gets better ☹️
I am having every test known to man and just waiting on a lap as my period pains are horrendous and pms for  two weeks per month even some pain at ovulation.
Paid to see menopause specialist who reckons severe pmt and advise hysterectomy to solve my problems 😳
I am going to back to the coil as did not have any periods with that and see if things settle down for me
 
I hope the ads help me

As for hrt I want to try bio dentical and I think it's all your own choice on how you feel and what your body is telling you.

Mazza x

[Suzi Q]

Hello everyone, I found this forum at the weekend after googling "does withdrawal from norethisterone cause hot flushes?". I'm 45, peri-menopausal, irregular periods, some night time sweats and tremendous stroppiness tied in with some anxiety which has improved as I started low dose anti depressant (citalopram) 3 months ago. Saw a lovely GP who gave me the choice of wait, HRT or citalopram. As the anxiety and mood swings were the worst at the time I chose that and have to say I feel much better.
Just been taking norethisterone 5mg for about 12 days to delay period for holiday- no saying whether it would actually have arrived or not as I can go 16 days, 23 days, 46 days, 28 days........... Then when I stopped it I've got hotter and hotter and been walking round with kitchen roll mopping my face. As for doing the vacuuming, I need another shower after just the ground floor!
I read some of the other posts on here and recognised a lot of symptoms like tiredness, aching joints, lack of motivation, feeling low about ageing in general etc, so thought I would join up and see how other people are getting on.
I had a ruptured ovarian cyst in 2004, no previous symptoms, it was all very sudden, had to have an emergency op to remove most of my right ovary. Wondering if it will have an effect on menopause, i.e.make it earlier as functioning basically with one ovary? My mum had a fairly early menopause- all done by 45, she had heavy bleeding but mine is pretty trouble free. More the psychological symptoms so far, being horrible with my hubby and kids. I'd like to think that's improved now, although the norethisterone seemed to make it worse again! I'll try and avoid that in future...
Hope you "meet" some of you soon.

Hi, glad the pills are helping and dont worry about the moods
I chased my hubbie with a clock in fact over a few m9nths we had no clocks lol.
I was one nasty miss it went give it time x

[Hurdity]

Hi Tapnut - thanks for your explanation. Just to add that if you are heading for an early menopause and your periods become few and far between, HRT is definitely advised at least until the natural average age of menopause which is 51/52 - to protect your future health and specifically heart and bones.

Mazza - HRT is not contradindicated for migraines - see here: https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/atoz.php#GlossM and here:
https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/contraindications.php

Hurdity x

[nearly50]

Tapnut, if you're still ovulating, then it might be worth taking your basal temperature every morning as you should get an idea of when youre periods are due. Kindara do an app which can be useful https://www.kindara.com/

[Tapnut45]

Hello everyone,  I had a review on the phone with a different GP, but I wasn't convinced by what she said. I know the weather has been hot but I've continued to have night sweats, and getting overheated very easily in the day time - one cup of tea and I'm dripping etc. Over the last 2 weeks, I've just been exhausted, on my days off I've done what I really have to then the last 2 Fridays I've either gone back to bed or lazed on the sofa for hours. Just got no energy, and can't rouse myself. I don't feel low or depressed I don't think, just "limp" if anyone understands what I mean.
The doctor said I could try doubling my dose of citalopram to 20mg as she said it's licensed for night sweats (? - it isn't!) but I don't want to do that as I'd be worried about it making me sleepy when I already feel like a slug. She did send me for a blood test, and result has come back with sightly raised/borderline FSH. (I will ask about that too on Thurs, it's only what the receptionist told me) I'm seeing the first GP again this week, and now more seriously considering HRT based on the advice of all of you and the information you directed me to, so thank you for that. After my recent experience of increased sweats which I think was triggered by norethisterone,  I think I want to avoid it in HRT. I took it to delay period for hols, then had a bleed after it when I got back, still waiting for next natural period, it's day 29 today.
I'm thinking of Femoston tabs? Anyone think that's a good idea or not? Or what are the bio-identical hormones and would it take a lot to persuade my GP to let me try it? Thanks for your help, seeing GP on Thurs.