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[Kathleen]

Hello ladies.

Can I ask for your experiences of mood swings? I've had a weird couple of days and although I feel hormones are to blame I would like your reassurance that I'm not actually going mad for real this time!

 Last week for the first time in ages I actually felt optimistic and even... wait for it, calm. I still had flushes but they were milder. I started to believe that at the grand old age of 61 I was at last coming out the other side of the meno. However after a few days a nervous tension returned and I began feeling on edge and jittery again.  This change crept over me in a very physical way during the course of an afternoon, it was like a storm cloud approaching and there was no other reason for my mood  change.

I wonder if this scenario sounds familiar to anyone and whether you believe these are hormonal  mood swings ?  If so ladies do you have any tips on coping with them? After nearly a week of feeling better both physically and emotionally the return to  anxiety has made me despair!

As always I look forward to reading your comments and learning about your experiences.

Wishing you all well.

K.

[Dotty]

Hi Kathleen

Are you still using Oestrogel? If so, how many pumps?

[Kathleen]

Hello  Dotty.

Many thanks for your response. I am using Oestrogel but only one pump. I was prescribed two pumps but due to a bit of spotting I was told to reduce to one. Do you think the dose is too low?

Thanks again.

K.

[Dotty]

I would say increase the dose , but I'm not an expert! I'm on 4 pumps.

Who told you to reduce it?

[Kathleen]

Hello Dotty.

A GP told me to see how things were on a reduced dose. Back in the day when I was using Evorel Conti patches I experimented with 75mcg and that caused bleeding and I needed a hysteroscopy so I think he was being cautious.

Thanks for taking the time to reply and take care.

K.

[Dotty]

The recommended dose is 2 pumps. 1 is very low. Spotting is expected in first 6 months of starting a new hrt .

[Kathleen]

Hello Dotty.

Thank you so much for our post. Perhaps I should have persisted with two pumps after all!

Wishing you well.

K.

[Daisydot]

Kathleen try 1.5 pumps I did that for a few weeks when I found the two was too much then I dropped back down to one.because I've been managing ok on one I've not bothered to increase again so maybe it just needed time to level out.
Your gonna have the odd bad days in life as you go along I think that sometimes we lose sight of this as being a very normal part of our lives and we expect every day ,week in week out, to be sunny but real life's not like that,I just call them blip days.if you can accept that then I think it's much easier to cope when life chucks unexpected things at you.youll know the difference between a blip day and that black hole day from experience so you'll know when you need additional help or support and when you can just muddle through and accept tomorrow will probably be better. That's the easiest way I find to deal with this stage of my life and hope that at some stage I'll be through it.good luck xx

[paisley]

Yes I can relate. I could be ok for a while & then feel the anxiety creeping up again, have a panic attack in the supermarket ( which does not happen all the time) & then the extreme anger would come & then feeling down for a while & then go away again. The worst part is never knowing when it will come back.

[Kathleen]

Hello Daisydot and paisley.

Thank you so much ladies for your comments.

Daisydot - After reading your response yesterday I have applied more gel this morning. I feel very jittery as usual but I hope it passes soon.

Paisley - I totally agree with you about the unpredictability of it all. This time last week I felt almost normal but today I am  a quivering wreck again. I find the whole thing exhausting and it's destroyed my confidence because I can never predict how I will feel about anything so I worry about being able to cope.

Thanks again ladies for taking the time to reply and I wish you both well.

K.

[Daisydot]

Hi Kathleen give it a few days and it'll hopefully help but not make you feel bombarded. I found it very easy to just squirt that extra wee bit but to be honest.because of my age I try to keep my dosage to a minimum so thats why I dropped back to one squirt but if I felt I needed more I would increase.I think the fact that I feel now I'm getting the support I've battled for that it keeps me grounded so I don't feel so stressed I know there's help and advice there as and when I need it,yes I pay but sod it I can't take it with me so I'll use whatever resources I have to keep well and enjoy life.
Best advice I can give you is worry about tomorrow when it comes and don't think or plan too far ahead these are all major triggers for us,the thing is you will and do cope so give yourself credit for that plus you still find the time to come on here and support and advise others so that says it all.keep doing what your doing you'll win through xx

[Kathleen]

Hello Daisydot.

Thank you so much for your comments.

Like you I would prefer to keep my dosage to the minimum due to my age.  Last week I thought I was getting somewhere but this week has been very difficult. Oh well, onwards and upwards I suppose!

Thanks again and take care.

K.

[Joaniepat]

Kathleen, it might be a question of how well you are absorbing it. I was on two pumps a day but bloods showed estradiol level was only 89 pmol per litre, which is not much. I was told to increase the dose to three pumps. (I am using Oestrogel for VA and to prevent osteoporosis, am 68 with no uterus.) I guess for many people it's a case of 'suck it and see' because what's a good dose for one person wouldn't be right for another!
JP x

[Kathleen]

Hello Joaniepat.

That's a very good point. I had my oestrogen levels tested about eighteen months ago when I was using a patch and they were low then, I'll have to dig out my paperwork and have a look. I was hoping that either my body would have adjusted to low oestrogen by now as I'm 61 and haven't had a period for eight years or that I could find an HRT that  works! What is so frustrating is that I have times when I feel better and foolishly believe I am back to normal only for all the horribleness to return. It's enough to drive a girl crazy lol.

Thanks for your reply, I do appreciate it and I wish you well.

K.

[Dotty]

Kathleen - I didn't notice any improvement on Oestrogel until I went up to 4 pumps . I wouldn't worry about keeping it low. 2 - 4 pumps is an acceptable dosage.