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[Charlie62]

Hi, i am 56 years old and feeling really low and alone atm.
I have been reading the information and advice on here which has been helpful but would like some reassurance if that is possible.
I was on the contraceptive pill until the age of 55 (the name escapes me atm but it was a progesterone only pill so had no periods all the time i was on it) It seemed to mask some of the menopause symptoms but because of my age i had to come off it. I tried for a while but the symptoms were getting worse so i am now taking femoston conti. Recently i have been feeling really depressed and anxious (no obvious lifestyle reason) so the doctor has prescribed a AD (sertraline) i am supposed to be taking 50mg a day but im only taking half of that to get my body used to it as the side effects are not very nice.
I was wondering if anyone else is on this combination and if it helped. My doctor seems reluctant to try any other forms of hrt with me.
I would really appreciate some feedback. TIA

[JaneinPen]

Hi Charlie. Welcome. I can't be of help but I am sure some of our lovely knowledgeable ladies will be along soon. Hang in there

[jillydoll]

Hi Charlie62.   

I've been on Femoston Conti, since February this year, and although it's good, I had to keep upping the dose....then when I got to 2mg/10mg, I suffered horrible side effects, which I guess was from the progesterone in it....so, I managed on 1.1/2mg/7.5mg with no side effects, but sometimes felt my symptoms coming back, so would up the dose again to 2mg but only for a couple days.

I've just changed now onto Sandrena gel, and a separate prog, Utrogestan, god knows how I'm going to get on with that, as I've only started yesterday. (Although, I have been using the Sandrena along side the femoston, and it's been great.)

My doctor, well, a locum, (my doc was off sick,) tried to give me antidepressants, but I declined, because I know I don't need them, my low mood and anxiety are all hormone based, as I've found out because upping my dose of hrt, got rid of everything...

Have a read on here, about the different hrts, and go armed with information to your doctor, and ask for what you want....there's no harm in asking.. that's if you don't want to stay on the femoston...

How much of the femoston do you take per day? Maybe you need more?
Ask away, hope this helps you.....

Jdxx

[amaryllis]

Hi Charlie, welcome to the forum 

I've been on Sertraline 25mg (half a tablet) for about 15 months. I too had some side effects at first but they settled after a couple of weeks. In August GP suggested increasing the dose to 50mg (due to personal circumstances which made me really anxious and the reduced dose wasn't enough). No side effects with the full dose thankfully.

Initially I took the pill in the evening as I thought it would make me drowsy, but it affected my sleep so I decided to take it in the morning - no drowsiness.

This week I also started combi HRT (oestrogel all the time and utrogestan for 12 days in every 28) and so far so good...

Wondering what side effects you've had from Sertraline? Do you suffer from migraines as well?

Anca x

[Charlie62]

Thank you for the welcome and replies. As I'm New to this please excuse me if this is wrong but do i reply individually to a post or collectively?
Hi Jillydoll, I am only taking a low dose of 1mg/5mg. I will take your advice, arm myself with information & go back to the doctor. I dont have anxiety & depression all the time so was wondering if i should see another doctor who might be more responsive to me & offer an alternative. Not sure I want to take AD.
Hi amaryllis, the side effects are mainly dry mouth, nausea, upset tummy, no appetite, headache but no migraines. The doctor told me I would have side effects and to try and perservere. I take my pill in the evening and so far have had no problem sleeping, in fact it has helped me.
Really thought that's wouldn't be too bad as my symptoms were light while on the contraceptive pill.
Thank you for your help. It is much appreciated

[jillydoll]

That's why I refused my doctors help on the antidepressants.
I didn't have depression and anxiety all the time, and as I said, when I upped my dose of the femoston, it all went away, so I could be taking the antidepressants for nothing.
I proved to myself that it was more eostrogen I needed....[or the progesterone for that matter] and not antidepressants.

Looking back, I must have been peri, but didn't realise it at the time, and went to the docs with anxiety, ( but at the time my parents were quite ill, and I was looking after them)
and I went onto sertraline, but had horrible side effects on them. So that's another reason why I wouldn't take them again, and plus, I knew in my heart , I didn't need them  this time around......
Like I said you may be like me, and just need more hrt....like a higher dose.
Good luck ...
Jd xx

[Kathleen]

Hello Charlie62 and welcome to the forum.

It seems many doctors reach for ADs as a first line treatment for just about anything lol. During my meno journey I have had difficult times but also times when I felt really well and calm, literally nothing has changed to cause these reactions. My mood change often includes a flush so I assume hormones are to blame. My trusty meno book talks a lot about the emotional affects of the menopause and was written in the 1980s but clearly the message is still waiting to get through to all doctors.

I hope you find the regime that works for you and please keep us updated.

K.

[Charlie62]

I decided at the weekend to stop taking the AD and have made an appointment to see another doctor for a 2nd opinion. I also spoke to my husband and daughter who both tried to reassure me. I hate feeling like this and although I have had some stresses in life I don't believe these are the causes of my anxiety or low moods although my husband believes they could be. He doesn't want me taking AD and nor do I. I'm hoping this doctor can advise me on maybe changing the hrt i am on as reading the posts on here that may be the way to go. Fingers crossed.
Quoting what a lot of women say "I just want to feel normal again"

[Charlie62]

Femoston update
Went to see a different gp who didn't really know much about the menopause so had to look at her cheat sheet (as she called it) to see what could.be prescribed. I told her I didn't want to take the AD & she agreed with me. I asked for a higher dose of femoston but she didn't know it was available until she checked online. So iv been given dosage of 2/10 which I will start tonight. Hopefully i will see some improvement in the way i feel. She also recommended that i contact my local council who offer support and talking therapies. 

[Hurdity]

Hi Charlie62

  from me too.

Good luck with the Femoston - but do be aware (if you don't already know) that this (2/10) is a cyclical HRT so is designed to give a monthly withdrawal bleed ( a false period) to shed the lining of the womb. On the plus side you won't have to take a progestogen the whole month so - along with a higher oestrogn dose this could  also help with some of your low mood? Also all the best with stopping the AD and hope it all works out for you - do let us know...

Hurdity x

[Charlie62]

Hi hurdity
Thank you for the info. The Dr didn't tell me that I would have a bleed. I haven't had 1 for years so not sure whether to take it now. I think I need to research this a bit more & maybe look at something else. As I said before the gp didn't really know what she was talking about. I also have a phone consultation with a counsellor that is supplied from my local council. It will be interesting to hear what they say & whether I can get through this without resorting to the 2/10. I'm so confused with all the info on menopause & the different treatments available.
The help & advice on here is a godsend

[CLKD]

Do you need your husband's permission to take medication  .  It doesn't matter what other people think about what we eat/drink/swallow it is OUR body and health needs that are paramount.

Read round. Make notes.  Is there a particular symptom that you would like to ease?

Maybe put the product name into the search box on here and see what threads pop up?  Being confused is OK - we have all been there  and have several threads that might be appropriate, i.e. doing stupid things, that strange woman in my house .......

[Charlie62]

Do you need your husband's permission to take medication  .  It doesn't matter what other people think about what we eat/drink/swallow it is OUR body and health needs that are paramount.

Read round. Make notes.  Is there a particular symptom that you would like to ease?

Maybe put the product name into the search box on here and see what threads pop up?  Being confused is OK - we have all been there  and have several threads that might be appropriate, i.e. doing stupid things, that strange woman in my house .......

Hi CLKD
No i do not need my husbands permission on what medication I take. I hadn't told him how i have been feeling and only opened up to him at the weekend. We, unfortunately, lost his mum on xmas eve who had been suffering with dementia and she was on the AD that i had been prescribed. When you have a family member with that disease and the amount of drugs that are administered you become very wary of the effects they have.
He is trying to support me in not going down the AD route. I have in the past taken AD for severe PMS and it worked for me but at this time in my life I would like to overcome my problems without using AD.
We are all different and I wouldn't think anything less of someone that needs AD, im just not sure its for me.
Thank you for your response and advice.
All recommendations are helpful 

[Hurdity]

Although you probably don't want to have a period it might be better to have a go at a cyclical HRT (like Femoston 2/10) for a few months to see if this imprives your mood - and also how different you feel when you add the progestogen. If you feel generally much better and not much different when you swap from the oestrogen to the combi pills - then the higher oestrogen dose is suiting you but you are OK with that particular progestogen.  Annoyingly though the conti Femoston tabs do not come in a 2 mg oestrogen dose.The other alternative is to try a patch or separate patch/gel and progesterone?

Sorry to hear about your husband's mum and it's good that he is supporting you in the route you want to take - that is so important to achieving a successful outcome ie feeling better!

Hurdity x

[Charlie62]

Although you probably don't want to have a period it might be better to have a go at a cyclical HRT (like Femoston 2/10) for a few months to see if this imprives your mood - and also how different you feel when you add the progestogen. If you feel generally much better and not much different when you swap from the oestrogen to the combi pills - then the higher oestrogen dose is suiting you but you are OK with that particular progestogen.  Annoyingly though the conti Femoston tabs do not come in a 2 mg oestrogen dose.The other alternative is to try a patch or separate patch/gel and progesterone?

Sorry to hear about your husband's mum and it's good that he is supporting you in the route you want to take - that is so important to achieving a successful outcome ie feeling better!

Hurdity x

Morning hurdity
I went to see my gp who prescribed femoston 2/10 without really knowing what it does so have had a telephone consultation with her this morning. Im ok with the physical symptoms, hardly any flushing, sweating, no weight gain but i am struggling with the mental symptoms like anxiety, low mood, crying, health anxiety & basically can't be bothered to do anything.
 She advised trying femseven conti patches but the pharmacy has just told me that they are not in stock anywhere (I think i read about that on a post here) so he is waiting for the gp to prescribe an alternative. Fingers crossed 🤞