morning racjen - how are you today. So looking at the answers to you questions... here are some observations and some of what you have written sounds like where I was...
Past
(1) So I was waking in a complete panic in the mornings very high anxiety and I was waking up nauseas. I would be anxious all day and had a sense of doom and the worry I couldn't complete any task properly. I made mistakes and I forgot things just like you on a pretty grand scale from 1-10 we were permanently at 9 and then some days the full 10!
(2) I couldn't sleep, my brain felt tired but when I lay down and closed my eyes (sometimes I couldnt close them actually) my mind would race and I would be wide awake sometimes throughout the whole night to about 4-5 in the morning, sleep for a couple of hours if lucky and then wake with a start. More often than not any sleeping meds didnt work (except high levels of diazepam which my dr prescribed sparingly but not enough to get me into any pattern). It was like I was on high adrenalin all night being beyond overtired but unable to sleep.
(3) when I was on continuous progesterone I was totally suicidal- dangerously so. Some progesterone was worse than others.
(4) I tried 5 types of hrt methods before I got one that worked. I could not manage on (a) everol of any kind, (b)Femeston, (c)Tridestra, (d) Provera progesterone + Premarin and I was on (e)prempack for 6 years before it was discontinued but it wasnt working and I didnt know any better over a total period of 10/11 years.
Present
I have been on oestrogel and utrogestan on a cycle for the last 7 months. - anxiety and panic gone/nausea gone/doom gone/foggy head so bad I thought I had alzheimers gone/agriphobia gone/acid reflux gone/sore joints from meno gone/tooth ache and earache from jaw clenching intermittant/insomnia scale of 1-10 now a 3/racing mind rare/flushes gone/itching skin gone/irritablity scores 3/jumpiness in legs gone/left sided face ache around my left eye gone.
Remaining was depression but now not the suicidal sort anymore but it is aggrivated at the time I take my Utro. I feel it creeping in by day 3 and I cannot get to 12 days! Still a bit poorly motivated and lacking in concentration scores max3.
So I'm with Northarm when I read over what you have said.
(1) My first point is that you have only ever been on evoral as a delivery method of your oestrogen. It was high at 200 but it did the job to get your levels up - it is now at 100 and the patch delivers continuously. Observation - (a) maybe the continuous delivery is contributing to the anxiety (b) maybe the dose is still too high for you (everol never touched my anxiety in any format sequi or conti) - Conclusion - you have changed other parts of your hrt regime but everol has remained constant. Maybe changing this will work better for you.
On that note - ref oestrogen - I think you need to try another patch like Northarm uses Estrodot or use the oestrogel pump. (I think a lot of the other patches have been discontinued??? - ladies am I right or is there something else racjen could consider?) The gel pump method is very flexible because you are in control of how many pumps you use. You can start at 1 and work up to 4. Instead of continuous delivery at a certain level you can actually find out what level of oestrogen suits you body instead of trailing back to the GP every 5 minutes for different levels of patches or having to cut them in half etc. You may find that only 1 or 2 pumps cuts the anxiety and insomnia.
(2) I would agree with Northarm - you have to have some form of progesterone but it has to be a short cycle. I myself am moving to only 7 days as per the studd regime and taking it into my own hands because I am still struggling with the depressive tearfulness etc on 10 days and I can barely manage to get there just like Northarm. From what you have been posting sounds like you are a candidate to try the studd regime. Try Utro for 7 days only for a good3 months and see how you feel. I think.
Testosterone - it took 6 months to sort out my gel and my utro (and the utro is still not right but getting there). I have only just started on the testosterone with the tiniest blob twice a week. The only difference it has made is that it has taken away a weird tired feeling I had behind my eyes and my brain feels more "present" in the real world but I have only had two full weeks. I would count out testosterone for at least 6 months or even longer until you have all the other symptoms under control.
If you GP is unhelpful ref gel/estrodot and studd regime then AgathaC has a brilliant idea about finding out who is the expert talking at this conference on Cancer Induced Menopause because it fits your circumstances perfectly. If you arent allowed to go or couldnt go then just find out who the expert or experts who are speaking because they must be discussing treatment.
or
You could write to Dr Currie outlining these specifics and she will sort a letter to your GP
or
or someone else wrote in a post another consultant you could see and you replied but I just cant find the name
or
you could just go to your existing consultant (I'd try to get a phone consult first because it is a long way away from your home to go to the clinic in Poole to just to go) and say I am unhappy with what you said at the consult, I have been doing some research and this is what I want to try (gel/estrodot/7 day utro because....(I am pretty sureif you make the case they would let you try)
I think evoral could be the main problem.
Hope I am not speaking out of turn
