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[Peri2022]

Hello wonderful ladies, I started HRT 2 weeks ago at age 45 after suffering the most debilitating anxiety and panic, in addition to increasing night sweats, long/heavy periods and all the other joys of perimenopause. Since starting Estradot 50mcg, I've overall improved but I find that I have some pleasant highs as well as really awful lows. My mood crashes and symptoms return with a vengeance if I leave the patch for longer than 3 days - even 3 and a half days is too long - and then sometimes when I do put a new patch on, I feel really buzzy, restless and nauseous for about 12 hours. Teeth grinding and agitated, the lot. I can only describe it as feeling like I'm on drugs (which obviously I am). I'm a bit anxious as I haven't even started the utrogestan yet (that'll be tomorrow). Should I just persist at this dosage, and will the rollercoaster eventually level out? Or do you reckon I should go up to 75mcg? I'm with the Newson clinic and have another appt in 3 months so am just trying to tweak things myself in the meantime. Thanks in advance.

[Flossieteacake]

Hello peri2022. Welcome to the forum. I can understand why you are feeling this way as your body is not used to this higher dose of oestrogen. I feel it would have been better for you to start you off on the 25 patch to begin with. I would cut your patch in half and take is slowly. They say to cut diagonally rather then straight.

Do you have a womb? If so you will need progesterone too. Your GP may want to just see how you get on with the oestrogen first.

[sheila99]

I would advise you not to increase yet. If you always fell bad after 3 days you could change every 3 days. It's early days and you really need to give it longer to settle. If it's definitely related to patch change you might consider get instead and applying it twice a day. I'm afraid highs and lows are inevitable in peri because your own peaks and troughs mean at some point you'll have either too much or too little. It does get easier to manage as you head towards meno.

[Peri2022]

Thank you both for your replies. It's very helpful to hear from HRT 'veterans' who are a bit further down the line! It's just so new and disorientating to be on this roller coaster and not know when it will end or where it will lead. Swtiching to gel is an interesting idea that I will think about. I'm going to persevere for a while before I change my dosage and hopefully my body will adjust.

[Kathleen]

Hello Peri2022 and welcome to the forum.

I am very post meno and mood changes have been my main Meno symptom for some time. Infact I think that they are now my only remaining problem.

In recent months I have wondered if my oestrogen  is either too high or that I am over sensitive to changing levels so I have been slowly reducing my HRT accordingly.

If I were you I would see how you fare when you incorporate progesterone as this may balance your Oestrogen without needing to change dosage.

Wishing you well.

K.

[Peri2022]

Thanks to you all for posting. Diving into the Utrogestan tonight (or rather, it is diving into me) so we'll see how it goes...

[Flossieteacake]

Thanks to you all for posting. Diving into the Utrogestan tonight (or rather, it is diving into me) so we'll see how it goes...

I hope it goes well for you.

[Kathleen]

Hello again Peri2022.

Good luck with the Utrogestan and keep us updated.

Take care.

K.

[Peri2022]

Thanks Flossie and Kathleen. I took my first Utrogestan 200mg vaginally last night and felt fine this morning, if slightly spaced out. Unfortunately though I changed my Estradot patch again today and have had another day of feeling incredibly agitated and jittery, like I want to grind my teeth and have lots of nervous energy. This just doesn't seem right. I wonder if I should go down to half a patch (25mcg) - have you heard of anyone else having these symptoms? So confusing!

[sheila99]

I think going down to half a patch would be a good idea, it sounds as though you're getting too much. You might find 25 is all you need or it might be your body just needs longer to get used to it.

[Clarella]

I had to go very slowly up the strengths after 50.

I’d started on 37.5 which was brilliant then wore off,  obviously going to 50 wasn’t a big jump but 50 to 75 was tough. So I’ve had some 25s to cut in half to take me from 75 to 87.5 for a number of weeks before finally at 100.

You may find 25 or 37.5 easier going