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[Crow Lady]

After dropping down to estraderm 50s and utrogestan it seems like the bleeding has stopped. But I'm getting headaches / migraines again and the brain fog seems to be returning, I'm mixing words up, forgetting them etc. I am so fed-up. It's a year now of being on hrt. I'm hoping the palpitations and anxiety don't come back aswell, they were horrendous. I just don't know what to do.

[Flossieteacake]

That is such a difficult situation for you Crow Lady. I wonder if it is possible to increase the patch by just a little bit to see if that helps with the brain fog. Hopefully other members will have ideas for you.

[Kathleen]

Hello ladies.

I just wanted to sympathise. Just recently I  have seen a return of headaches which  is a Meno symptom that I had moved past years ago.
My anxiety is still present every day and I am worried about my moods.

I have been on 5O mcg of Sandrena gel for six months and it keeps sweats a dryness away but emotionally/ mentally it either isn't helping or making the mood changes worse.

My last period was thirteen years ago for goodness sake!! I truly hate my hormones! I just want to be normal again lol.

Sorry to ramble ladies but I didn't sleep well last night ( although I did the night before... go figure lol).

Take care ladies.

K.

[Mary G]

Crow Lady, it sounds like the dose is too low and/or you are not absorbing the patch.  Do you know what your oestrogen blood levels are?

Have any of you tried Oestrogel?   

I have had much better and more consistent oestrogen doses from the gel.   I found patches didn't stick properly or deliver anything like enough oestrogen to make a real difference.  They also made my migraines worse.

Poppytoast, you probably need quite a high dose of oestrogen to shift the sweats.  I had a terrible problem with sweating and a 50mcg patch didn't even scratch the surface.  I think you will probably need to be somewhere in the 400-500s oestrogen wise because they are hard to shift.

Kathleen, why are you on Sangrena as opposed to Oestrogel?   What kind of oestrogen blood levels are you getting with it?

[Kathleen]

Hello again ladies.

poppytoast -  Yes it has been a long and frustrating journey!

I feel that my current HRT is only partially effective but I am worried that higher doses will bring on the bleeding and breast pain as has happened before.

 I feel stuck between a rock and a hard place but I am not alone. Sadly there are other ladies who use the forum who have similar stories.

Mary G - My doctor at Newson Health was always trying to raise my Oestrogen levels. At one time I was prescribed 6 pumps of Oestrogel and I split them between 3 in the morning and 3 at night. I found all this gel hard to deal with so I was switched to 3 sachets of Sandrena instead. This was much easier to manage.
At about this time my blood levels were 600 but I still had episodes of anxiety and panic occuring between times of normality and calm. I also experienced swollen and painful breasts followed by bleeding. At this point I was referred for investigations which were okay but I was told to reduce my Oestrogen. I have been reducing over time and I am now using half a 1mg sachet every day, about 50mcg.
To be honest I feel about the same on half a sachet as I did on three. My blood levels haven't been measured for a long time so I have no idea where I am with that.

Perhaps my problems are not confined to the menopause or even hormones at all but unstable or inadequate levels certainly don't help lol.

Sorry to be a moan ladies, as I said I didn't sleep well last night so that isn't helping my outlook today.

Wishing everyone well and take care.

K.

[SarahT]

No need to apologise for a moan Kathleen.

Just want to send you a hug sound like you deserve one today😍 xx

[SarahT]

Actually, I send a big hug to everyone today.

We have awful hormonal days but Please remember - each and every one of us are amazing. Especially in the days we don't feel it.
X

[Kathleen]

Hello again ladies.

Thank you Sarah T your kind words are much appreciated.

Take care.

K.

[Crow Lady]

Crow Lady, it sounds like the dose is too low and/or you are not absorbing the patch.  Do you know what your oestrogen blood levels are?

Have any of you tried Oestrogel?   

I have had much better and more consistent oestrogen doses from the gel.   I found patches didn't stick properly or deliver anything like enough oestrogen to make a real difference.  They also made my migraines worse.

Poppytoast, you probably need quite a high dose of oestrogen to shift the sweats.  I had a terrible problem with sweating and a 50mcg patch didn't even scratch the surface.  I think you will probably need to be somewhere in the 400-500s oestrogen wise because they are hard to shift.

Kathleen, why are you on Sangrena as opposed to Oestrogel?   What kind of oestrogen blood levels are you getting with it?

They dropped me down to the low dose because the higher dose was making me bleed. It stopped the bleeding but I'm starting to get the symptoms back that the higher dose stopped. I've tried oestragel but was very ill on it.

[Kathleen]

Hello again ladies.

Crow Lady.-  I have just seen your reply to Mary G. Your situation is similar to mine in that higher Oestrogen caused bleeding but lower Oestrogen doesn't control all symptoms.

I felt that I was being asked to choose between my physical and mental health but it wasn't really a choice as the bleeding and breast pain are serious problems and can not be ignored.

I hope for your sake that your anxiety and palpitations don't reappear.

 Looking back I wish I had pushed through the rough times so that I could come out the other side. I presume that is what women who don't use HRT do. However when I am struggling I remember why I turned to HRT in the first place.

I hope you find a solution soon and please, if you do, let us know how you did it! I for one am dying to know lol.

Wishing you well and take care.

K.

[Mary G]

Crow Lady, on sorry to hear that and a lap that Oestrogel made you very ill.   Did you take the gel on its own or with the Utrogestan continuously?

Kathleen, I'm also sorry to hear about your anxiety and panic attacks.   I can understand why you switched to a more concentrated gel, it makes sense if you were on a very high dose.   High doses of oestrogen are not always the answer but it might help if you could find out how well you are absorbing the Sandrena.  I think you said you are taking an AD (amitriptyline?) which should help but have you tried adding testosterone?   I'm not a massive fan of testosterone and I'm not sure how much it helps me but a lot of women find it really helps with mood.   Are you feeling better with the extra progesterone?

[Kathleen]

Hello again Mary G

Thank you so much for your interest.

I hope to have a follow up appointment with a Newson Health doctor in June so I will ask about blood tests then. My last doctor at NH told me that she was leaving the company and that the admin people would be in touch nearer the time. Your comments have reminded me to chase them up so extra thanks for that.

I am taking the AF Venlafaxine also known as Effexor. I was prescribed this early on in post meno and tbh I am not sure what benefit it has now.

As for testosterone again NH were keen to prescribe this but I had to pre load with Oestrogen until I could try it. At NH they use Androfeme which is an Australian product designed specifically for women. I used this for about eighteen months to two years but sadly I didn't get the miracle lift that some women have. Incidentally, I think some other ladies here didn't notice a difference and consequently stopped taking it as I have done. However other women do find it very helpful.

As for the extra progesterone, I have had to order some more Cyclogest pessaries from the NH site so I can't yet double my dose by using one every night as I would run out before the next batch arrives.

I am sorry to go on and sometimes I feel that I am a hopeless case. I have certainly been on this rollercoaster ride for a long time with only limited success using HRT.

I spoke to a friend today and now I am wondering if this long journey has led me to a different kind of problem and perhaps my mental health will never recover from this hormonal battering!  It's a scary thought I must say.

Thanks again Mary G for your comments and questions, I very much appreciate being able to talk this through with a good listener!

Wishing you well and take care.

K.

[Crow Lady]

Crow Lady, on sorry to hear that and a lap that Oestrogel made you very ill.   Did you take the gel on its own or with the Utrogestan continuously?

It was 2 pumps of gel and utrogestan daily. I was ill within 24 hours of starting the gel. Exactly the same thing happened when I started testegel last year. Apparently I over-absorb it.