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[LucyAB]

Utrogestan sudden intolerance after 6 months?? Acute anxiety and insomnia help!
« on: Today at 08:51:28 AM »
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HI all

I'm new here, hello! 

I started HRT last November when I'd just turned 46 as I was symptomatic (sleep disturbance, anxiety, itchy scalp etc.), though my periods were regular.

My GP started me on Oestrogel and Utrogestan, I was taking 1 x pump and 200 mg Utro which seemed to work fine apart from one insomnia blip for a week or so.

Last month Utro had run out everywhere and I couldn't get any. A few days after my normal date of taking it, I started to experience insomnia and extreme anxiety which I put down to progesterone withdrawal. I got hold of some emergency supplies of Utro and took it around 10 days later than I normally would in the month, and a week or so before my normal period time; this made my symptoms much worse and after 6 days I stopped. My symptoms eased around 5 to 7 days after stopping and I had a blissful week and a half of sleep and calm, then this month when I have re started the Utro the symptoms have come back; awake all night, high anxiety and also this time extreme anger and very low mood, having to use sleeping pill to get through if I have a busy work day. I can't go on like this as I'm a sole parent and it's affecting my son's life as well as my own so I'm considering coming off HRT. I don't want to use the coil or synthetic progestens. I tried upping my Oestrogel dose to 2 x pumps but that made me feel worse and I broke out in eczema all over my face so I went back down to 1.

I wonder if this might settle if I persevere (I'm now on day 8 and still zero sleep) if I should reduce the dose to 100 for the remaining 5 days, or if I should try 100 vaginally (I've only taken orally so far)? Any advice appreciated as I'm at my wits end!

thanks

Lucy

[joziel]

Have you tried using the utrogestan vaginally instead? Lots of women find this way it doesn’t cause systemic symptoms… 👍

[Ermin2trude]

Anxiety, itchy scalp, sleep disturbances and now eczema? They sound like histamine issues which are caused by too much oestrogen affecting your mast cells etc, without progesterone to balance it out. If you’re still peri menopausal then your own hormones are fluctuating wildly and then you’re adding more oestrogen into the mix which creates huge spikes and the symptoms you are describing. People like myself with histamine issue’s can’t tolerate oestrogel. A patch gives a more consistent dose.

Perhaps change to a patch and keep a symptom chart. The 200mg utrogestan should then help keeping your spikes in check. I had to take it continuously to manage the symptoms you are describing (now I have a Mirena…..works wonderfully with no side effects…..despite wanting to do everything naturally….then bio identically…..).

[LucyAB]

Have you tried using the utrogestan vaginally instead? Lots of women find this way it doesn’t cause systemic symptoms… 👍

Am going to give it a go...

[LucyAB]

Anxiety, itchy scalp, sleep disturbances and now eczema? They sound like histamine issues which are caused by too much oestrogen affecting your mast cells etc, without progesterone to balance it out. If you’re still peri menopausal then your own hormones are fluctuating wildly and then you’re adding more oestrogen into the mix which creates huge spikes and the symptoms you are describing. People like myself with histamine issue’s can’t tolerate oestrogel. A patch gives a more consistent dose.

Perhaps change to a patch and keep a symptom chart. The 200mg utrogestan should then help keeping your spikes in check. I had to take it continuously to manage the symptoms you are describing (now I have a Mirena…..works wonderfully with no side effects…..despite wanting to do everything naturally….then bio identically…..).

That's so interesting. This did strike me, that the histamine reaction was too much oestrogen but I haven't had my levels checked am doing that first week of my next period. So you think it was potentially missing the progesterone but continuing witn Oestrogen, that made my levels spike? I wonder why it then got worse, though, this month when I reintroduced the progesterone... I was fine for the week or so before that! You'd think by this point the progesterone would help level it out?! It's all very confusing!!

[Ermin2trude]

Well yes and no. You’re perimenopausal so your own hormones are fluctuating in the background. If you had needed oestrogen when you started HRT, your periods would have been getting further and further apart and would be very light/scant, plus hot flushes etc would be creeping up on you. otherwise your oestrogen levels were fine. If your periods were heavy then your progesterone levels were low. The symptoms you described when you started HRT are those of low progesterone, normal time between periods (or getting closer together) and histamine type systems because of lowered progesterone. Adding oestrogen into your body will make those symptoms worse if you aren’t taking progesterone. I would suggest resetting your cycle by stopping the HRT and beginning again on the day your period starts. That way, you are keeping the hormones in line with the ones your body is still producing. Just out of interest have you had Covid fairly recently?

[LucyAB]

Well yes and no. You’re perimenopausal so your own hormones are fluctuating in the background. If you had needed oestrogen when you started HRT, your periods would have been getting further and further apart and would be very light/scant, plus hot flushes etc would be creeping up on you. otherwise your oestrogen levels were fine. If your periods were heavy then your progesterone levels were low. The symptoms you described when you started HRT are those of low progesterone, normal time between periods (or getting closer together) and histamine type systems because of lowered progesterone. Adding oestrogen into your body will make those symptoms worse if you aren’t taking progesterone. I would suggest resetting your cycle by stopping the HRT and beginning again on the day your period starts. That way, you are keeping the hormones in line with the ones your body is still producing. Just out of interest have you had Covid fairly recently?

That's really helpful, thanks. No covid recently, I had it twice in 2021/2022. Yes all signs are that my oestrogen levels were fine when I started and when I was tested 7 months before they were... do you mean restarting the oestrogen then? the progesterone is meant to be 15th to 26th of the month? I'm wondering if alternating days of estrogel might be better or half a pump. Sounds really like I'd be better off with progesterone only!

[Ermin2trude]

Or you could try a 25mg patch which would keep your oestrogen levels steadier with fewer spikes? But in answer to your question, I would stop the oestrogen etc until your period starts and then count it as day 1 and start again, either with a half pump or a 25mg patch (estradot if you can get it…..really really tiny) and then use the utrogestan as normal on day 15. You should then level out a bit. If you want to go down the progesterone only route, a Mirena is a good idea with no oestrogen until you start feeling the effects of your oestrogen dropping (hot flushes etc), which could be years away yet 🤞🏼🤞🏼

[LucyAB]

Or you could try a 25mg patch which would keep your oestrogen levels steadier with fewer spikes? But in answer to your question, I would stop the oestrogen etc until your period starts and then count it as day 1 and start again, either with a half pump or a 25mg patch (estradot if you can get it…..really really tiny) and then use the utrogestan as normal on day 15. You should then level out a bit. If you want to go down the progesterone only route, a Mirena is a good idea with no oestrogen until you start feeling the effects of your oestrogen dropping (hot flushes etc), which could be years away yet 🤞🏼🤞🏼

SO helpful. Thankyou!!

[LucyAB]

Or you could try a 25mg patch which would keep your oestrogen levels steadier with fewer spikes? But in answer to your question, I would stop the oestrogen etc until your period starts and then count it as day 1 and start again, either with a half pump or a 25mg patch (estradot if you can get it…..really really tiny) and then use the utrogestan as normal on day 15. You should then level out a bit. If you want to go down the progesterone only route, a Mirena is a good idea with no oestrogen until you start feeling the effects of your oestrogen dropping (hot flushes etc), which could be years away yet 🤞🏼🤞🏼

SO helpful. Thankyou!!

So I stopped Oestrogel but now experiencing anxiety at night and racing heart... god it never stops! So tried half a pump this morning. Perhaps need to wean off it slowly