Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Shorty Pants]

Hi everyone.  I'm new to the forum and hoping you can help.

I'm 55 and had quite a lot of weight-gain after having the mirena fitted for painful periods ~14 years ago, then more weight gain again with evorel patches up to 1.5 stones above my previous weight. I'm only small (hence the username!) and very active, so the weight gain is a big deal for me.

I've come off my evorel 25 patches gradually over about 5 weeks and have lost about 8lbs in weight. I was feeling OK, up til the last quarter of a patch, when my hot sweats started back up, along with a bit of hair loss. The flushes are worse than I've ever had before (I started with them 8 years ago) and are waking me up early morning and I can't get back to sleep.

I've a couple of questions for you lovely folks:
1.  Has anyone else experienced this on coming off patches and if so, do these symptoms settle down?
2.  I was only on evorel 25, but am always v sensitive to any medications, so if I do go back on the patches, can I taper back up until my symptoms go and stay at a smaller dose than 25 if this means I don't get the breast swelling and weight gain?

Any other thoughts/ideas always welcome too! 🙂

[CLKD]

It's trial and error.  Which symptom were you trying to ease?  If 25 suits your hormone levels, then stick with it.

Have U had your thyroid function levels checked as this can be a sign of weight gain?  Do U still have a Mirena?

[Shorty Pants]

Thanks for your thoughts CLDK.  I have had sore boobs and weight gain (albeit water retention) for 18 months on evorel 25.  My question is really whether it would be OK to continue to cut the patch and be on a lower dose than 25 if it means I don't get the flushes, etc. and the weight doesn't come back on.

I've had my thyroid and everything else checked and all's OK.

I've had the mirena ~14 years - initially for painful periods - and put on about 10lbs with that also that never went. 

Ideally I'd come off all hrt, including the mirena if I thought I could manage symptoms and not have periods again.  The weight issue is a biggie for me, as I've always been a very active outdoors person.

[CLKD]

Sorry I mis-read - about lowering the dose.  Hopefully someone will be along, certainly I would experiment a little to see if the effects improved my symptoms overall.

Glad that the thyroid function etc. are 'within normal limits'.

Let us know how you get on.  Who prescribed your HRT?  It might be worth getting a referral to a dedicated menopause clinic although there are waiting lists, you can cancel the appt nearer the time if symptoms improve.

[Shorty Pants]

Thanks CLKD - no probs.  Yes, I'm always one to post an awkward question! Ha! 

My GP prescribed the patches and TBH is pretty good.  I think I'm quite lucky with her knowledge of HRT and she is willing to play about with things a little, but I prefer to go armed with as much info as possible before I consult with anyone.  As you say, it looks likely to be an experiment anyway doesn't it?  I'll see how I get on with this and if need be request the meno clinic referral, so thanks for the heads up with that. 

[CLKD]

Let us know how you get on.  Hopefully someone who uses Evorel will be along with proper advice 

[Ermin2trude]

A direct answer to your question is yes. My menopause specialist wants me to start on 12.5mg …..half a patch, when or if I restart HRT. I’m extremely sensitive to hormonal changes like you, she even suggested I might start on a quarter of a patch. Another option might be to try a different patch. If you can get estradot prescribed, you might find it doesn’t cause the issues you have been having with Evorel. Personally, I couldn’t cope with Evorel but Estradot is a slightly different oestrogen (oestradiol  hemihydrate which your body absorbs and then converts itself into what your body needs). Lots of women on here find Estradot is easier on their bodies. Plus point, they are really tiny.

Another question, do you wake up with night sweats ie drenched in sweat, or do you wake up and immediately have a night sweat? If it’s the latter then they’re caused by your blood sugar levels dropping. If the former, then it’s hormonal.

Finding the balance between too high a dose of oestrogen (sore boobs, fluid retention etc) and too little (hot flushes, low mood plus a myriad of other issues) can be difficult. Maybe another option would be the gel. 2 pumps is equal to a 50mg patch, 1 pump = 25mg patch, so you could adjust it accordingly depending on how you are feeling…..half a pump, a tiny squirt….

Good luck. Remember, it’s your body, your symptoms and you have to find an HRT regime that suits you…whatever it takes.

[Shorty Pants]

Thank you so much Ermin2Trude.  This forum is fab - I'm so glad I joined!

Re: Estradot - I was the opposite to you - was OK on Evorel, but had huge side effects with Estradot!  Aren't we a funny lot!    I do have some estradots left from before though, so I guess I could always have a play around with cutting them up i need be!

Thank you sharing your experience about cutting the patch and that it's not just me who's so sensitive to any changes.  That's reassuring if nothing else.

Night sweats - It's the former - I'm waking up drenched, so thanks for the info there.

Thank you again for your reassurance, that's really helpful. 

[Tribbins]

Hi Shorty Pants

I started on a quarter Evorel 25, it's taken me ages to work up to the amount I'm on now (37mcg, one and a half patches), around 4 months. I'm really sensitive to hormonal changes, mainly jittery-ness, migraines and sleep issues. I've just started on progesterone which feels like it's undone the positives that I was getting from oestrogen. I also found that since starting Evorel 25 I am having lots of hair loss also, but it does seem to have started growing back as I've increased, so maybe lower doses aren't too good for hair, but it's likely that's very much an individual thing?

Also weight gain - can't get my usual clothes done up round the waist, which is horrifying! I'm going to have to tie them up with bailer twine or something. Even on lowest dose my tummy started to inflate, and like you I'm a small person and the extra few pounds make a lot of difference. I hope you find something that suits you, glad that you have a good GP to help you through the trial and error that HRT seems to be.

[Shorty Pants]

Tribbins - thanks for sharing your experience.  It's helpful to know it's not just me and does help me make a decision moving forwards.  I'm so happy for the people who have had a positive experience with hormones, but it's set out to be a straightforward cure-all with the media and certain doctors and I can see I'm not alone in that not being the case.

Thanks also for letting me know about the quarter patch.  Whilst my GP has been great about cutting patches, etc, she's never gone down the route of starting with the smallest dose and working up.  In her eyes, the smallest dose was 25.
Good luck with the waist band too.  I live on a farm, so can mail you some twine over if all fails! 

[purplebee]

Hi Shorty pants,
I started HRT (Evorel Conti) over 20 years ago. At some point I cut the patch in half and sailed on quite happily for years. As we age our bodies fluctuate with needs and I found my night sweats returning. I upped my patch a little bit and endured the inevitable bleeds (every time you increase or lower a dose it's like starting again so you have to expect the spotting.. In my opinion, a lower dose is preferable but too low and you will incur the sweating which usually happened around 4 0r 5 a.m in my case.  When I first started HRT the main reason I needed it was for the awful night sweats and Evorel stopped them in their tracks in less than a week, it was a godsend! It's all trial and error at the end of the day. I'm more sensitive to Hormones these days and have to be careful. I recently started taking Utrogestan with a oestrogen patch (Evorel) I took it orally and vaginally and it gave me the most awful night sweats amongst other unpleasant issues. So, I have returned the Evorel C patches again. Good luck on your journey. Keep us posted.

[Shorty Pants]

Thank you Purplebee for sharing your experiences.  It does help to know I'm not alone in this. I'm fortunate in that I haven't had periods for years with the Mirena, although I strongly think this has brought its own issues, which is why ideally I'd preferably choose not to have this any more.  I've always been sensitive to progesterone and it caused a couple of bouts of depression in the past with the contraceptive pill.

I've had some great advice from you and others on here and after another horrendous, sleepless night with sweats, anxiety, headaches have decided on a course of action.  These are much worse than I was ever experiencing before starting HRT. Problem is I'm self-employed and can't afford to be not on top form at the moment at my really busy time.  So I've cut my 25 patch in quarters this morning and started with just this dose again.

I like the way you've viewed your journey with tHRT and altering the dose if symptoms break through.  So that's what I'm going to do too. I can always come back to coming completely off it again at a 'better' time in future.  LIke you, I do think I'm very sensitive to the hormones, so hopefully I'll get a quick response to the patch as you had.

Thank you again.  I'm feeling so grateful for all the support on here. 😊

[CLKD]

   we R a mine of information 

[TJ1313]

I feel best on just half a 0.25 patch, if I stop the patch my anxiety and panic attacks come back but if I have a full patch I dont feel good at all, moody and irritable. So I'm sticking with what makes me feel best. I'm not sure if that low a dose helps with bones/heart etc. I'm also on Mirena and happy that it stops my periods but have noticed that I have constant headaches and have now noticed how thin my hair is getting. And weight gain 

[Shorty Pants]

  we R a mine of information 

Haha! Indeed!