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[tambourine queen]

Hi all
Apologies for the splurge you're about to read and if you do read then thank you!!!!
I have stopped my HRT! I've struggled a bit with it since being on in January. I am 47, peri and had gone on it really for low mood (my mum was suicidal in menopause) and joint pain which didn't really bother me much but was there.  I was on a 50mg patch and utrogestan 14 days off then on. I started in January. I found the low mood and joint pain was helped but on the progesterone fortnight i was just CRAZY anxious! Every month it was about something different (or nothing) but it was the same time of month and same intrusive thoughts just swirling constantly around. i have been having CBT but when i hit this time of the month that doesn't even touch the sides.  I've always had issues with progesterone products sending me a bit loopy - younger days on the pill showed that. I had to take a triphasic pill when i was young which spreads the hormones out across the month- any time i went on a more standard one I went off my head!
I had an HRT review in July and I raised this and the GP said to try another 3 months and see how I got on.  A few weeks ago on my progesterone time I had the worst anxiety i've ever had - really pushing towards panic attack.  After i finished the pills, I went away for teh weekend with friends and my patch floated to the top of the hot tub!!! I hadnt thought it would as i've been swimming with it etc so I hadn't packed another one. I had no choice but just to crack on. Then when i came home i wasn't sure whether to start it again or wait till my next period so i didn't do anything and now here we are! I've been off the HRT cold turkey for 11 days now.  I feel ok - a bit low at the start of my period and now a bit headachy and boob achy at the end of it. But ok! I want to talk to the GP but my appt isn't till the end of September.
So........... I am starting to wonder if I need to stop and just see where things are for me. Maybe i need some anti anxiety meds and give HRT a few years till my own hormones calm a wee bit?  I am also thinking back to what was happening last year - I had a new boss and a lot of stress at work. I am wondering if i've attributed my natural anxious nature to being more hormonal?
Anyone got any wisdom! I am aware i'm not massively sure what i'm asking. i just felt a bit desparate and this situation just kind of presented itself and here we are.

[Flossieteacake]

I do not see any harm in taking a break from HRT and trying anti anxiety medication. You can always go back to HRT if you feel you need it. I would not stop any VA treatment though as I believe that is essential to carry on if you have VA.

I hope this works out for you. I know you have had a terrible time of it all.

[tambourine queen]

Thanks Flossie! No VA for me as yet thankfully. I just feel i need to stop and take stock - everything feels too crazy for now.

[Ermin2trude]

Hi tambourine Queen,

I stopped HRT in July. The first couple of weeks I had headaches, a couple of minor hot flushes and now……I feel really really well. The biggest improvement is in my mood. I am so much happier, have energy, my mojo is back, I’m looking forward to things, making plans. It’s been a revelation.

I thought it would be awful, but it’s been the opposite. I improved my diet and added a few supplements (linseed oil, multivitamin, magnesium) and for the first time in years friends are saying ‘you look well’.

I think it’s a good idea to have a reset and see how you feel. Sometimes we get so lost in the oestrogen/progesterone quandary…..which one is causing what side effect, what needs to change etc, that our mental health takes a nose dive and anxiety ramps up.

If you are feeling ok without HRT at the moment, keep going for a bit longer and see what happens. It might be that you don’t feel the need for it yet and might go back to it much later on when you are no longer peri.

Good luck.

[tambourine queen]

Thank you! This is exactly how I feel. I need a break for now and from second guessing what symptom is what.
 

[glittergirl]

I've recently stopped mine to to leg issues. As you say it's difficult to know if the HRT is causing the side effect or if it's another perimenopause symptom. Sometimes the only way is to stop the HRT and see if it subsides. Hope everything improves for you soon.

[Nas]

Hey tambourine Queen,
I’m also planning on coming off hrt. I’ve been on the patch for a few years and had the mirena fitted last May.

I’ve got a fibroid and have been
bleeding a bit recently. I’m sick of the inconsistency I have with HRT and also sick of stressing over it. I know I need to make some real lifestyle changes and get shot of this fibroid.

It can’t do much harm having a reset to see where things are at.

I get tired and irritated easily but my job is busy and my teen kids do precious little to help round the house!

Good luck 🤞

[Hurdity]

Hi tambourinequeen

Sorry to hear about your ongoing symptoms and problems with progesteroe. Unfortunately a lot of women seem to have problems with this part of HRT.

You mentioned triphasic pills and problems with the old style contraceptive pills. I dont know much about different synthetic progestogens but one option to even out the hormonal fluctuations of peri-menopause is one of the new style pills designed specifically (I understand) for peri-menopausal women. One such is QLAIRA which has diffferent doses of oestrogen throughout the month - and is bioidentical ie estradiol (in contrast with the stronger synthetic contrceptive pills), and one of the newer style progestogens. The idea is to suppress ovulation to minimise hormonal peaks and crashes etc. Might be worth a try, especially as you are also feeling rough on the utrogestan phase?

There are also other progestogens like Provera which is much lower dose than utrogestan and which you may tolerate better.

It would be a pity to feel you have to take anti-depressants for what sounds like a hormonal issue, when a different product may suit you better, but I can understand why you feel like that.

What were your periods/cycle doing before you started HRT? This gives a clue about where you are in menopause.

All the best with whatever you decide to do given your circumstances

Hurdity x

[wendgirl70]

Hello Tanbourinequeen,

I too have just decided to stop my HRT. My Mirena was at the end of its life and Doc added in Utrogestan which did not suit me at all. So I decided to have a break and see where I am actually am with my cycle - I don't have a clue after taking contraceptives for 15 years then moving onto HRT.

Presently I am just taking supplements and making a few dietary and lifestyle changes to work with the meno symptoms. I actually feel better than when I was taking it as it was causing such a worry and anxiety (lots of bleeding etc).

My main concern is whether my mood issues return, if so I think I will think about other meds and stay off the HRT.

HRT is not a one-size fits all and may not suit some women. We just have to work with what is best for us as individuals.

Stay strong with whatever route you decide to follow. :-)

BW

Wend Girl

xx

[Emma]

https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/stopping.php

[Shorty Pants]

Hi Tambourine Queen and everyone else.  Just wanted to say thank you for everything you're adding to this forum. I only joined yesterday, but have had more support and helpful advice than ever already. 

All the other forums I've been on are almost evangelical about HRT, so it's great to hear the reality that many of us struggle with it.  And to know if I am actually going bonkers, I'm in good company!   

[tambourine queen]

Hi tambourinequeen

Sorry to hear about your ongoing symptoms and problems with progesteroe. Unfortunately a lot of women seem to have problems with this part of HRT.

You mentioned triphasic pills and problems with the old style contraceptive pills. I dont know much about different synthetic progestogens but one option to even out the hormonal fluctuations of peri-menopause is one of the new style pills designed specifically (I understand) for peri-menopausal women. One such is QLAIRA which has diffferent doses of oestrogen throughout the month - and is bioidentical ie estradiol (in contrast with the stronger synthetic contrceptive pills), and one of the newer style progestogens. The idea is to suppress ovulation to minimise hormonal peaks and crashes etc. Might be worth a try, especially as you are also feeling rough on the utrogestan phase?

There are also other progestogens like Provera which is much lower dose than utrogestan and which you may tolerate better.

It would be a pity to feel you have to take anti-depressants for what sounds like a hormonal issue, when a different product may suit you better, but I can understand why you feel like that.

What were your periods/cycle doing before you started HRT? This gives a clue about where you are in menopause.

All the best with whatever you decide to do given your circumstances

Hurdity x

Thank you Hurdity! That is really interesting and i will ask about that pill at the doctors! It might suit me better. THe triphasic pill really changed things for me.
Before I went on HRT my periods were mostly regular- 30 days or so - but had gotten crazy heavy. Then every few months i'd get a really short 18 day cycle or a mad 40 day long one. BUt since i had my son in 2015 (aged 39!!!!!!!!!!!) they had been that 30 days and pretty trouble free in terms of physical symptoms.

[tambourine queen]

Thanks to everyone who has commented! I genuinely don't know what I'd do without this place!!! Much much love!

[tambourine queen]

Hi Tambourine Queen and everyone else.  Just wanted to say thank you for everything you're adding to this forum. I only joined yesterday, but have had more support and helpful advice than ever already. 

All the other forums I've been on are almost evangelical about HRT, so it's great to hear the reality that many of us struggle with it.  And to know if I am actually going bonkers, I'm in good company!   

Stick with me kid!

[CLKD]

Why not stay off HRT for 3-4 months, keeping a mood/symptom/food diary to chart progress?  Is the anxiety cyclical?  Mine became over whelming so after a few years of Propranolol I now have an emergency pill to grab as I have been much better.

I also tried to practice relaxation therapy .......... cat would crawl onto my lap and we would sleep 

HReplacementT isn't always a cure.  Trial and Error can be tiring.  Nor do some regimes suit everyone, in that they're maybe less or more required by each. 

Let us know how you get on ya all .........