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[WildOtter]

Hi.

Been in surgical menopause since March 2022. Initially on Everol 50 which worked for about 6 months then started to experience extreme fatigue, aches, low mood. Tried increasing the patches to 75, no improvement

Moved onto gel as my doctor thinks I don't absorb patches. Been on 2 pumps of oestrogel for a month now. Fatigue gone, aches gone, anxiety absolutely through the roof, feel jittery 24/7, can't focus, can't relax, can't concentrate, heart palpitations. 

Shouldn't this have settled down after a month? I know it takes a while, but it's gotten worse, not better.

I've tried increasing the dose to 75 on the gel but that increases my anxiety to genuinely unbearable levels. 

Don't know where to go from here, neither patches or gel seem to work. Pills not an option as I have a history of blood clots. My GP offered Estridot but I can't find it anywhere.  Huge reluctance from my GP to offer testosterone due to complex medical history. Can't afford to go private. Really struggling.

[CLKD]

Morning.  It's probably too early to consider testosterone and it has to be prescribed through a menopause clinic.  Getting settled on a regime is important first.

How about upping the 2 pumps to 3 a couple of times a week with a gap between, to see an extra will help?  Put the product name into the search box to see what others have done?

Also, your GP could prescribe an appropriate anti-anxiety medication or Propranolol to ease surges. 

[sheila99]

Feeling jittery can be a symptom of too much oestrogen.

[WildOtter]

I am taking propranolol, it doesn't make any appreicable difference. 

The problem is not knowing. Is it too much, too little, just a case of getting used to it... I don't know which way to turn, and my GP isn't much help, she says she'll do bloods to see where I'm at once I'm established on a dose but that doesn't help me with which way to turn while getting established.

It's a good idea to try adding 3 pumps in every few days, I will try that.

[CLKD]

Let us know how you get on. 

In the mean time, ask for a referral to a dedicated menopause clinic.

[Gnatty]

Maybe you are absorbing the gel really really well and are now getting more than you need. It's really difficult to know whether to go up or down. And sometimes all we can do is experiment on ourselves. The main thing is don't chop and change too frequently. You could try splitting the dose that's another option. Sometimes half a pump can make all the difference again up or down. I would be tempted to try one and a half pumps and see if it helps. But again whichever decision you make try and stick with it a while to see if it settles. Bloods might not help too much because we are all so different. One woman might feel great at 400 whereas another might feel absolutely dreadful. You will get there! Just a little tweak or two.

[joziel]

I agree with Gnatty. Try reducing your gel to 1 pump and see if you feel better. You've already tried increasing to 3 and found it made things even worse so try going down instead...

The symptoms you describe can indeed be too much estrogen.