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[Petra]

So back to original question,  any idea how long before symptoms come back and any idea which will come back first please? My main ones were hot flushes at night which would wake me up with a start at 4am, constipation and increased health anxiety. I can handle the physical but not the anxiety- the estrogel has helped that but then it is all undone the minute I have to put utrogestan into my body 😥

Last year, I stopped entirely (was on 25 mcg estradot patches and 5mg provera at that time)...mainly because I was having a hysteroscopy/ablation so it seemed a good time to try doing without — my GP always nagging at me to stop. So, I stopped HRT on 15 August and in early December my symptoms were back — primarily night sweats which destroyed sleep — and I was back on HRT by 19 Dec. So roughly 3 months give or take. (I had vowed to stick it out for 6, but caved after a couple of weeks of not getting much sleep.)

Since then, I found a meno specialist (I'm in New Zealand) and haven't seen my GP all year.

Thanks, that is good to know! Three months would do me fine, tide me over until I see specialist in January. Was anxiety one of your reasons for going on hrt and did that come back?

I definitely had anxiety, but I could never separate out whether the lack of sleep (due to night sweats) was the cause of the anxiety or whether the anxiety was its own thing. In my 'self' I felt like the lack of sleep was a primary cause of the anxiety because I'd had bouts of terrible insomnia+anxiety in my 30s, and I always associate the two. (Again, who knows which caused which!) Either way, yes, anxiety was a reason for HRT and it went away as my night sweats went away and I could get better sleep again. Not terribly, helpful I know.

[Penguin]

So back to original question,  any idea how long before symptoms come back and any idea which will come back first please? My main ones were hot flushes at night which would wake me up with a start at 4am, constipation and increased health anxiety. I can handle the physical but not the anxiety- the estrogel has helped that but then it is all undone the minute I have to put utrogestan into my body 😥

Last year, I stopped entirely (was on 25 mcg estradot patches and 5mg provera at that time)...mainly because I was having a hysteroscopy/ablation so it seemed a good time to try doing without — my GP always nagging at me to stop. So, I stopped HRT on 15 August and in early December my symptoms were back — primarily night sweats which destroyed sleep — and I was back on HRT by 19 Dec. So roughly 3 months give or take. (I had vowed to stick it out for 6, but caved after a couple of weeks of not getting much sleep.)

Since then, I found a meno specialist (I'm in New Zealand) and haven't seen my GP all year.

Thanks, that is good to know! Three months would do me fine, tide me over until I see specialist in January. Was anxiety one of your reasons for going on hrt and did that come back?

I definitely had anxiety, but I could never separate out whether the lack of sleep (due to night sweats) was the cause of the anxiety or whether the anxiety was its own thing. In my 'self' I felt like the lack of sleep was a primary cause of the anxiety because I'd had bouts of terrible insomnia+anxiety in my 30s, and I always associate the two. (Again, who knows which caused which!) Either way, yes, anxiety was a reason for HRT and it went away as my night sweats went away and I could get better sleep again. Not terribly, helpful I know.

It is actually really helpful, as it's given me things to plan ahead for, so thank you! I was always fine getting to sleep but the hot flash would wake me up with a start and a rush of cortisol at 3am or 4am and then the anxiety would kick in. I'm going to research things for sleep so I'm ready for it. Unfortunately the things that used to help, like 5htp, I can no longer take due to the anti depressant I am on. I might look into sage a bit more, perhaps if I start some of these things now, they'll be up and running in my system for when any symptoms would be coming back amd I can head them off.

[Petra]

I was always fine getting to sleep but the hot flash would wake me up with a start and a rush of cortisol at 3am or 4am and then the anxiety would kick in.

Yes!! This. Horrible. After that, the monkey mind kicks in and it's all over!

[SarahT]

Hi Penguin,
How's it going? Obviously too soon to know about physical symptoms but just hoping you feel ok in yourself? X

[Penguin]

Hi Penguin,
How's it going? Obviously too soon to know about physical symptoms but just hoping you feel ok in yourself? X

Hi Sarah, yes I actually feel fine thanks. Last day I took utrogestan was Wednesday when I took a half dose. I was meant to take it on Thursday but I started spotting and by bedtime period had started so I gave it a miss. So Thursday was my last day of estrogel. I've slept fine,  anxiety fine, was worried in the night that my finger joints were sore but they felt okay by the morning. My tummy has definitely been better, no upper tummy gas pain which I'd been getting with the utrogestan and no overheating. So far so good!

[SarahT]

Sounds good. You have thought this through well and the timings should work out, so fingers crossed.

[Marsal7878]

C how U feel on the 100mg?  R U able to take it on alternative nights .........

Hi penguin
What were your symptoms? I've only been on hrt for 8 weeks and it's made me feel dreadful, increased anxiety, feeling sick, dizzy, not myself, loss of appetite and now horrendous acid reflux so stopped cold turkey just over a week ago I'm still having the increased anxiety and stomach cramps. Did you stop your hrt and how are ypu feeling now. I was wondering how long it took for hormones to rebalance back to pre hrt I'm rather desperate to feel better again! Thank you for reading

[Penguin]

C how U feel on the 100mg?  R U able to take it on alternative nights .........

Hi penguin
What were your symptoms? I've only been on hrt for 8 weeks and it's made me feel dreadful, increased anxiety, feeling sick, dizzy, not myself, loss of appetite and now horrendous acid reflux so stopped cold turkey just over a week ago I'm still having the increased anxiety and stomach cramps. Did you stop your hrt and how are ypu feeling now. I was wondering how long it took for hormones to rebalance back to pre hrt I'm rather desperate to feel better again! Thank you for reading

On the utrogestan I was overheating, had upper GI stuff plus silent reflux that I'd never had before, depression, couldn't sleep due to overheating, not good. I stopped hrt on Wednesday so very early days. My finger joints have been sore again and I am feeling more tired than usual but I am also on my period so estrogen would be low anyway. I think too early to tell for me tbh but I will report back. I definitely feel overall calmer though and the mental relief of knowimg i dont have to do the utrogestan this month is great.

[Marsal7878]

Thank you
I'm nearly 2 weeks off it and not fully back to where I was before hrt but think I'm going in the right direction
Thanks for replying 🙂

[Penguin]

Thank you
I'm nearly 2 weeks off it and not fully back to where I was before hrt but think I'm going in the right direction
Thanks for replying 🙂

I had a bad night last night, defo due to the drop in estrogen, really tempted to whack some gel on today. Perhaps I shouldn't have done it cold turkey after all, but its not like I was on a high dose of estrogel 😥

[CrispyChick]

Penguin.

I jumped with you. Now I was only on progesterone.

My god. I've felt like death since stopping. Definitely think I should have tapered. Have now had a constant withdrawl headache since yesterday morn. Nothing takes it away. But I know it's withdrawl.

Realistically, I'm giving my body a month to find it's own rhythm again. And ..in all this awfulness, I'm not sure I'm any worse  than I was on it.

Marsal, you're two weeks ahead. Let us know when you perk up. You will xxx

[SarahT]

Just wanted to send a hug to all those having an extra hard time of things x

[Penguin]

Penguin.

I jumped with you. Now I was only on progesterone.

My god. I've felt like death since stopping. Definitely think I should have tapered. Have now had a constant withdrawl headache since yesterday morn. Nothing takes it away. But I know it's withdrawl.

Realistically, I'm giving my body a month to find it's own rhythm again. And ..in all this awfulness, I'm not sure I'm any worse  than I was on it.

Marsal, you're two weeks ahead. Let us know when you perk up. You will xxx

I'm giving it one whole cycle too. Felt better getting up and out. Early mornings seems to be the worst, I remember that from before I started the hrt.

[Penguin]

Just wanted to send a hug to all those having an extra hard time of things x

Thank you Sarah xxx

[CrispyChick]

Yes, thanks Sarah.

I'm grumpy as hell today. Like really grumpy!!! Good job I'm home alone for the best part of the day.