Print

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

[BridesheadRevisited]

Hi everyone!
I've been on 3mg Sandrena gel per day since my TAH + BSO almost  6 years ago. I'm so fed up with the side effects (swollen, painful boobs in particular) that I made the decision to simply STOP cold turkey, 5 days ago.

I'm feeling OK so far, although I've been very nauseous?

Anyone been through cold turkey after a similar period of time? What was it like? How long did everything take to settle?

Thank you!

[CLKD]

Morning.  R U able to explain TAH and BSO 

I feel nauseous when ever I drop any of my medications: statins, ADs, etc.; it mayB that you no longer require HRT?

Some find that keeping a mood/food/symptom diary of use.    browse round.

[BridesheadRevisited]

Hey, of course! TAH = total abdominal hysterectomy, including tubes and cervix  and BSO = Bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (both ovaries removed. Basically, I have nothing left.

I was therefore plunged into surgical menopause straight after surgery, hence being put onto oestrogen gel straight away (no need for progesterone as no uterus).

Now I've gone cold turkey, I'll be in surgical menopause...

[FakeID]

That’s a really high dose of oestrogen. Maybe you should try a lower one?
My breasts were really sore for about four months when I started HRT but are great now so this is a symptom that will settle unless your dose is too high I guess.

[Kathleen]

Hello BridesheadRevisited and welcome to the forum.

When I came off HRT a few years ago I slowly tapered my dose but I recall that after about three weeks without oestrogen my meno symptoms began to return. After a while I went back to using HRT.

More recently I changed dosage again due to bleeding and spotting, I needed to increase progesterone which resolved the bleeding quite quickly but the breast tenderness took a few more weeks to disappear, though it did lessen every day.

Although I didn't come off HRT suddenly I hope my experiences are of help..

Take care.

K.

[CLKD]

tnx for the explanation.  How do U feel overall?   Sometimes a small amount of oestrogen can be released even when the ovaries have been removed.

[joziel]

Brideshead, I think the thing to try would have been to lower the estrogen dosage and to actually take utrogestan/progesterone. It is a myth that the entire function of progesterone in our bodies is to stop the uterine lining thickening. It does way more than that. Even men make progesterone(!).

There is no reason you can't take utrogestan without a uterus so that would have been the first thing to try, to see if it can help balance the estrogen for you. And perhaps lowering that estrogen dosage - it would be good to have some bloods to go by as well, seeing you're in surgical menopause.

HRT decreases the risk of osteoporosis, heart disease, bowel cancer, dementia and osteoarthritis. These are all serious diseases of aging.

[FakeID]

That’s a really high dose of oestrogen. Maybe you should try a lower one?
My breasts were really sore for about four months when I started HRT but are great now so this is a symptom that will settle unless your dose is too high I guess.

[BridesheadRevisited]

Thanks everyone - definitely some food for thought.

After my surgery, I was actually given progesterone too, and it sent me completely crazy. I've been pretty stable on jist oestrogen  - I just find the side effects on my body are something I no longer wish to tolerate.

Yes, I guess I could simply lower my dose to see if that helps.

I already take daily meds for various long term.health conditions, and I think it would have been nice to be able to stop this one
But I hear the counter arguments regarding long term health loud and clear.

Thank you for taking the time to reply x