Print

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

[Tulip256]

I have been on HRT for 3 years. In the last 18 months I have had 3 bouts of weird digestive symptoms each lasting months at a time.

The first started in April 2023 and ran to July 2023, then again Oct 2023 to January 2024 and now had just started again. They seem to start for no reason (no dietary or other trigger)

Each time it starts with a reflux like burn in my oesophagus but not linked to food at all, it is there all the time even if fasting. I then get bloating and indigestion and intermittent burning but again not linked to food. Even if I keep my calories up I loose weight which I cannot afford to loose (low BMI). The symptoms are always there but gradually fizzle out at about 3 months. 

I have been to the GP and even had an endoscopy but they cannot figure out anything. They just tell me to take a PPI until I point out that they are bad for bone density and then they seem at a complete loss.  I would really like to address the underpinning cause of these symptoms and I am now starting to think it could be linked to my HRT.

I initially wondered if the oestrogen was too low but tried upping it from 75mg to 87mg for a couple of months a year ago and go horrible symptoms (blood pressure went up a lot and was really dizzy). I am now wondering whether I should try lowering it.

I was wondering if anyone else has had these type of symptoms linked to their HRT and any success in lowering it? I did find this paper which seemed to suggest HRT could cause reflux by affecting the lower oesophageal sphincter. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7689967/

The only issue is that I have been advised to use HRT due to low bone density so I am reluctant to come off it altogether. I was wondering if it would be worth trialling a reduction to 50mg and wondered if anyone else had a similar experience with HRT and reflux/weight loss.

[CLKD]

I can't remember from your other threads  whether you have had a recent bone scan: pelvis and hips?

How is your exercise regime?  Without stopping replacement altogether U won't really know if it's upsetting your digestive tract. 

[Tulip256]

Yes I had a bone scan early this year -2.3 hips, -1.8 spine and not changed since I started HRT.  When I saw an NHS rheumatologist she thought it was just because I have a small frame but recommended I stay on the HRT.

I do weight training at home and make sure I get 8k steps a day. I could do with doing a bit more jump training but have to be careful with this due to pelvic floor/prolapse issues.

[jaypo]

I suffer reflux too,which if it happens through the night I feel terribly sick,I have omeprazole 40mg (strong) but like you, I don't want to take them too often because of the bone density thing.
Reflux can just be another symptom of meno,you say you get the burning even if you haven't eaten but this in itself could cause the burning.
Ginger can be good,I take ginger capsules,they seem to help,also a big glug of gaviscon works wonders x

[CLKD]

Where as  - ginger gives me a cough and gaviscon       . .........

As oestrogen levels drop hiatus hernia is common = reflux.  My GP prescribes omeprazole to ease that irritating cough caused by reflux.

8K - how far is that in really money!

[rferdi]

One of the myriad perimenopause symptoms I've had is digestive issues, which appeared early on, when I still wasn't aware I was actually going through peri. I went to my doctor many times and to a gastroenterologist and had an endoscopy, it all seemed normal. Yet my symptoms were awful, I had difficulty digesting any kind of food, with bloating, constant burping, gas, also sometimes struggling to swallow food or liquid, the constant need to clear my throat, etc.

I've been on HRT for a few months now and I can't say things have improved much as far as digestion goes, although some days they're a lot better than others, which makes me think it could be due to the wide fluctuations of estrogen I must be having every day?..

I refuse to take omeprazol for many reasons. The only way I've found relief is taking a good broad spectrum digestive enzyme supplement, making sure it has plenty of pancreatin, and also betain HCI and ox bile extract. Whenever I take this with food I have no digestive issues. I normally use Now Super Enzymes which is easy to find and affordable, but I'm sure there are others.

Also, a pancreatin-only supplement helps me as well whenever I've already eaten without taking any digestive enzymes and I get problems, in this situation I take Nature's Plus Pancreatin, which works great for me, but I'm sure there are many other brands.

[JS79]

I started with reflux 3yrs ago when various other symptoms started and got prescribed lansoprazole 30 2 daily and gavison advanced 4 x10ml daily. Some days I take nothing, most days I take at 1 lansoprazole in morning then sometimes I have a flare and it's so bad I'm taking lansoprazole, gaviscon, peppermint oil capsules and famotidine. It doesn't matter what I eat or drink. Sometimes I can have a fish supper and not have any issues then I can have a slice of toast and suffer. I feel it gets worse when my other symptoms are worse.
Why are people reluctant to take lansoprazole or omeprazole? Or if it's a horror story then please don't tell me

[CLKD]

rferdi: I refuse to take omeprazol for many reasons. Please explain what your concerns are.   Dr James le Fanu suggests that these types of drug should be taken for short term, though 4 me Omeprazole has been a life saver.   

Also: Now Super Enzymes - have these been tested and approved by NICE?  Also ?? how is the ox bile obtained, from a live animal ? 

JS79 - I am the same: U may be taking too much of a similar preparation ....... which strips the digestive tract - mayB have 12 hours without any then take the Lansoprazole ?  Is that by tablet form?   Sometimes the body can become confused with too much at once  . It may be wise to eat regularly, i.e. every 3 hours to ease any reflux.

[jaypo]

I started with reflux 3yrs ago when various other symptoms started and got prescribed lansoprazole 30 2 daily and gavison advanced 4 x10ml daily. Some days I take nothing, most days I take at 1 lansoprazole in morning then sometimes I have a flare and it's so bad I'm taking lansoprazole, gaviscon, peppermint oil capsules and famotidine. It doesn't matter what I eat or drink. Sometimes I can have a fish supper and not have any issues then I can have a slice of toast and suffer. I feel it gets worse when my other symptoms are worse.
Why are people reluctant to take lansoprazole or omeprazole? Or if it's a horror story then please don't tell me

You could have a food allergy?

[rferdi]

Hi CLKD, My concerns regarding Omeprazol come from doing some research right after it was prescribed to me. The problems may appear with chronic use of this medication. Amongst others, it can cause bone fractures, calcium and magnesium malabsorption, gut infections, or some vitamin deficiencies such as b12.

I though I'd try other less potentially harming alternatives first, and what I found worked, so I didn't need to go the Omeprazole route. Of course there are many people who find relief from using it and that's fine, good for them, everyone should be free to choose what they feel is best for themselves, whether it's a medication, a supplement or whatever other therapy.

I don't know if digestive enzymes are NICE approved or not, I highly doubt it, but I'm not concerned at all about that.

The bile is not extracted from a live animal, it is extracted from the liver or gallbladder of a dead animal, one that has already been killed to use its meat for food.

I shared what worked for me in case it can help somebody else.

[CLKD]