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[debbyx]

I have really tried but I just can not cope any more. I have never been on HRT
But at 64 I want to try I just can not get though each day I need to do something

I have put in a call to my GP and  will not be fobbed off with Anti Depressants  but what do I ask for and where do I start. 

I feel so bad

[bombsh3ll]

I would not say it is for tiredness unless you follow that up with "because I'm not sleeping due to drenching night sweats".

Whilst HRT may help with tiredness, (although it is usually testosterone that helps the most here and there's no way you'll get that off the bat from a GP at 64), unless your GP is particularly well informed they are unlikely to prescribe HRT for this reason alone.

You would be best to say that you are having terrible hot flushes several times a day and also that your last period was less than 10 years ago.

Cite the NICE guidelines which recommend HRT for women under 60 OR within 10 years of menopause. Better still, take a printout of this with that part highlighted.

Be prepared that you may have to go back more than once so don't give up. If a prescription is issued for any treatment that isn't appropriate, leave it in the room, don't take it with you. This way they know you haven't taken it and will cancel it from your medical records.

I would ask for an estradiol patch and micronised progesterone. It is likely you will get a 25mcg patch which is very low, but you can always start this and ask for more once you have a foot in the door, rather than arguing for a better dose when you don't currently have any.

[debbyx]

Hi.


I am not tired.   

I put I have really tried hard to cope with all the symptoms. 

  Sorry if I mis spelt. 

[Kathleen]

Hello debbyx


I am sorry that you are suffering and I completely understand how frustrating and demoralising that can be.

I was fifty seven and post menopausal when I tried HRT. I was given a  50 mg combined patch which delivered both oestrogen and progesterone and I believe that was the standard starting dose.

I hope things go well with your GP and please keep us updated.

Wishing you well and sending hugs.

K.

[debbyx]

Thank you.

I have an appointment with the meno nurse on 2nd Sept.  I have been trying for so long to speak to someone experienced so really pleased even though it is a while to wait the doctors just do not want to know. 

I just find my anxiety really bad in the morning it’s so crippling I do not want to get out of bed. I just cry but I Don’t really know what for and it’s hard to explain the symptoms just that I feel so bad.  Most of the time I feel my legs won’t hold me up but of course they do.  I am even getting to the point where I am scared to stay in the house on my own.

Gradually as the day goes on I calm down a bit and only fully relax when I go to bed

Any one else like this.   

[sheila99]

Take a list of symptoms so you don't forget anything. Somewhere there's a checklist you can download to see if your symptoms correspond to meno, I think it's on the Newson site but not certain. It can be helpful if they try to tell you your symptoms aren't meno related. Ideally you need to convince them you have other meno symptoms which would indicate you need hrt not ads.

[Kathleen]

Hello again debbyx

I am pleased that you have an appointment with someone who likely understands the menopause.

I think many ladies here complain of intense symptoms in the morning and a gradual easing by the evening. That has certainly been my experience.

It is beyond frustrating to feel better by bedtime only to be suffering again on waking. I usually go to bed with plans for the next day but I wake up tearful and anxious and then the prospect of doing anything is scary.

I am currently taking a break from HRT and I have noticed various symptoms returning. At the moment I am coping but I am keeping a diary and plan to report to my Meno Nurse next month.

I am almost 69 and if you are like me you just want a normal life and not be hijacked by hormones every day. It doesn't seem like much to ask does it?

Wishing you well and sending hugs.

K.

[Mary G]

Do you absolutely have to use the NHS?  You have an appointment so give it a go but be prepared for them to resist HRT or put you on a regime that doesn't work as indicated by bomb.  I doubt a 25mcg patch would touch the sides particularly if it's drowned out with 100mg Utrogestan every day.  I would push for 50mcg but it might be difficult for someone starting HRT at 64.

I think you would get more joy at a private menopause clinic because they are far less rigid and are prepared to prescribe off licence.  They could write to your GP surgery with their recommended prescription but of course there is no guarantee the surgery will agree to fund it.

Make sure you lay it on thick menopause symptom wise otherwise they will send you packing with antidepressants.  The cynical side of me wonders if women are set up to fail with HRT because so many women come on here saying their HRT didn't work or they have problems with progesterone because the dose is too high and end up giving up on HRT altogether.

I would definitely be looking into private menopause specialists just in case the NHS appointment doesn't work out.

[bombsh3ll]

Apologies if I misread your earlier post, I thought the main symptom was being really tired.

I do still think that it is best to lead with vasomotor symptoms and lay it on thick with these. I would say the same to anyone who has already made the decision that they want to try HRT, but particularly when your age means you may face more barriers obtaining it. You may get a really clued up GP however this is just the luck of the draw and it is better to just stick to the script that you know is likeliest to result in your desired outcome.

I personally wouldn't go with a laundry list of symptoms, which may trigger inappropriate investigations as a stalling technique, nor would I emphasize mood or anxiety as this is likely to net you a prescription for an SSRI.

Mental health symptoms that are driven by hypoestrogenism often do respond to hormone therapy but leading with these may, if you get a GP who is not menopause literate, get you further away from not closer to your preferred treatment.