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[Dee36643]

Hi All,

First time poster - nice to finally find somewhere to pose questions and, judging by some of the other posts, get some sensible answers !

I'm 48, in peri and started on Evorel (sequi / 50) about a month ago. Have various symptoms that I was mostly managing without HRT until recently, but the tiredness and fatigue (insomnia, yawning all day, body feeling ok but head felt totally wiped out) were getting me down so much that I finally took the HRT plunge. I do travel a little for work so figured that was causing part of my sleep problems but when you can't get to sleep until 1-2am and have to get up for work at 6-7am it really does knock you for 6.

Initially Evorel helped, the first couple of weeks I felt 'normal' again and sleep started to improve - definitely no waking up at 3am to use to toilet (hallelujah), but the fatigue started kicking in again when I switched to the combined estrogen/progesterone patches. I know it's probably too early to expect any consistent results, but was wondering how others found their first few months on Evorel and whether things settled down or you had to increase your dose - everyone is different but it would be intersting to hear others' experiences.

I've had B12/Iron/Thyroid checked and GP says they're ok - though I may ask to check again in future if things don't improve. Have had B12 issues in the past so I know what to look for - palpitations are no fun.

Also, one symptom that I struggle with is an itchy scalp - HRT has not helped with this, though colder showers appear to help as I assume it aggravates my scalp less. Any advice on this would be good, I've been struggling with it for a year having never had an issue before. No one ever tells you that random things like that could be the menopause 

Thanks in advance !!

[CLKD]

 

Why have U been changed from evorel to combined patches?  Many find that progesterone can be difficult to tolerate, some find that it helps sleep patterns.

What R your periods up 2?  Mine waxed and waned for several years B4 stopping, then the body became dry due to loss of oestrogen.  Itchy insteps when I took off socks each evening; irritation across the back of the shoulders ......... this isn't problematic fortunately and comes and goes.  Yep itchy scalp here ......... I gently dry my hair with a warm towel to get off the drips then air-dry, no hairdryers involved. 

Did the GP check VitD levels? 

[Dee36643]

Hi

I haven't changed. Sequi has 2 weeks of estrogen only patchs and then 2 weeks of estrogen and progesterone patches, unless I'm missing something

Periods are fluctuating, but still in the 25 - 31 day cycles so not so bad that I can't reasonably predict them

Vit D was marginally low, but I have supplements if I need to use them

Thanks

[Konijntje]

It might be too early to tell for you just yet, but the progestin in your combined patch might be not the right fit for you. However, I can say that I get fatigue from every progestin at the start (I tried a few different ones, as I am intolerant of progesterone) and for me that seems a passing side effect. I would recommend to try for a few months (if this is the only bad side effect) to see if this gets better, but know that there are lots of options to try when it comes to hrt.

(I started on dienogest as my progestin 8 days ago and I’m having the same side effect. It’s bad, maybe worse than I had before, but other side effects have been small, which is a big plus for me with my intolerance).

Itchy scalp:
I get an itchy scalp if I use hair products with the itchy M’s in them (preservatives that some people have problems with, but aren’t bad ingredients, so they are used pretty often). Also, I can get itching from a lot of scents, but not all, so for me this is trial and error. With these ingredients, for me it is mostly a problem with products that stay in your hair, like leave ins, creams, gels (I have wavy-curly hair, so use these). If I’m really sensitive to ingredients, I also get itching from shampoo and conditioner. (I give everything that causes itching to a friend that also has curly hair, but doesn’t have a sensitive scalp. She is really happy about my sensitive scalp  )

Often, if itching starts in perimenopause (or when hair is curly) it is caused by dry scalp, so using more moisturizing hair care products can help if that is the case. After I’ve worked out, if I’m not washing my hair, it helps to use a serum of refresh spray on my scalp (boucleme has a really nice scalp refresh spray).
As I Am (brand) has a dry and itchy line, that some people find really helpful (I’m not crazy about them, but if you also have dandruff it’s worth a try, because there is an active ingredient in there to treat it).
So, just some options to try, reasons for itchy scalps are many, so solutions too.

[Dee36643]

Thanks Konijntje

I've got an appointment with GP in a couple of weeks, by that point I'll be almost 2 months in so will see what they recommend regarding HRT

The itchy scalp started about a year ago - I'm blaming Halloween 

Have tried a variety of hair care products, GP also gave me an antifungal product to try (Dandrazol - though Nizarol is also available over the counter in the UK and has the same active ingredient). That was hit and miss. Definitely no dandruff and no external signs of why theitching is there so peri was my next best suspect. At least the itching comes and goes, sometimes after showering - regardless of product - but at this stage making sure water temp isn't too high has become my default and it helps