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[Dancinggirl]

Hi Welsh
It can take a few weeks for the body to adjust to the hormones. Be patient.
If side effects don't settle then it's worth trying a different type of HRT. Look under TREATMENTS to see your options. DG x

[jhh]

It has been very good for me. Was peri-menopausal at 47 in 2013 and prescribed Prempack C - I was so lucky, I had no problems at all. Disaster has struck this week however - I went to collect my HRT from chemists - and opened at home to find Indivina 1mg/2.5mg. Never heard of it. A call to the GP today has informed me that Prempack C is no longer available. This I understand, but that no one contacted me to discuss making changes has infuriated me! I have been given an 'emergency' appointment this afternoon to discuss. I will make a complaint - the prescription was written by a GP I have never met, no questions asked about my current state  - how dare a GP minimise and make such assumptions about MY menopause! He's on holiday - or so I have been told. I am angry about this, and also so concerned that if I were less assertive, I would probably just go along with it, which leaves other women vulnerable to the whims of poor GP practice. I don't know if Indivina is appropriate, any idea? I also have MS so I really don't need my hormones messing with!

[Dancinggirl]

Hi and welcome to MM jhh
Indivina is a continuous HRT and Prempak is a sequential HRT so the Gp has given you the wrong type of HRT.
Have a look under TREATMENTS on this site to find your options.  the trend is to move women away from the old fashioned types of HRT like Prempak.  The newer hrts are more natural and probably safer. I would consider trying Femoston 1/10 but expect a few side effects at first as the body adjusts. The progesterone in Femoston is kinder so you are less likely to get pmt.
Keep us posted. DG x

[KirstyM]

Hi

I found this forum the other day while trying to find information about the HRT I am currently on, to make sense of what's going on with my body at the moment!!  Any thoughts or shared experiences would be appreciated!

I started peri-menopause at 40 with irregular periods and stopped getting my periods when I was 42.  I moved on to awful hot flushes, mood swings, disrupted sleep etc (hot flushes are not fun when you're in front of a class of 32 kids....) and waited a year before my doctor put me onto Kliovance.  I have been on it now for 5 months and up until this past week have been extremely happy with more levelled moods, no hot flushes and sleeping like a baby!!!  What changed?  I now have my first period in a year and a half with heavy bleeding and awful cramps.  I've also had incredibly sore and swollen breasts which changed the density of my breast tissue, resulting in an urgent mammogram and ultrasound.  As my maternal grandmother died of breast cancer at 64, I have been having mammograms since I was 40.  Small cysts were found but nothing to indicate any bigger problems.

My research on Kliovance tells me that spotting in the first 3-6 months is normal but I'm unsure about a period!  Thank goodness my daughter has supplies in the house!! 

Anyone else had any similar experiences?

Kirsty

[Dancinggirl]

Hi KirstyM
Do start a fresh thread so more ladies can respond and support you.
I think Kliovance is a conti HRT so some breakthrough bleeding is common but if it is heavy and continues for more than a week or so, then this should be investigated as the womb lining may have built up too much.
As you are still young and therefore need HRT to protect your bones and heart, I suggest you consider having a Mirena fitted and then use oestrogen as pills, patch or gel daily alongside. The Mirena is the best way to protect the womb lining from building up and often results in fewer progesterone side effects e.g. sore breasts.
There are many HRT options to try as we are all different.
Many women choose to stick to a sequential HRT and put up with a monthly bleed to reduce progesterone side effects.
We're here to support so keep posting. DG x

[paisley]

I am afraid I have to say for me HRT has been bad. I have tried virtually every type & not one has done any good, in fact I have probably felt worse. Sorry to be negative but at least it works for a lot of women which is good

[Dancinggirl]

Paisley - I came off HRT a year ago having been on and off HRT for 25 years due to early meno. I firmly believe that HRT is about the benefits versus the side effects and there does need to be more innovation in treatment options for meno symptoms. HRT is still far from ideal for many women. Many struggle with side effects - particularly regarding the progesterone.
I am 61 now and the lack oestrogen really started to effect me about 3 months ago. Lack of sleep, awful headaches, hip and back pain plus digestive problems have resulted in more tests and expense to try and get my life back - I was so exhausted I couldn't function.  After a good session with the GP he persuaded me to try a very low dose of Amitriptyline -  at higher doses this is used for depression but at lower doses it is a front line treatment for pain, headaches and insomnia. After just 7 days I am starting to feel normal again.
There are other options out there. DG x

[paisley]

Hi Dancinggirl, that is why I like this site because there is always someone who has been in the same situation & tried something else. I will look into that. Before my hysterectomy I could not take progesterone of any sort either, It made me crazy & so can really sympathize with you. I really hope you continue to do well.

[MicheleMaBelle]

Hi dancing girl- that's good to know. I'm in the same boat as Paisley- been off it for 6 days though and terrible muscle/ joint pains. Might be related to an old back injury but it seems worse than I remember.

[Dancinggirl]

Michelmabelle
I was so anti ADs/SSRIs and scared of side effects from these drugs.
 HRT is still advisable if under 50 as it brings protective benefits for the bones and heart and should be offered first to anyone struggling with meno symptoms. However, in my case the flushes weren't the main issue - lack of sleep and the bad hip and back pain were making life so hard - some days the pain radiated into my knees, ankles and all the muscles in my legs - I felt exhausted. Amitriptyline is not supposed to reduce flushes, however I'm am finding that my flushes are less!!!!! It will be interesting to see how things progress over the next few weeks. I am taking the very lowest dose (10mg) and the GP said I could up the dose gradually if pain returns but still keep it well below the amount used for depression. Apparently children who wet the bed are given 25mg for a few weeks or even months and this is often very successful in stopping the bed wetting even after it is stopped!
This site is about sharing experiences and we all should keep an open mind. DG x

[MicheleMaBelle]

Thanks dancing girl- I'm not against ADs - just that I've had very bad reactions ( uncontrollable shaking and hallucinations) from them in the past. I would be willing to give a very low dose a go though- I'll see how I get on and hopefully we can all share our experiences- glad you're doing better x

[Katia]

I've reduced the oestrogel due to terrible bloating and fluid retention. It's not helped much and I too can feel the joint pains and heaviness in my legs returning. I'd be ok with HRT if it wasn't for the fluid retention. I just changed from the pill and think I did better on that.  Having more side effects on HRT has surprised me.

[Nickie]

HRT= good. I was petrified before taking but it has got rid of the awful sweats and I slept for the first time in 4 months+. While quality of life is better, I still have mood symptoms 😭.

[Chestersmum]

Hello ladies I'm
Looking for help. I had a bad kidney infection in march 2017 with lots of antibiotics i also had mirena coil removed my bloods show i am not making much oestrogen and i am menopausal. Suddenly after having no dryness symptoms shortly after my infection I started with vulval pain all on the outside a tingling and burning and I needed to take regular pain killers. I found the vulval pain society website and tried a low oxalate diet and started Chinese medicine which helped immensely and I was using less strong painkillers and going longer btwern doses. It was suggested that some Ovestin on the outside would be the final piece in the jigsaw to get me off painkillers. I stated Ovestin and one dose put me back about a month in terms of severe pain and burning I'm gutted i have stopped using it as I presume there is something in it that has screwed up my PhD balance which I had been slowly healing. Should I try and get referral to vulvsl pain specialist? Feeling sad and wish I'd never touched Ovestin

[Jak03]

Hi I am new to this site.

Came on as getting mixed messages and advice.

A year past December after having a few symptoms and getting bloods taken I was told I was starting down the menopause cycle bloods again checked last January confirmed this. In October last year had a a one off bleed after two years of none but was due to get mirena coil out in November so put it down to that being the end and needing it replaced. GP said could b a problem so no coil replaced until gynae checked me over. After coil removed I had a small bleed everyday, which really brought me down.

Waiting on gynae appt and tests resulted this going on till April when I got another mirena fitted. Biopsy came back with no significant problems but still have estrogen in womb. I don't have any symptoms these days. GP gave me Elleste Solo which is estrogen only a month ago as I was still bleeding which I did not take as wanted the gynea consultation. I did eventually stop bleeding so thought the mirena had settled and started to work.  Gynae appt 23rd June said they are ok for me to take the HRT but I was thinking if I have estrogen already why give me estrogen only HRT?

Last week I started bleeding every day again and it has gone to a full blown period yesterday, (think it waited till I told the gynae const that bleeding had stopped) I started to take the HRT last Thursday as bleeding getting me down.

Sorry for the long winded explanation but now feeling really confused as to whether to keep going with HRT let the bleeding go on or just get hysterectomy as I have had problems since my teens with heavy and sometimes constant bleeding? HELP!!  Oh am only 43 at mo? Xx