Menopause Matters Forum
General Discussion => New Members => Topic started by: lewysooty on September 08, 2014, 08:55:34 AM
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Hi I am new to this site, I have been taking Climagest 1mg for 3 years! I have recently had a scare where I found a small lump in my breast, I immediately went to see my GP she was very good & does specialise in this field she said I had a blocked milk duct.
The lump has now gone :) having done research on Climagest & found out how high the chances of getting breast cancer is pretty scary, I thought whilst being with my Gp I would speak with her about coming off the climagest, she agreed" we did speak about the high possibility of breast cancer because of my age being 53 :(
To cut a long story short I started to reduce the climagest 3 week ago I now feel so ill, I cry at the drop of a hat! my body aches, I can't remember things, the sweats are so bad I wake up during the night soaking wet I feel so low, I just want to sleep, my joints are in so much pain. I rang my surgery on Friday for I could not go in to work I felt so ill my emotions was & still so high I am also getting frequent head aches plus I have not had a period now for 2 month.
I explained all this to my GP who was not very helpful, basically he said you can start the climagest again but you should not stop & start them if you do it is like catch 22 take them feel better but (remember) you have the chances of breast cancer if on them for a long period of time. I have left it that I go in to see another GP on Wednesday until then grin & bare how I am feeling, all kinds of things are going through my mind like is it the Climagest or am I ill, I did not feel like this be for I started the weaning off program.
Is there anyone out there who has experienced anything similar? or weaned off climagest? I would appreciate any feed back or help & guidance, I feel quite alone with it.
Many thanks. :)
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Hi and Welcome to MM lewysooty
Many of us on here will sympathise with your problem. It's scary finding a lump but your doctor has reassured you and that's great.
Firstly let's deal with the breast cancer risk. The scares from the 2002 trial showing an increased risk of breast cancer when using HRT have been largely discredited because it was flawed in many ways. If you take HRT for 5 years (or till 60 ) beyond post meno there is a 'tiny' extra risk. There are so many factors when considering breast cancer risk and stress is probably the biggest. I know 4 women who have had either full blown breast cancer or had treatment for very early stage breast cancer and none of them have used HRT but had experienced a good deal of stress. So at 53 your breast cancer risk is no higher whether on HRt or not.
You may well be post meno now - or close to it - so when you withdraw the HRT the menopause symptoms will emerge - although this can vary from women to women.
The protective benefits of HRT for your heart and bones for even 5 years beyond your menopause are excellent and the 'quality of life' issue is also a vital factor when considering whether or not to continue with HRT. If you are feeling dreadful without HRt then I would seriously consider continuing with it for a few years and then review at 60.
I'm sure others will be along soon to advice and help. DG x
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Hello lewysooty and welcome to the forum.
Sorry to say I can't advise you on Climagest but I'm sure other ladies will be along soon who will be able to help you, you have come to the right place.
Take care.
K.
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Hi Lewysooty - welcome to the forum.
I agree with Dancinggirl. It is so difficult to get a balanced view of the risks of HRT due to the results of the 2002 WHI trial. The risk of breast cancer is very small. There is some professional info here http://www.patient.co.uk/doctor/hormone-replacement-therapy-including-risks-and-benefits which my doc brought up on the screen for me when we were talking about risks. It may be helpful to you to read it. There are lots of risks in life and quality of life is so important. Breast cancer is caused by many things - drinking a couple of glasses of wine a day is one of them - but you don't hear that mentioned very often.
Don't give up and just try to soldier on if life is getting impossible without HRT. You may find that you are advised that you need to wait three months or so to see if the symptoms get better but I'd just like to say that I've been off for a year now and am still struggling so am going back to my GP to plead to be allowed back on it! You are still young in terms of HRT use.
Let us know how you get on!
Taz x :welcomemm: