Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => All things menopause => Topic started by: Tabbycat on October 25, 2014, 09:53:54 AM
-
So there I was last Wednesday evening, all packed and ready for a week's holiday in Lanzarote, looking forward to sunshine, swimming and maybe even rediscovering a bit of intimacy with my OH ;) when I started the heaviest bleed I'd had in years. :cuss: It lasted for five days!
Officially I stopped having periods in July 2012 but this is the third time in 10 months that I've had a "proper" bleed - and the rest of the time I'm spotting for a few days every two or three weeks.
I saw a gynaecologist back in March who thought it might be the HRT so he changed my prescription. I saw him again in June, because I was still spotting, and he gave me a scan but couldn't find anything wrong and suggested I give it a couple more months and then just stop the HRT if things weren't any better.
I'm not sure if it's best to stop completely and see how I am, or try changing prescriptions again, but I can't be bothered waiting for a GP appointment so as from last night I've stopped.
I'm now waiting for the dreaded joint aches to come back - any chance they won't? What are others' experiences of stopping HRT suddenly?
-
Hi Tabbycat
Everyone is different. If your main meno symptom was joint aches then some Omega oils and perhaps yoga may be the way to help your aches and pains. I find lots of brisk walking eases my joints and if I don't take the omega 3 I definitely feel it.
Have you been offered a Mirena? This would eventually stop any bleeding and you can then just add some oestrogen in patch or gel form!
DG x
-
I only use oestrogen as have had hysterectomy & ovaries removed. However nearly 5 years ago came off cold turkey. Within short period of time I was hit with flushes & sweats. Then came the emotional bit & some. After 8 months GP put me back on it. Now coming off gradually.
There's no one way to come off HRT. However, as we're all different it's hard to say whether you'll get the return of your aches & pains. Just be prepared that they might come back.
-
Thanks both.
No, I haven't been offered a Mirena - that's a coil, isn't it? TBH, the thought of a coil has always made me feel a bit squeamish!
I'm prepared to feel quite rubbish, but will try and bear it for as long as I can.
-
My joint aches have not got any worse since stopping HRT (slowly) but there again I have had sore joints since I was 30. I have just got used to them.
Bramble
-
Hi Tabbycat
I'm in a similar situation to you. I was also having bleeding - heavy too even after changing from patches to Feminston and then to Tibolone. Had been on HRT for 7 years and was told maybe it's time to stop. Was offered the Mirena don't really know enough about it. Had colposcopy + hysteroscopy - thank God all ok apart from small polyp. Anyway, I've been off HRT for 5 weeks now and coping reasonably well. The flushes are back - some days worse than others and palpitations at night but will see how it goes.
Sharon
-
I stopped 'cold turkey' three weeks ago after roughly four years on hrt, the latest being Estradot 50 and Utrogestgan 100. I've started to feel a little warm at night again and have returned to using my cold-gel pad in my pillowcase which works a treat! I've also had the odd flush in the day but they've been very mild, just a feeling of being a bit warm every now and again really. I have some vaginal dryness too but had that on hrt anyway.
The biggest change for me is that I am feeling more myself. It's hard to explain but I just feel as if I haven't been myself for a long time and now I'm back to normal! Has anyone else felt like this after stopping?
I've attempted to stop twice before and by this stage my symptoms had all but returned so I'm expecting thing to deteriorate any day now. I can't believe that I will get off so easily!!
-
Hope it works out well for you jasmine. I'm coming up to a year on half lowest dose patch of Estradot. I'm a bit scared of trying to come off completely if I'm honest as I don't want the drenching sweats and 20/30 plus burning hot flushes per day. At present get about 3 warmish moments per day which I can cope with.
-
Started bleeding this morning but I think that's normal when you stop HRT - although I'm surprised at it happening so quickly (have only missed two pills).
Dancinggirl - I've been doing yoga for several years now, and this was one of the things that the joint aches made very difficult to carry on doing - although I did persevere. Ditto brisk (or any kind of) walking! I was literally hobbling around and taking twice as long to get anywhere.
Jasmine - what you said about feeling more yourself again is interesting. I just put this odd feeling of disassociation down to the meno and didn't think it could be the HRT.
-
I don't have progesterone only weeks, I was taking the same pill each day.
Is it a lack of oestrogen or too much progesterone that makes you bleed?
-
Hi Tabbycat - there are all sorts of reasons for bleeding! Too much progesterone (causing endometrial atrophy) and too much oestrogen compared to progesterone (possibly causing endometrial hyperplasia) can both cause bleeding, as well as a host of other conditions.
What HRT you were on when you were changed to a different one, and what is the one you are on now? I presume because you had been period free for over a year you were put onto a conti HRT?
If bleeding doesn't settle on a conti HRT and there aren't any other problems it can mean insufficient progesterone. I can understand your feeling frustrated with having to bleed on a no-bleed HRT!
Also how old are you if you don't mind my asking?
It seems from what I've read that quite a lot of women suffer joint aches at menopause and in fact some women get fibromyalgia syndrome due to lack of oestrogen which disappears or improves dramatically with oestrogen.
Unfortunately there is no perfect solution with HRT as we can see from other women's experiences - if you are peri-menopausal then you have your own cycle kicking in now and again so difficult to get the dose right. When you are post-menopausal then you either have the choice of continuous progestogens - which even if you are not progesterone intolerant, can still produce constant low-grade side effects so that you don't feel like yourself - progesterone itself has a sedative effect. If you opt to continue with a cycle then you still have the ups and downs of progesterone and then a bleed with all that entails.
Remember back to your natural cycle - if you feel no worse than that and you have got rid of flushes and sweats then maybe that is the best you can hope for. The aim is to feel better overall in the short term, and evidence points towards long term health benefits of HRT too - even after the immediate symptoms have subsided.
Hurdity x
-
Hi Hurdity
I'm 52.
I started on Premique low dose when I'd been period free for about a year but it had no affect so was prescribed the full strength kind. That was a little better but I was still spotting every two or three weeks. Gynaecologist put me on Femiston Conti in March and told me to give it a few months to see if the spotting stopped - if it hadn't, then I should have a break from HRT for three months to see if that was the cause.
I'm pretty certain the bleeds are hormonal, cos I get spots and tender breasts just before. I know there's no perfect solution, but the problem is the unpredictability of it - and two five-day bleeds within two weeks is a bit much!
I just want to see how I feel without HRT and then, if I still need it, to find one that's better suited to me. Problem is, the GPs at the practice I go to are a bit anti-HRT and (by their own admission!) not particularly clued up about it.
-
Hi Tabbycat
I can understand your reticence about HRT with your experiences.
The problem with combi HRT is that you ca't alter the oestrogen/progesterone ratio and the fixed combo doesn't suit everyone - which is why some of us are on separate oestrogen and progesterone. Also some women have problems absorbing all the hormones through tablet HRT as much is lost through digestion and the liver.
Also I do know that some women have problems with the Premique type HRT but the fact that you are having heavy bleeds, and pre-menstrual symptoms and your gynae can find nothing wrong suggests that you may still have a cycle going on - leading to the bleeding?
Personally in your case if you decide to continue I would go for transdermal HRT and perhaps consider having a cycle for a couple of years when you will most likely definitely be post-menopausal. That way your bleed should be predictable. I know it's weird going back to periods when you've not had them but you soon get used to them again - even at 61 as I do!!!
Hurdity x
-
Thanks Hurdity.
If going back to a monthly cycle is what I need to do, that's fine - anything that gives me some kind of control.
Years ago, I thought the one positive thing about the menopause would be no more periods - seems I don't even get that!
-
Have started back in hrt as from today.
Unfortunately I've had very little sleep for the past four days as I've been suffering with awful neck and shoulder pain which as I recall, was one of the problems I had before I started on hrt.
I thought I would last a little longer that four weeks without it but I'm unable to take anti-inflammatory medication and the pain has been so bad that I'm desperate.
I'm now waiting for the hrt relief to kick-in and the next stage will be to do battle with my Gp for another prescription!! Hey ho!!
-
Sorry to hear that jasmine. I hope you can find a suitable HRT.
I'm actually feeling a lot better than I've done in ages - I have a bit more energy (mental as well as physical) and a lot more motivation to just do things. I think the HRT was making me depressed. The contraceptive pill used to do that to me, so I was a bit wary of taking hormones again.
However, it's only been a week. Once the joint aches come back, I probably won't have much motivation at all!
-
Thanks Tabbycat
Yes I know what you mean about the motivation I've had much more energy since stopping and I've felt really good and so alert. Alas within the last few days the night sweats came back with a vengence and along with this awful neck and shoulder pain I am totally exhausted.
I have spent all nights throwing off the duvet then within a few minutes starting to feel cold and shivery. It's constantly disturbing my sleep and It's no fun when you have get up early for work.
I've aready replaced my Estradot 50 patch but cut it in half as I'm going to see how I manage with that. I hope the utrogestan knocks me out tonight as I just need SLEEP!!!!!!
-
Have you tried melatonin for the sleep problems? I've used it for years - not constantly, just when I need it. It doesn't seem to work for everyone but it's excellent - no weird dreams, no hangover the next day.
-
Yes I've tried it but didn't do much for me unfortunately. It seems to help me drop off after an hour but after a few hours asleep I'm then wide awake >:( I've used Nytol too but I seem to be really sensitive to it and can only take a tiny piece of a tablet otherwise I wake with the headache from hell!
Utrogestan has been the best by far for me!
-
Hi
I decided to take a break from HRT in September. The hot flushes have returned far worse than before as well as all the aches and pains, headaches and not sleeping! On the plus side no more periods....yet....so that's a bonus!
Wine has always aggravated things but now I've found I can't drink gin either without hot flushes :-\. After reading this forum I've cut out caffeine, started back on the soya milk and bought some starflower oil so will see how it goes.
It's good to know I'm not on my own!
Lizzy
-
Hi - had a Gp appointment today to hopefully get a new script for Estradot 50 patches. I was dreading it as the last time I went the Practice Nurse proceeded to lecture me on the 'risks' of taking hrt for over 5 years and how I should think about stopping :(
I was actually very pleasantly surprised as I saw a lovely young lady Gp who said she was very pro hrt and explained that no-one should ever stop 'cold turkey' as I have tried to do but reduce very slowly as in a natural menopause, where the oestrogen levels deplete very slowly over time. She also said that winter and dark nights are not a good time to start reducing the dose and it would be much better to wait until summer.
I was even more suprised when she said that if I chose I could stay on the current dose of Estradot 50mcg until I was 60 (56 now) and then she would prescribe 25mcg for six months or more in order to gradually reduce over time. She explained that the dose was very low anyway and this made the risks also low.
I feel so very relived now that I was able to talk openly and honestly with her about hrt/risks/advantages without feeling that I'm being judged or that I'm some sort of wuss because I wasn't able to go throught the menopause 'naturally' without intervention. I found her lovely manner so very informative and extremely refreshing. We need more Gp's like this. xx
-
Hi jamine5
Delighted to hear you have had a good experience with the GP - we need far more enlightened professionals. I bet she will be a very popular doctor at your practise. DG x
-
Well, six weeks off HRT and the joint aches have come back - in fact, every bit of me hurts in a kind of flu-like way. Shame, because I was feeling a lot better - like a weight had lifted off me.
I'm also weaning myself off citalopram so I feel a bit all over the place today and not really sure what's causing what!
On the plus side, I'm not bloated anymore (again, not sure what the cause was).
Bought some super strength starflower oil - if the aching is hormonal then hopefully it will help.
-
Tabbycat - Perhaps it wasn't the best idea to come off everything at once. Ideally you should have come off the HRT and then given yourself 6-12 months(at least) on the Citalopram to allow your body to adjust to the lack of oestrogen - then reduce the Citalopram slowly. This way you can judge what is giving the best help.
I'd go for a good dose of Omega 3 to help with the joint aches and do at least half an hour of good brisk walking every day.
DG x
-
Hi Tabs, so gutted for you as you were doing so well....hope all works out for you XXX
-
Dancing Girl, I completely agree with you - I should have waited. However, there's some anecdotal evidence that citalopram can cause a chronic dry cough - which is what I've had for about six months now. I've tried every remedy there is and my GP has prescribed various medicines, nothing has worked. I've also had two chest x-rays which have shown nothing that could cause a cough. It's now so bad that it makes me vomit and wakes me four or five times a night. In short, it's driving me insane!
In desperation, I did a bit of googling and found I wasn't alone, so I decided to try and wean myself off citalopram to see if it makes a difference. If it does, but my anxiety comes back, I can ask my GP to give me an alternative.
I'll try Omega 3 for the joint aches, though. I exercise at the gym two or three times a week and have four x 20 minute walks a day (to and from the train station for work!).
-
I've heard that the dry mouth can be a troublesome side effect of SSRIs so you do have a bit of a dilemma if this is a real issue for you.
I think I read in your post that you were trying to come off HRT because of problems with bleeding? Have you considered a Mirena with oestrogen in patch or gel form? The Mirena is known to help with break through and heavy bleeding so is often recommended by gynaes to solve these problems. If you felt generally good on Femoston then I'd go back onto this as it is a good one. If you were on the conti one then try the sequi to have some control over the bleeds
Regarding your cough, have they not considered post nasal drip? This is very common at out age and can cause nasty coughing fits. My mother suffers with this very badly and is sometimes sick. I suffer as well and I find my nose is either very runny or dreadfully dry these days and i can actually feel the phlegm trickling down the back of my throat at times. I uses saline solution in spray form to help keep my nasal cavities healthy. DG x
-
Post nasal drip was the first diagnosis but it definitely isn't that. No phlegm at all! Nor is it a dry mouth. What I experience is a feeling that something is catching my throat - like I've just inhaled something. It comes on suddenly - it can be when I'm drinking or eating or not doing anything (like when I'm sleeping!). It's only on one side of my throat (although the side varies) and one eye waters at the same time. Very peculiar!
Anyway, fingers crossed, I'm feeling slightly better today - hardly coughed at all.
I've not considered a Mirena because I'm a bit squeamish about coils! TBH, I need to feel in control of whatever I'm taking - so, pills and patches are fine but anything else isn't. Fesmoston felt okay at the time but I think it was making me depressed so perhaps I shouldn't take hormones.
I'm going to give the starflower oil and omega 3 a few weeks if I can bear it.