Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => All things menopause => Topic started by: Spangles on November 27, 2014, 07:42:09 AM
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Hi Ladies
After 2.5 years of taking various HR t preparations I am finally at the end of my tether and want to give up! Each new thing I try works great initially and then a few months down the line the anxiety comes back, the fogginess, waking early, aches, etc, etc.
I was feeling great on 200mg of Utrogestan, then it was no longer available so had to go on 100mg, asked GP if I could take 100mg for longer as I felt I was doing me some good and actually felt better taking it than not. Did this for 2 cycles but gradually I felt low and anxious all the time so when my bleed came I stopped taking it and felt better.
I now on day 15 of my cycle and can't bare the thought of taking it again (I was going to revert to the old dose and use 200mg for however many days it is.
I've seen various doctors and to be honest I just don't think they understand or know how to treat women going through peri and meno, I've lost faith in them and don't want to go and be given 'something else' to try.
Really not sure what to do, do I carry on with HR t or try with out it?
I'm very confused as the changes either one brings scare me as I know I will suffer either way.
Any advice will be greatfully recieved.
Thanks
Shellb
xXx
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Hi Shellb - Sorry you're going through this. I've had a few "dabbles" with HRT too, tried Prempak, Femseven Sequi, then Estradot and now finally Oestrogel with Utrogestan.
The capsule dose of Utrogestan was changed recently from 200 to 100mg, did your GP not just suggest taking 2 instead of 1 x 200mg?
I can sympathise - currently I'm having 2 periods a month with my regime and spotting inbetween! >:(
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Forgot to ask, Shell, - where are you in your meno phase? Are you post or peri (how old are you?). I'm 46 and peri (joy!)
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Hi Liz
The GP did suggest taking two 100mg but as it was making me feel well we decided on trying 100mg for 25 days to see how I got on. Obviously it's not for me!
I am 46 too and about 3yrs into peri, all I want is to feel well and for the anxiety to lessen that's the worst for me, I can deal with the rest.
Just hope it settles sooner rather than later.
How do you find the oestrogel? I've not changed my oestrogen for over a year so maybe this could be a thought but I don't know much about oestrogel.
Thanks
Shellb
xXx
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shellb
If you felt good on the Utrogestan on a sequential basis then why not go back to that - just use two tablets at a time as Liz has suggested.
I assume you are on oestrogen patches? What dose of oestrogen are you using? Maybe you need to increase this slightly? You could try Oestrogel - you simply apply it to inner thighs or arms each day but you can control the amount you use - from one pump to 4 pumps per day. I never used more that 2 pumps per day but some women need more or sometimes less. If you are still in your 40s I really think it would be wise to continue with some HRT to protect your heart and bones until at least 50.
Sometimes HRT doesn't always help anxiety. I have a colleague at work who is on HRT but was still getting anxiety and sweating and the doctor has put her on Citalopram as well and she is feeling much better. Maybe an SSRI alongside the HRT may be worth considering later if your anxiety continues.
DG x
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I really like the Oestrogel - it was Dg's experiences that made me want to try it and I'm glad I did (Thank you, Dg!). The patches were suiting me OK, but I just couldn't keep them on. I walk for a couple of hours a day with my dog and they just kept lifting no matter where I put them or how hard I pressed them down. I think the Oestrogel is really easy to use and much prefer it. Just need to wait for things to settle down (hopefully!) as I've only been on it for a month (was on patches before that for 2 months this time). I'm using 1 and a half pumps at the moment.
What Oestrogen are you using at the moment, Shellb?
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Why dont you try the gel its fantastic and just use the 100mg for 12 to 15 days per mth....
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Just get back to the 200mg route you had before first, feel better, then consider any new options.
Anything else and your likely to make things worse.
Dont give up
:-*
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Hi Ladies
Thanks for your kind replies.
I am considering using 100mg for 12-15 days and see how I go.
I also use evorel 50 oestrogen patch and 30mg of citalopram!
I am considering the oestrogen though.
I'm sure things will settle down, it's just so annoying.
Thanks
Shellb
xXx
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Just noticed you said 2.5 years and have had a lot of different options.
Not sure what you mean by "I am considering the oestrogen though."??
Are you considering tablet option or not having this part?
For me it took more 6 months plus to get back to be close to normal on my current HRT.
I was so tempted to jump off onto another HRT option mid way thru the first 6 months and to be honest I'm glad I waited.
Given that it had taken a quite a few years of peri madness to get to the point of using HRT, waiting 6 months or so to get things back was priceless for me.
Hope you get back to normal soon too.
:-*
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Hello Shellb.
I just wanted to send my sympathies as I am also feeling very frustrated with HRT and the menopause generally. My situation is slightly different to yours in that I am 58 and post meno but since going on HRT in May of last year I constantly want to change things in an effort to feel better. This whole time of our lives is so frustrating.
Wishing you well and I hope you find a solution.
K.
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Hi Kathleen
not sure what you mean by frustrated by HRT and wanting to constantly change things to feel better?
It took me 6 months plus of taking the same HRT day in day out before things started to get better.
I've seen a few comments about trying it for 2 or 3 months then giving up or trying another type or having a break to see if things our symptoms have magically disappear (I wish).
I wish the docs would make us more aware that this is a long term thing and not a quick fix :(
Have you had a similar experience or have your tried different HRT's over the last year.
I went through the same 2-3 month doubts but just stuck with it and glad I did.
Just as an aside why did you wait so long before taking HRT, what was the main thing that put you off? You don't have to answer but I think my main reason was lack of knowledge and support during peri from those we expect to know better and look after our health.
Hope you get things settled down soon.
:-*
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Hi shellb
I would not take only 100 mg for 12-15 days at this point despite what others are doing. If you are using it orally then the licensed dose is 200 mg for 12 days per 28 for keeping the endometrium thin. If you felt well on this before then why not go back to it?
In terms of the oestrogen - depending on where you are in peri-menopause ( and it is difficult to determine once you start HRT) then either your own oestrogen levels will be fluctuating, or they will be reducing gradually or both and therefore there will be times when you experience a resumption of symptoms. The tricky thing is to work out what to do - if your oestrogen levels have dropped permanently then an increase in oestrogen dose might just work.
If your patches are sticking well there should be no reason why you are not absorbing the oestrogen. The next dose up is 75 mcg, although this counts as a high dose. However docs normally go on symptoms so if this is not working for you then why not try the next dose up?
Fogginess is normally due to progesterone - it has a sedative effect but the more unpleasant side effects are brain fog. Oestrogen should have the opposite effect - make you feel lively alert and stimulated - but of course taking it externally is different from having our own well regulated internal supply!
Hurdity x
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Hello peegeetip.
Your post got me thinking so I checked my diaries for information. My periods were regular until they suddenly stopped in 2010. After that I noted headaches, tension, anxiety and IBS symptoms. These continued and as time went on I also experienced flushes, mood swings and even feelings of rage. Towards the end of 2013 the constant stomach jittering began, all day, every day until about 9pm when it would suddenly go and I'd feel fine. It was this last problem that made me want to try HRT, up until that time I was just trying to tough it out.
I tried one tablet form of HRT and then went on to patches, of various doses and Utrogestan. You make a good point about sticking with a regime for a decent period of time and maybe I have been too quick to give up on things in the past as I believed that if something wasn't working after three months then it needed to be changed.
I responded to Shellb's post because like her I'm frustrated that I still have one of the main problems that I started with, namely anxiety and I was hoping for a better result.
Thank you for your interest and I will persist with the system I have at the moment. Your comments also made me realise that symptoms have come and gone over the course of the last four years, both before and since HRT so there has been progress, I just couldn't see it.
Thanks again and sorry to Shellb for butting in on her post.
Take care ladies.
K.
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Keeping a diary can help when we are having a bad spell. Looking back ……. finding out where we where when …..
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Hi Ladies
Just an update really, I started back on my old dose of 200mg of Utrogestan and gradually started to feel a little better, woohoo! However due to randomly falling asleep I have forgotten to take it for the last two nights. I was woken this morning by period pains!
I suppose my thinking is like this, do we really need to take progesterone for so long if after only taking it for one week a bleed is induced? It's a good bleed too not spotting.
Does anyone have any thoughts on this?
Thanks
Shellb
xXx
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Hi Shellb
When are you taking the 200mg of Utrogestan?
I thought it was best to take this late in the day as it can make some drowsy.
Also I find if I miss out on the prog part of my HRT I sometimes get a double period, possibly my own cycle still making a play. You might end up with spotting later instead which might end up causing you more doubts unnecessarily.
I'd stick with the 12 days to ensure you don't end up with thickening. As Stellajane say unless your getting the ok from a specialist then I'd just keep on the safe side for now.
:-*