Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => All things menopause => Topic started by: GypsyRoseLee on May 13, 2015, 07:46:57 AM
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I started my second phase of Utrogestan on Friday night (day 15 of my cycle). I have been worried that my mood/anxiety will really dip when I have my withdrawl bleed like it did last month. Especially as we're going on holiday at the end of next week and I was concerned it might spoilt the start of our holiday.
My consultant said it was fine to not take anymore Utrogestan this month, and just take 12 days of it when we got back off holiday.
I have been feeling really well these last 2 weeks just on the patch. But at about 9pm last night I started to feel jittery and anxious for no reason. I still decided to NOT take my Utrogestan. But went on to have a rubbish night's sleep and kept waking all night feeling jittery and panicky. My heart was much faster than normal too.
I don't feel great this morning at all :(
I just don't know what to do. I really don't :'(
Presumably, even if I don't take anymore Utrogestan between now and the holiday my own hormones might try to break through and I might still get PMS/anxiety/low mood in the run up to our holiday anyway? Or will the fact that I'm not taking any extra progesterone mean that I should be okay?
My consultant did say that my patch was too low (only 25mg) but then didn't give me a script for a 50mg one, though she said she would.
I'm wondering if the 25mg dose is fine for during the first half of my cycle, but isn't enough to support me through the second half of my cycle?
Any insight and advice would be very welcome. Thank you.
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Oh GRL,
I am sorry you are feeling anxious and panicky . I wish I had an answer. It maybe the withdrawal of the progesterone causing this if you have just stopped it, so you may be ok in a couple of days ? I do hope so. I'd contact the doctor and try and get the higher oestrogen dose if you feel that may help ? I am in the same boat as to waiting to see if I get the PMT symptoms again. I hope that someone will be along soon to give more advice.
Peppermintyxx
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Thank you pepperminty
I am coping, but I feel anxious and jittery still. But this is just how I was last month, a few days into taking the Utrogestan. The insomnia too. Then after the first 5-6 days it settled down and I was fine until my withdrawl bleed.
My GP said that Estradot 25mg would raise my 'base line' so that although I might still get these mood swings, they wouldn't swing 'as low' if that makes sense? Well, I don't feel that is the case. I have felt great these last 2 weeks in the first half of my cycle. But now going into the 2nd half, it's going pear shaped. And this is just how I was pre HRT.
Don't know whether to keep off the Utrogestan until after the holiday and hope my mood picks up in a day or two?
Don't know whether to start the Utro again tonight, and hope that it settles down in a few days like it did last month, but then risk a nasty dip with my withdrawl bleed?
Don't know whether to go back to my GP to ask for Estradot 50mg next week, though my consultant didn't think the higher dosage would necessarily stop my mood dipping during my withdrawl bleed. And I don't know if the higher dose would stop me dipping so much during the Utro' phase either?
There's so much I don't know, and I feel so disheartened and fed up. Especially as I actually saw my consultant yesterday and felt so short changed and dismissed.
I just want my mood to stay pretty stable/average through the month. I want to be able to fairly accurately predict how my mood will be in 2 days time. It's not too much to ask is it?????
And I'm getting so sick of writing really positive sounding posts on here, saying I feel great now. Only to have write, the very next day, that I feel back to square one again. And my mood has really dipped and the anxiety is back. I feel so stupid.
I can even tell you EXACTLY when my mood dipped last night. It was 9.45pm. Just as we were watching Spooks. How bizarre is that. I felt a sudden lurch in my tummy, looked at the clock and thought 'Oh dear, it's starting again'. Just mad.
I
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You definitely aren't stupid it is a roller coaster. The thing is you have had good days and that is positive.
I am not sure what to do either,maybe carry on with oestrogen until after your holiday as you seem to be ok on that and then take the progesterone when you get back? You may get a bleed anyway though?
You don't really want to be worrying about this all through your holiday.
From what I have gleaned on the forum it can take a while to kick in sometimes up to a year.
Hopefully Hurdity may give you some advice .
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Well I just want to get off the rollercoaster, it's no fun anymore :(
But thank you for your support. It's so lovely that people on here take the time to listen and respond.
I'm not that bothered about having a bleed while away. It's just the chance of having a low mood/anxiety that I dread. If someone could guarantee that by not taking anymore Utro this month, my mood would stablise in another day or two and I would feel fine through the holiday then I would be so happy.
As it is, I just don't know what's going to happen, or how I'm going to feel regardless of what I do. I actually wish we weren't going away, to be honest. Yet, yesterday I was very happily buying a new bikini and feeling all excited.
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Hello GypsyRoseLee.
I know how frustrating this whole hormone business can be and you have my sympathy. I also recognise the sudden changes in mood that you describe. I am not one of the expert ladies but I wonder if you could experiment with using two patches at the same time for your holiday, this would raise your oestrogen to 50 mcg which is what your Consultant suggested anyway?
One of the great things about this site is that we share our good and bad experiences and we learn from each other. In my opinion being honest in this way is not stupid, it's honourable.
Wishing you well and let us know what you decide to do.
Take care.
K.
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I understand exactly how you feel. Was your depression constant before HRT ? If it was then on HRT there has been an improvement. I think I may have to live with a dip every month , but my less foggy brain is the pay off.
Trouble is our mood can be influenced by other factors too, so it isn't an exact science.
You will feel better , and once away just lying in the sun reading the latest Jackie Collins will be what you need.
Also you can still wear a bikini, that has to be a bonus in any ones book!!
I wish I could give you a guarantee . And I you have my heart felt sympathy about feeling so crap.
Peppermintyxx
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That's a good idea Kathleen, thank you. I will wear an extra patch from today I think. I am going back to see my GP to see about a higher dose next week.
My depression/anxiety started only a year ago but was only happening for half the month prior to HRT pepperminty, so I don't see there's much improvement so far? Very frustrating. But thank you for making me smile :)
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Well, om Kathleen's advice I put an extra 25mg patch on, and am just waiting to see what happens now. Hopefully it will lift my mood/anxiety quite a bit. I feel anxious at upping my dose (I hate anything new), but my consultant did say 'twice' yesterday that she wouldn't have started me on such a low dose of oestrogen.
She said that while 25mg would protect against bone disease, it wouldn't do much against my main symptoms like low mood/anxiety and insomnia. I think the 25mg patch was fine during first half of my cycle when I'm making my own oestrogen, but in the second half it's just not strong enough to help.
Hope I've done the sensible thing.
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I am sure you have done the right thing, let me know whether you feel better. fingers crossed .
Peppermintyxx
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Thank you pepperminty, I will keep you posted xxx
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You may just feel a little bit off with the extra oestrogen. It passes quickly though so if you feel a bit jittery then don't be worried.
Honeybun
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Thanks honeybun. Does it effect you that way if you increase your dose?
I don't understand why the consultant said several times that 25 mg was 'too low' because I was 'very young' (I'm actually 44) still. I didn't realise that if you're younger then you need more oestrogen? Do you happen to know why?
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Could you find more info on the 'daisy net work'?
"The Daisy Network Premature Menopause Support Group is a registered charity for women who have experienced a premature menopause. Premature menopause (also called premature ovarian failure and premature ovarian insufficiency) is defined as the onset of menopause before the age of 40 and affects one per cent of women. .. ' although you are not stricly 'premature' bracket, it might give an idea of dosage?
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The younger you are you need higher oestrogen to best protect your heart and bones I believe.
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That's a good idea CLKD, I will pop over there and take a look.
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I find that really odd dazned. I would have thought if you were still young, and still producing enough oestrogen to have a fairly regular bleed, then you would need less HRT rather than more?
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If you are young and starting to be peri or menopausal then you would have lower estrogen than say somewho not going to be peri or menopausal say until fiftysomething,ome women have their menopause very early, even at say 40 as Annie Evans says that about 10 years their body would be expected to have full estrogen so maybe that could be the reason ,obviously the older one gets the lower the levels but my specialist says as I get towards 60 not that I need to stop but I should look towards lowering the dose . Its all very complicated isnt it. Dr Annie Evans in Bristol has very interesting talk on you tube its in 3or4parts . She explains it a bit much better than Im trying to. But like anything else medical guess there are differing views. I will certainly be looking to drop my levels if not stopping as I get older to try to mimic in a controlled way what my body would be doing "naturally" but on my timetable not its. Well thats the plan ! ;)
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I suppose that sort of makes sense.
I suppose I assumed that because I was still having regular periods then I was still producing normal amount of oestrogen? But having said that, for the last year my periods haven't 'felt' like typical periods. They are much, much lighter and I have stopped getting any bloating or the swollen, achy boobs I used to have.
So I suppose that must signify something? Maybe less oestrogen in my system, and what oestrogen I did still have was fluctuating hence my extreme mood swings and random insomnia?
When I had my first withdrawl bleed on HRT last month, I got the achy boobs again and felt a bit bloated. So presumably that was caused by higher levels of oestrogen?
You are right, it is complicated. I have so many questions but my consultant couldn't whisk me out of her room fast enough :-\
Anyway, I started feeling slightly better yesterday tea time after putting the extra 25mg patch on at lunch time. By bedtime I was feeling quite sleepy and I slept well. Woke up this morning feeling a lot better. So I suppose that is proof positive that my body does need a 50mg patch rather than a 25mg patch?
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I would say so ,forgot sorry how old you are ? But 25 is a really small amount if you are in your 40 s I think. Do have a look at that talk it explains alot in simple terms ,it must do cos even I understood it ! ;D
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Dazned - I am 44. It was quite refreshing to hear my consultant keep telling me I 'was still very young', as no one has told me that for a very long time ;D
But what she actually meant was that I was still very young to have these oestrogen issues etc, and that consequently I would need stronger oestrogen to help. She implied that a 25mg patch would only really help protect 'a bit' against bone disease, but wouldn't do anything really for hot flushes (which I don't have) or anxiety/mood swings/insomnia (which I very much DO have).
I will listen to that talk later today. Thank you.