Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => All things menopause => Topic started by: momlet on December 19, 2015, 12:24:38 AM
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Hi,
I am currently using Utrogestan cyclically (2 months in) with 0.5mg - 1mg sandrena gel and was wondering if you can use 100mg continuosly if still in peri?
Im 50 and having periods when starting HRT. I know many find taking utro continuously good for anxiety. Im trying to find right dose of gel at the moment too, as 0.5mg isnt enough but 1mg is feeling too high. Think i will go on oestrogel to self adjust dose but was wondering if there are problems with continuous programme when not yet through menopause?
My GP is quite clueless about HRT so no help there. I trust the advice i have seen on here far more!
Steph x
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Hello momlet and welcome to the forum.
Your post caught my eye because I used Utrogestan in the past but can't remember how it affected my anxiety and I plan to dig out my old diaries to see if I recorded how I felt when taking it.
My situation is different to yours as I am post meno but hopefully I can come up with something useful.
Wishing you well and I'm sure other ladies will be along to advise you on the questions you raised.
Take care.
K.
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Thank you Kathleen. :)
I'm happy taking it cyclically at the moment, but anything that can curb the jitters that occasionally push through would be welcome. Plus I still have insomnia - not as bad as it was - but the good sleep Utrogestan brings would be a blessing!
I think using continuous HRT methods means I don't get a period, which is probably why I have to be post Meno to take it.
I love this forum, it's very positive and supportive. Wish I'd found it years ago!
Steph (momlet) X
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The point is if you used utrogestan continuously then you could get unpredictable bleeding as it wouldn't work to prevent the bleed - your own hormones would override until you were late peri-meno.
However some women who bleed heavily or who find the prog calming are advised to go for longer than the 12-14 days of utro - some are prescribed the semi-continuous dose of 100 mg for 25 out of 28 which is the licensed post-meno dose. This could work to limit the bleed and even out the fluctuations of both hormones.
Many of us find that the build of up progesterone over longer than 12-14 days gives us a foggy head/fatigue and general lethargy and low mood - but it seems not all women react like this :)
Hurdity x
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Think I'll stick to using it sequentially for the moment. Just liked the idea of sedation, insomnia still a bit of a problem (she says watching Family Guy at 1.20am).
Steph x
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momlet - having electrical equipment in the bedroom is not good - there are websites which advice about helping insomnia and they advice that the light from screens will prevent you from falling asleep.
Try googling 'insomnia' and browse some of the sites to pick up some hints and tips.
I take Utro continuously but still have problems falling asleep sometimes and usually wake at 4am but with the right strategies usually fall back to sleep again. When I didn't have HRT the sweats and horrible creeping sensations through my body kept waking me all the time and I never got any good rem sleep so ended up exhausted. Maintain a good bedtime regime and have the room really dark with no electrical equipment and see if that helps. DG x
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Hi DG, i was down in my lounge watching tv because i get so fed up lying in my darkened room (with black out curtains!) trying not to wake my husband while i try to drop off. I wouldnt have a tv in my bedroom because i like to keep it as a place for sleeping but no such luck on that front at the moment. I cut out caffeine years ago, and before menopause had no problems at all sleeping. Its not hot flushes either its just feeling wired. I put the gel on first thing so shouldnt be an oestrogen rush. Im just wide awake. Ho hum. I might try utro orally to see if that works. I didnt have this on Climagest but the racing heart/catching breath scared me into changing to transdermal methods. Shame, because i even liked the norethisterone part!
S momlet x
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momlet - I'd definitely try Utro orally as it can help you to fall asleep. Last week I tried using Utro vaginally and actually lost that feeling of wellbeing I get with Utro. 2 days back on Utro orally and feel better again and sleeping better. It's so horrible not being able to sleep - I know how it feels. I'd try using the oestrogen at night as well because I think it can help. I sometimes take a Nytol if I get a series of bad nights and it often helps.
I do hope things settle soon. DG x
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Thanks DG, I think I'll give the Utrogestan a go orally. Due next round of prog next weekend so I'll do it then. Also will get myself a new bottle of Kalms!
X
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Momlet, when I took hrt previously, I took it sequentially, but hated the dip I got when I stopped the Utro. Although I am still in peri and only 43, if I were to take it again I would take 100mg for 25 days to avoid this dip. It's a less common route, though not unheard of. I think JediGirl and Nina have tried it - but I could be wrong? x
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Cooooooeeeeee ;D
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Cooooooeeeeee ;D
Did I get the right person? ;D x
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Oh yes :)
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I am on it 25 days out of 28 and in peri. Only two months in but it seems(fingers crossed) to be OK so far
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Trufflecat....I have been prescribed the same as you, do you take it orally? Also do you get any side effects?
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Hi Tinkerbell. I take it orally at bedtime. I don't think I am having any adverse side effects. I get headaches anyway sometimes, so don't think I am getting those. I think that I am less interested in food, but that could be the oestrogen too....I have always been a compulsive overeater, not drugs or alcohol, food is my comfort thing. Two hypnotherapists and an eating disorders counsellor have all failed to help. When I was pregnant, I gained only the weight of the baby and placenta, I just didn't think about food so much, it's a bit like that. Sorry for the ramble! I am only on month two of this though, after Evorel Sequi sent me into a horrible depression during the progesterone bit after a few months. What side effects are you getting?
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I am still having periods but I have been prescribed 50 estradot with contiuous utrogestan as my bladder symptoms flare before and after a period.
Starting on the 27th when the pharmacist has it back in.
Maybe it will help with my face spasms though it may now be a low parathyroid hormone............who knows or good old fashioned clenching.....
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Hi,
I tried Utro continuously for 6 months to avoid the horrible nauseous dip i get coming off progsterone. Worked well at first, no nausea or upset stomach, slept well but then bleeds became more frequent till i was bleeding every 10 days. Also since swapping back to just 14 days Utrogestan I realised how foggy headed and lethargic I'd been.
There are pros and cons to both I guess. Am on cyclical regime now but feel really nauseous tonight at the start of my period and my stomach upset again as per usual. Great timing with a huge dinner to make for extended family tomorrow! Hey ho ::)
Feel free to message me if you want to know more xxx ;)
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Thanks everyone. Im finding the cyclical route not great and my cycle is not behaving itself. Getting irregular bleeds. I was on climagest 1mg at one point which was really good except for racing heart episodes. Id have stayed on it if that didnt happen, plus thought gel/utro would b most natural & safest. Its turning out more complicated than id hoped for. I think my underlying hormones are fluctuating madly and hrt is working some of the time. Not sure which way to go so an email to dr currie may be in order. At least i know some of you have taken it continuously in peri. Have any of you given up transdermal / utro route and gone back to pills?
X