Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => All things menopause => Topic started by: daisie on May 04, 2016, 08:41:45 AM
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been to the doctors yesterday felt worse walking out of the surgery than walking in ..he will not try me on a small dose of estrogen ..my surgeon who did the hysterectomy sent a note to the doctors saying that if the change in the antidepressant the psychiatrist gave me did not help for the doctor to try me with the estrogen i was demanding it he would not listen he was saying about cancer it would course ..i said why will it ..i wasnt on hrt but i still got it ..he said wait till you see the psychiatrist again if he cant do anything for the depression and anxiety he will try me on it then.. so now iv got to wait for an appointment to come christ knows when that will be these doctors are hopeless here the last one i saw was a femail doctor i also asked her for hrt she wouldnt ..at my age but she had the cheek to tell me she was on it well looks like ill be stuck like this forever on the amitriptyline x daisie
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I just bought some Oestrogel online from a Harley St clinic - not remotely cheap at £30 but it included next day delivery and I am hoping to get from GP later down the line. They do a free online consultation and then if they approve it you then order and pay, so you can be honest with all your answers so you know if they agree its safe (as I just did as I want it to take it with the mini pill which would be off licence with the NHS). Private docs seem to be less over-cautious than NHS and you can choose for them to inform your GP or not. The website is www.theonlineclinic.co.uk
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thank you dangermouse ill look it up ,,i was on the verge of ordering serenity but they dont do just estrogen i think it should be your choice if you are prepared to put up with side effects ..hopeless some doctors x daisie
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Daisie, I think the NiCE guidelines say you should be prescribed HRT for depression and for quality of life, and that the patient who requests it should be taken seriously. I can't remember why you had a hysterectomy now but if your surgeon is suggesting oestrogen your GP should listen. Also, thought it was the progesterone bit of HRT which is linked to increased breast cancer risk - and you don't need progesterone? Suggest you look at what's on this site about NICE and maybe someone who really knows their stuff will come along soon.
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Yes, I understood it was just synthetic progesterone that raised breast cancer risk. So even the Utrogestan should be safe as its more natural.
I suspect a lot of misinformed people assume its the oestrogen component when they think of oestrogen driven breast cancer. I used to assume that before I read up on it all. Doctors should know these basics though??!
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I don't think the docs know half the time. Even ones I consider good tried to convince me I wasn't menopausal even after my hysterectomy and horrendous symptoms. Try another doctor if you have the strength.
Good luck.
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thanks for your comments ..i had 1st grade of endometrium cancer ancient runner .i had a total hysterectomy took everything away ..the surgeon did say when i asked him about estrogen that it could course a small chance of cancer but if the depression is taking over my life to take estrogen at my own risk so he sent the letter to my doctor ..but the doctor was so ignorant about it and refused me which was wrong i think x daisie
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Is there any chance you could see a different doctor, daisie?
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hi juju .iv already seen 2 upto now the other one i saw was a femail she said no to it aswell but shes on it she thought at my age too old to start hrt ..im going to wait now till iv seen the psychiatrist and see what else he can give me for the depression and anxiety x daisie
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Good advocate for Professor Studd I think.
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I agree with Kate50, under the extreme circumstances and bearing in mind you are getting no help whatsoever from your doctor, I would go to Professor Studd. I am pretty sure what his answer will be too.
The fact is, you have had a complete hysterectomy so there is no chance the cancer can come back anyway because it was completely localised to your womb.
I am beginning to think that HRT is beyond the understanding of most GPs.
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Daisy- I totally understand your frustration with the doctors.
We've paid into the NHS and I feel we are not getting what we have paid for. >:(
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As I posted in a thread last night. My Doctor told me only last night at the surgery, they were told to prescribe AD for menopause because of the risks of HRT. She called me aTrail Blazer because I had managed to find my way through the confusion that the treatment of the menopause seems to be. I've paid out to see Studd privately then had to go through NHS approval with a menopause gynae who luckily agreed with Studd regime well nearly all of it Then had to go back to docs to get internal scan done cos only myself believed I should have one having had only oestrogen in 6 months cos couldn't take progesterone. Then to the doctor again who seemed really pleased that someone had had the balls to keep pushing. And I'm thinking I shouldn't be the trail blazer you should be ! The gynae at the hospital gave me a copy of the Nice guidelines.
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Is that recently kate50? or before the new NICE Guidelines were issued?
Daisie - give your psychiatrist's secretary a phone call, explain the situation and see if you can have an appt. sooner rather than later: even a phone consultation to explain. Or maybe the psychiatrist could ring your GP and push for what has been suggested? 1 doesn't have to wait until the appt. if there are problems prior, let us know how you get on!
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Before the nice guidelines but they were doling out HRT cos had tried it year before
Studd comes to mind here because of the psychiatrist connection. Daisy do you have a psychiatrist for reasons separate to your cancer? Cos if you do then they should be treated as separate. If he doesn't want you to come off AD'S because of that that's where your psych comes in, but it shouldn't stop him from prescribing oestrogen if your gynae says so he's the expert. Are you asking to swap? Is that where he is getting concerned? The other reason I say Studd would be good is because of his work with oestrogen and the effects it has on anxiety and depression.
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There is a HUGE link between hormones and depression …….. Dr Katy Dalton (?) did lots of work on the associations in the 1970s/80s.
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hi ladies thanks for your replys ,,i am under the psychiatrist for anxiety and depression iv been taking amitriptyline for over 7 years now ..he started me on duloxatine and to ween off amitriptyline after 2 weeks i couldnt cope with the side effects so i came off them he said he would send me appointment through im still waiting .i went to see him in february the doctor who i saw on tuesday said to wait till iv seen the psychiatrist again then if he cant do anything for me he will look into giving me a small dose of estrogen ,,all this waiting is getting on my nerves the amitriptyline im on has not even lifted the depression all the time iv been on it ,but it does help with sleep im feeling realy desparate now for something to give me a lift out of the down feelings iv had for years iv no get up and go ..i was thinking about ringing the surgeon up and telling him about the doctors ignorance about the hrt ..there was no eye contact when i went to see him while he was talking to me he was too busy with the computer i cant understand why he didnt say ..here you are go and try the estrogen and see how you get on ..doctors are not bothered though ,about all the side effects you get from taking antidepressants oh well ill just have to wait i suppose it will be another antidepressant from the psychiatrist lets hope he can find one for me that does its job ..ill keep you up dated x daisie
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I just bought some Oestrogel online from a Harley St clinic - not remotely cheap at £30 but it included next day delivery and I am hoping to get from GP later down the line. They do a free online consultation and then if they approve it you then order and pay, so you can be honest with all your answers so you know if they agree its safe (as I just did as I want it to take it with the mini pill which would be off licence with the NHS). Private docs seem to be less over-cautious than NHS and you can choose for them to inform your GP or not. The website is www.theonlineclinic.co.uk
just to let you know i got intouch with that clinic i got refused estrogen because they do not give it to over 50s im 61 thanks for your help x daisie
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What is he expecting the psychiatrist to do for your hormones? How much amytriptiline are you on it should work if it's enough? But then it sounds like if you are now 61 all your problems could be menopausal right from the start and if you had been treated this way your cervix would been getting checked earlier? Sounds a bit negligent to me.
I think you need to take action ring the surgeon, then demand your Psych appointment now! Mary G I'm sure will send you some oestrogel to try. Look on Professor Studd website it will make interesting reading. Your Dr isn't god he sounds scared to me. You defo need to get your surgeon to explain to him. It's git nothing to do with your psych meds you might not need them!
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hi kate50 i thought the same when the doctor told me ..if its homones whats causing the problem in the first place i should be trying some estrogen now iv had the hysterectomy i can feel my moods have got worse iv been going through the menopause since i was 46 nothing as changed all these years iv had it iv just been putting up with it on the hope it will go away i was told by someone else that my doctor as been negligent .i to think they are scared of giving out hrt a couple of woman i know was on hrt before they moved down here ,,the doctors also took them off hrt im going to ring the psychiatrists today and try to get get in like you said how thank you kate ,i will look on professor studds site..forgot to say im on 50mg of amitriptyline iv been wondering if that dose is too small when i looked it up it did say 75mg for depression .is mary G on the estrogen gell x daisie
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Yes she is and you would be one of the lucky ones cos we have to take progesterone and that's Shit!
Years ago bf SSRI were invented I had amytriptiline for post natal depression I was on 150mg and it worked but it triggered migraines when I came off it. Ring your surgeon secretary too having a hysterectomy and not bring allowed oestrogen is torture. Dont care what age you are I personally don't think you ever get over the menopause my mum reckons she hasn't still got VA at 78
I seriously think you need to re go over this and look at the facts. You have not had what you need but then that is difficult if you got a rubbish dr and you dont know what you need. I think if you paid £25 and e mailed Dr Currie on here she would be slightly alarmed. Studd defo would be
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daisie, your doctor sounds like a real plonker and personally I wouldn't trust him to prescribe aspirin. I think it's about time we had a 'Googling Doctor' section on here to publicise this kind of thing.
Why waste any more of your valuable time on someone who clearly doesn't know what they are doing? I don't know how you are placed financially but why don't you ring Professor Studd's office now and just speak to one of his secretaries to begin with. You have nothing to lose and they are very helpful. If you can afford it, you could then go ahead with a consultation but you might want to sound him out first.
Also, make sure you also contact the surgeon and report the bad treatment you have had from your GP and tell him you are on the brink of self prescribing, that should get things moving. The surgeon said you could have HRT so can't he prescribe it for you or force the GP to?
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thank you katie and mary ..i have just rang the psychiatrist office my next appointment will be 1st of june its took 4 months waiting ..yes most of the doctors here are plonkers mary.. theres 11 doctors at the surgery the one who was any good emigrated to new zealand i do think they are behind time down here when it comes to hrt they dont know much about it as far as i can see i thought taking estrogen would be better for you than not taking it if you are low ..mary how are you on the estrogen gell im off to ring the surgeon up now will update .you i would apreciate the gell mary thank you x daisie
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daisie, I think the Oestrogel is fantastic and the best form of oestrogen I have used by a very, very long way. It is only since going on to the gel that I completely got back to normal which some women never achieve aged 54 and post menopause.
I have previously used oral HRT and patches but neither of them delivered enough oestrogen. I also like the flexibility of the gel because it is good to be able to adjust the dose if you need to. I would never use anything else now.
I think you would do very well on just 1 pump of gel everyday and it would be a pleasure to send you a tube if can send you can PM your address.
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I think that you should speak with Prof Studd first Daisie. We are not medically trained here :-\ and none of us know your full medical history. Therefore taking medication ah hoc could make you feel worse …….. I am unable to believe that 11 GPs in one Surgery would all be reluctant to prescribe ……. are any interested in womens health? Maybe go to speak with a Pharmacist they have private rooms these days and are knowledgeable about what would suit your personal circumstances.
You could find yourself without a GP Surgery.
Had another thought: does Dr Currie still offer an e-mail private consult via the Forum? If not, you could write a letter to see if she has time to answer.
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hi clkd iv decided to wait for my appointment with the psychatrist see what other options there is for me..the doctors do not seem clued up here about womens health every one iv seen talk me out of taking hrt ..i know from my family history of breast cancer that could be a reason.. i lost my sister at 35 with it .dont know if doctor currie still does private emails but ill have a look .do you know if professor studd has a charge for a phone call ,,thanks for your reply clkd x daisie
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Dr Currie has written in the magazine about hrt and breast cancer http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/magazine.php
Worth a read.
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thank you dahliagirl for the link xdaisie
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:thankyou: dahliagirl
Oh! Daisie - let us know how you get on!