Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => All things menopause => Topic started by: zelda on June 30, 2016, 09:18:45 AM
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Now 2.5 months off HRT (still strongly considering going back on it) another downside I have noticed about coming off is my energy levels have plummeted, I used to be able to walk for a couple of hours now I am tired after about an hour, has anyone had this issue?
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Oh yes, energy certainly drops and then the weight starts to pile on!!!! One needs to eat a lot less but it never seems to come off the tummy and hips!! :-X. DG x
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Oh yes, energy certainly drops and then the weight starts to pile on!!!! One needs to eat a lot less but it never seems to come off the tummy and hips!! :-X. DG x
I have not put on weight so far but I guess I will. I have quite a big appetite and have never been on a diet so the idea of eating less is not very appealing at all.
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Yes - I've been off it for around three months I think. My energy is really low and I find it difficult to get on with all of the things I used to when I get home from work.
How much distance are you covering in your hours walk?
Taz x
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zelda, I know you have to pay for your HRT, have you looked into buying it somewhere cheaper? What type of HRT were you using?
Don't put yourself through this, it really is pointless, is there something else you could cut back on instead? Your health has to be the most important thing.
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Yes - I've been off it for around three months I think. My energy is really low and I find it difficult to get on with all of the things I used to when I get home from work.
How much distance are you covering in your hours walk?
about 2.5 miles.
Taz x
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zelda, I know you have to pay for your HRT, have you looked into buying it somewhere cheaper? What type of HRT were you using?
Don't put yourself through this, it really is pointless, is there something else you could cut back on instead? Your health has to be the most important thing.
Thanks Mary, you are right of course. I won't let the cost stop me from going back on HRT. I am just disappointed that I feel so bad after coming off HRT. I have friends who managed to give it up fine and had no problems but not me I am afraid.
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Yes - I've been off it for around three months I think. My energy is really low and I find it difficult to get on with all of the things I used to when I get home from work.
How much distance are you covering in your hours walk?
about 2.5 miles.
Taz x
So that's fairly slow walking then - I wondered if you were walking at a brisk pace. Have you had blood tests lately just to check that everything else is ok - iron level, vitamin D level etc?
Taz x
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No Taz but this has only started since I came off HRT. Mind you the sleepless nights and waking up exhausted don't help.
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I know exactly what you mean. I've never slept for that long but it's the flushes every half an hour that's getting to me. I go to bed around 12.30 and by 5.30 I've had enough of waking up soggy all of the time and get up.
Taz x :hug:
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Remind me Taz, are you off HRT as well? if so are you going to go back on it?
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I'm off at the moment due to my blood pressure going a bit higher than normal. I had to persuade my doc to let me continue after the age of 60 (I'm now 62) and at my last check up she wouldn't renew my prescription until she'd investigated my blood pressure further - it was 140/80 in the surgery. I was given the home monitor to use for three days which gave an ok result but I haven't been back as my usual doc is away on some sort of sabbatical and I did want to see how I got on without it. I'm going to make an appointment in the next week or so to talk it over with her. My blood pressure seems to vary so much - last week it was consistently 110/75 (anything over 120/80 is a warning that you are pre- hypertensive) but this week it's coming in at around 135/80. My home monitor is new so should be accurate. I've read somewhere that it's the people who have varying blood pressure who are more at risk than consistently high!
Taz x
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Ah I understand.
When I went on HRT, 5 years ago my BP was high 150/85 so the doctor was iffy about giving it to me. They did as I was in a state and about a month later I had a panic attack and ended up in A&E where my BP was 205/95. (HRT finally settled the panic attacks) The doctor then got me a 24 hour monitor (a painful experience, I was hyper all the time I had it on) anyway the end result of that was my BP was 121/75 so no problem since with getting HRT due to the fact that I have "White Coat Syndrome".
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Taz2, I really don't think you have anything to worry about re your blood pressure, lots of people have fluctuating blood pressure at varying levels. I have just looked back at some of my records and my blood pressure was 130/70 when I was 35 and nobody was concerned. Now, at the age of 55, it is (mostly) 125/?(sorry can't remember but not high) but it can sometimes go to 140 if I am rushing around and have an attack of white coat symdrome but the doctor isn't worried, I am not worried and I am definitely not coming off HRT because of it. My blood pressure has never been below 125 even when I was in my 20s and it never will be! The fact is, it has not raised with either age or using HRT whereas my mother (who didn't take HRT) had high blood pressure by the time she was my age. I still think that low oestrogen can cause high blood pressure.
zelda, sorry to hijack your thread but you might find this interesting too.
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Thanks Mary G. Mine has always been ok but has risen since, I think, my hysterectomy. I'm not worried but my GP is and there lies my problem. It was difficult enough getting HRT still prescribed once I hit 60 and I only managed to have it re-prescribed because my gynae wrote to my doc saying that I needed it to try to keep my pelvic floor and vaginal tissues stronger as there was a strong risk of eventual vaginal vault prolapse (definitely don't want that) so the doc relented. I have a now got a new doc and she is being very cautious. The main worry over prescribing HRT for over sixties seems to be that of stroke and heart attack so I can see how she is worried about my blood pressure showing signs of increasing but I think quality of life is important!
Taz x
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The thing that really confuses me me is don't doctors take into consideration the affect coming of HRT has on some people, i.e. night terrors, insomnia, daytime exhaustion, depression etc etc. surely feeling so terrible must have an effect on your health and perhaps contribute to the risk of heart attacks and stokes just as much as the minor risk of staying on HRT.
What do you guys think.
No worries Mary you post was interesting indeed :).
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zelda, I'm afraid when it comes to the menopause and HRT, many doctors don't know what they are talking about. It is a specialised area of medicine and you really need to speak to an expert.
Oestrogen acts like a kind of control centre for so many vital bodily functions and once the levels drop, all sorts of things start to go wrong. Low oestrogen contributes to heart attacks and strokes not to mention poor bladder function, high(er) blood pressure, vaginal problems, reduced cognitive skills and of course the ageing process goes into overdrive and many women suddenly notice their skin and hair deteriorate.
For me it's a complete no-brainer and nothing would ever stop me from using HRT.
Taz2, I think your doctor is wrong. You shouldn't have to beg her for HRT because you are over 60 and your blood pressure is slightly higher, the guidelines have been changed and there is no longer an age limit. If this carries on, I suggest you seek advice elsewhere and go to someone who knows what they are talking about. I bet Professor Studd wouldn't bat an eyelid about your blood pressure or age.
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Mary... what is your story re. HRT, have you been on it for long and what age are you (if you don't mind me asking...)
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zelda, I certainly don't mind you asking! I am 55 and have been on HRT for 10 years now. I had a Mirena coil when I was first menopausal and just added a patch. I then had the coil removed and used oral HRT, had a year off HRT altogether during which time I didn't have any periods but didn't have any hot flushes or night sweats either, just dodgy thermostatic control and sweating too much and too soon. I then went onto Utrogestan and patches and then finally, the Professor Studd regime of Oestrogel, Utrogestan and testosterone which is the best HRT regime I have used by a very, very long way.
I am an HRT lifer with no intention of ever coming off it. Unlike most women, I don't just take HRT for symptom control, I think it is a vital hormone that we all need for life, not just until we are about 50. Men produce sex hormones for their entire lives and I think the fact women don't is a fault in the female design. It would be better if our oestrogen levels dropped just enough to stop us reproducing but not enough to damage our health and cause life ruining symptoms.
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zelda, I certainly don't mind you asking! I am 55 and have been on HRT for 10 years now. I had a Mirena coil when I was first menopausal and just added a patch. I then had the coil removed and used oral HRT, had a year off HRT altogether during which time I didn't have any periods but didn't have any hot flushes or night sweats either, just dodgy thermostatic control and sweating too much and too soon. I then went onto Utrogestan and patches and then finally, the Professor Studd regime of Oestrogel, Utrogestan and testosterone which is the best HRT regime I have used by a very, very long way.
I am an HRT lifer with no intention of ever coming off it. Unlike most women, I don't just take HRT for symptom control, I think it is a vital hormone that we all need for life, not just until we are about 50. Men produce sex hormones for their entire lives and I think the fact women don't is a fault in the female design. It would be better if our oestrogen levels dropped just enough to stop us reproducing but not enough to damage our health and cause life ruining symptoms.
Thanks Mary, I certainly agree with you. If you listen to women such as Janet Street Porter and Sandra Howard who have been on HRT for years they also seem to agree with everything you have said.
Also forgot to say another awful symptom I have is soreness when having sex since I came of HRT, its all dried up down below, not a nice feeling at all.