Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => All things menopause => Topic started by: Peroxideblader on August 27, 2017, 02:07:00 PM
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Hello it's me again sorry...thought I'd open a new thread more relevant now for me.
As some will have read I was on femoston 1/10 my first attempt at hrt for 11 days and although I didn't get any benefits so early it destroyed me mentally and by the 11th day I wanted to end my life it had got me down so low. I felt tearful very depressed and panic attacks came back full force.
I stopped the femoston and on reading here I thought I'd try the oestrogel gel and utrogestan regime however on reading the section on here dedicated to it I see a large number of ladies still get the low mood and anxiety on it and even worse on the progesterone. My question is should I try the femoston again but give it longer til the progesterone part kicked in as I do preference simplicity of a tablet and not the estimating that comes with the gel and separate pill as gp told me two options and on here there's 3 options. I don't start til next period in 2 or 3 weeks but I seem to be jumping out of the frying pan into the fire.
Can anyone Peri stage help me here thank you ( I'm not dismissing the ladies who had the same issue as me on femoston but they were coming off hrt altogether afyer such horrid side effects whereas I really need to try again as the insbility to fall asleep is ruining my life )
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Has anybody done the femoston and felt suicidal and low but felt better with the combined part or after a few months ?
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The peri stage is very tricky and I think adding in HRT, if you are still getting regular periods, may not be your best option.
What symptoms are you trying to control?
You might do better with Qlaira ( I think that's what it's called???) which a newer type of BCP that many women in peri find very helpful.
Your reaction to Femoston sounds like an overload of oestrogen that your body didn't like and you may find you get this with any HRT while you are in early peri meno.
Hopefully someone will be along who has tried this BCP and can advice better. DG x
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peroxideblader, i cant believe your post, i came on here tonight to see if anyone else is on femoston i didn't expect to read identical to whats happening to me at the moment, i,m 11 days on femoston 2/10mg and iv not felt this on the edge in years (hormone related episode 17 yrs ago) anxiety through the roof. iv tried 2 lots of patches in the past 6 months im peri and was having night sweats and anxiety , now it seems so much worse i can hardly drive anywhere with the panic :'( my gp advised using a low dose ad along side the hrt but im worried about the side effects as friends have said you feel more spaced out and dizzy at first until they get in your system,vicious circle :-\ i think i need to see a menopause dr
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Dancing girl thanks for your reply..my main reason for hrt is gradual decline in the ability to go to sleep until 3 years it got that I cannot fall asleep til 4 or 5am every night as my periods have been getting 5 or 6 weekly kissed one in June totally but did have a ruptured ovarian cyst. Don't get hot flashes just hot hours and bed soaked in the morning. I did get bad anxiety and panic attacks but controlled by escitalopran for the last 4 years. I thought I was low oestrogen but sounds unlikely then with my severe reaction to femoston. Could it be low progesterone then with the sleep ( had 3 years of health checks tried you name it literally eliminated it all medically so perimenopause was left)
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Wednesday I really feel for you I lasted 11 days but my mood hit so low I was thinking of ending it all so I stopped straight away and 3 days later u feel so much better so femoston did this at the oestrogen stage so I'd say stop taking it.
I have been on an AD on off for 33 years and when I've stopped I've got ill again so when I last stopped 4 years and has breakdown I decided this was for life and it stopped my panic attacks and high anxiety almost totally. When I do get them they're not as horrendous so yes an AD would help I'm sure especially as hrt is making it worse. I won't lie they do take a few horrible weeks to get in your system and the sude effects are not pleasant and you won't feel the effect for 4 to 6 weeks but they were life saving for me. Sadly the sleep delay syndrome I have has ruined my life in other ways and I am going to try the oestrogen gel and utrogestan next month as a second attempt but I'm not hopeful....but stop femoston now I'd advise and try a different hrt let me know how you get on
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Ladies - low mood, anxiety and poor sleep are possibly the hardest things to treat if they are meno related - particularly in peri meno.
I think there is still much to be researched when it comes to treating peri meno, as the fluctuations in hormones are a real problem.
HRT doesn't suit everyone and finding one that does suit can be very challenging. The fact that you both reacted badly to the oestrogen phase of the Femoston is slightly worrying as this is usually the bit that improves mood - although there are some who feel good on progesterone. Progesterone can have a more sedative effect but will often bring low mood - so with any treatment it is benefits versus side effects.
Don't be frightened to try a low dose of an SRRI - I know several friends who have done well on these - side effects usually settle within a few days ( up to 2weeks)I believe.
As for sleep - well I do lots of Mindful Meditation, do a good bedtime routine and occasionally take a Nytol if I need to. DG x
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Dancinggirl I use an AD already and things like Nytol don't touch my insomnia nothing does ..so I have no respite from it sadly and it worried me that the oestrogen part made me suicidal ...do you think no hrt will help then ?
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If I do give the bio hrt a try I see Dr studd recommends 2 pumps of gel and only 100mg utrogestan for the first 7 days but nhs says 200 mg for 11 days from days 15 to 26 how do I know which is right to try especially as they won't do a blood test and I was very low and weepy on the oestrogen in femoston and had to stop. My gp hadn't heard of utrogestan so basically asked what dose and when I want to take it which didn't help
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Hi I am peri and I am on the estrogel and utrogestan it has sorted me out. My periods were still regular but I was going mental with anxiety and panic attacks and very itchy all over my body it wasn't till night sweats kicked in I realised what was happening. I got the help on here I needed from everyone about the gel and utro as docs put me on prempak c and put on a stone in 9 weeks and was so bloated then they tried femostan patches and I never made it to the combined patch as my mood crashed and like yourself felt suicidal I ripped it off and felt my mood lift again. Please do try the gel and utro regime and start of on the 2 pumps I'm now on 4. I take the utro vaginally and only for 10 days and only 100mg my mood does get a bit low towards the end of them when period is due but this has always been normal for me even without hrt. Good luck xx
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thanks ladies for the replys, i will go back to dr and ask for the gel and the other,but when i asked her for these 2 weeks ago she said i could have the gel but the other (sorry forgot its name) she has not heard of in patch form so i would have to have in tablet form , is that right? :' :(
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Keepgoing..I could have cried when I read your post because it is just my situation...the femoston if I'd have carried on would have ended me I'm sure but although I stopped it I felt so low that I'd had such adverse reaction to it especially just the estrogen which was supposed to make me feel much better...and knowing that maybe hrt wasn't for me which was horrid as this was my last hope to sort out my sleeping...I'm so pleased you've found the gel/utrogestan regime good but can I ask specifically how you use it. I can't take the utrogestan vaginally as I've had a over active bladder for over 30 years and this will exacerbate if I use it this way so I will be taking it orally but can you tell me what days you take things and what time of day ...I will be collecting the 100mg utrogestan tablets and the gel this week but can't start it til next period in 2 or 3 weeks. But one way is the NHS way taking 200mg utrogestan days 15-26 another 7 days from day 1-7 ( prof studd) so your 10 days taking it sounds prefect but like I said can you tell me your exact regime as I'm a total novice.
Also did you have any bad side effects on the oestrogel this time like femoston or not ? Sorry to ask so many questions but you have given me hope that maybe this hrt could help..thank you
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Wednesday..my doctor had never heard of utrogestan either but looked it up and agreed to prescribe it but said she couldn't advise on dosage etc as it wasn't something she knew about so she pretty much gave me the dose I asked for which I asked for 100mg and yes it only in pill form. I cannot take it vaginally because it can irritate the bladder and seeing as I literally already wee every hour through the night I don't want to make it worse so I'll be taking it orally . The NHS guide lines are oestrogel every day but the utrogestan 200mg days 15-26 but I've read a lot of ladies on here find that too high a dose as the side effects can be quite bad especially if the oestrogen dose is low which mine will be. Fingers crossed for you
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peroxideblader please let me know how you get on with this in a few weeks ,fingers crossed for you and i will go and ask my gp for the same ,thanks x ;)
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Thanks Wednesday..you too..you might start before me as I've got to wait for the next period and it's due in 10 days but I'm always a week or two late every month but either way whoever tries it first let each other know.x
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Oestrogel gives the same oestrogen as one gets in most other HRT pills or patches - it is just delivered in a different way. It may work better for some women but whether it will be better for low mood and anxiety I'm am really not sure.
We are all different and what works for one person, won't work for another.
As for Utrogestan, again, the effects of this will vary greatly.
If you want to follow Studds regime then you really should pay to see him and be under his supervision. The standard doses will need to be followed if under the NHS as they are NICE guildelines. I got erratic bleeding when using Utrogestan and felt generally very sedated - I also got nasty rashes on my face. It didn't make me sleep better - I just felt quite sleepy most of the time - very chilled and disconnected.
DG x
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Hi peroxideblader I don't mind all the questions. I start my utro on day 16 take it for 10 days and period arrives day 28 as my periods were still regular this works in with my own cycle. I only take 100 mg cause I take it vaginally as when you take it orally you lose half its strength in your body, vaginally you don't so I figured 100 was enough, my own decision. When I took it orally it upset my digestive system which is sensitive anyway so you might be fine. I can't remember if it was after the third or fifth day on utro that the sickly feeling vanished and I felt fine. When I took it orally I took it about 9 at night as after a few days on it any later and I couldn't get up in the mornings as it does make you tired. As I take it vaginally I just pop it in before I turn in for the night as I don't feel as tired taking it this way. Oh nearly forgot as for the estrogel I have not had any side effects with this from day one so I am one of the lucky ones whose body loves it lol hope this helps you xx
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Oh I forgot to say I started the estrogel on day one of my period which was also the start of my countdown for utro on day 16 hope this makes sense 😂 Xx
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Hi Peroxideblader
I can't add much to this discussion but just to also agree that if you are taking utrogestan orally then the licensed dose 200 mg should be adhered to and for at least 10 days - unless under medical supervision to reduce. If you are having bladder problems maybe also you need vaginal oestrogen?
I use utrogestan vaginally and it makes me feel pretty tired - but use it on a long cycle - which is only possible really for very late peri-menopause or post-meno - perhaps something for the future (longer cycle)?
Another thought - if you are already taking an AD maybe there is some interaction with oral oestrogen causing you to feel like this - or some sort of unbalance between the two (? sorry I know nothing about this) - so if you need an AD for long-standing mental health problems that are not to do with menopause/hormones and need HRT for menopause then maybe a different AD might be appropriate? Have you dsicussed this with your doc or specialist?
Oestrogen is not a hormone that should lead to suicidal feelings - it is normally associated with well-being and mood enhancing, so could it be due to your own hormones fluctuating extremely (as they do in peri-menopause) as well as something to do with your existing medication and the HRT - all being added into the mix? That's probably not very helpful but trying to encourage you re the HRT.
Have you thought of one of the newer generation CCP or Qlaira to control your cycle and iron out the fluctuations, if you are under 50? Sorry I can't remember your age?
Hurdity x
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Hurdity thanks very much I never thought of the AD reacting with the oestrogen in which case I'm knackered with any hrt then because I can't come off my escitalopram it's been my life saver and I don't want to change to another one when this has worked so well. I've suffered depression all my life but was only on an AD afyer a medical negligence left me in agony and cause a breakdown then I stopped it. Then I has a melt down 4 years ago but that could have been the start of peri as my sleep started to go bad and I had sudden panic attacks and social anxiety. So it could be that hrt would replace my AD but I can't risk it. It takes months to come off one with horrid withdrawals then another few months to start another. I guess if the new regime I try has the same negative effects on me then that's that hrt wise.
I can't take a BCP as although I'm 48 I smoke so they won't prescribe it. All I can do is hope it works this new transversal way like the previous lady has found as she reacted badly to oestrogen in femoston but is good on this new one. I'll try that's all I can do . I will ring go and get my prescription changed to 200mg though and stick to the proper guidelines with taking it orally
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Keepgoing thanks so much for your reply it totally makes sense. I'll get my prescription changed to 200 utro with me taking it orally. I might not get to that stage if what hurdity suggests is right as I'll react extreme to the oestrogen again. Also when you take utro days 15 to 26 do you just take oestr8gel days 27 and 28 then class next day as day 1 and count to day 15 fir utro again? And lastly do you take oestrogel in the morning on your inner thigh and just leave it to dry no rubbing in. Thank you
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Yes I count day 1 when I start my period again and continue like this every month. I spread estrogel on inner thigh and leave to dry xx
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Thank you but do you have 2 free utrogestan days then 27 and 28 then start again day 1...I'm a pain aren't I...
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You are not a pain just got to get your head round it. Day 27 and 28 are utro free as it usually takes 2 days for period to start, well in my case this is how it works x
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Thank you. Right I think I'm getting my head round it but I can't get to see my gp until a week this Friday they're booked up so there's a chance I might start my next period by then and I can't until she's checked my blood pressure and weight and get my prescription but fingers crossed I'll start it soon. Thank you again and thanks to everyone helping me