Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => All things menopause => Topic started by: Oolong65 on July 02, 2018, 03:28:13 PM
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My GP and I will be discussing soon a referral for me to a menopause clinic of my choice. He knows that there is one in St Marys in Manchester but doesn't know much about it.
Does anyone know anything about this one.
As I live in the Midlands I am prepared to travel to London, Leeds, Liverpool or Manchester to a good one. Has anyone got any experience of a good clinic (private or NHS)?
Many thanks
Oolong 65
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Hi what are your reasons for being referred to a menopause clinic? The reasons might help us to suggest someone.
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I am suffereing severe hot flushes and night sweats after coming off HRT (10 years). Have a drawful of herbal remedies and nothing has worked for me. Can't go back onto HRT due to cancer. Have tried anti depressants. My GP is hoping a menopause clinic might have some expertise he hasn't got.
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Dr Louise Newson would be a good choice but she has a long waiting list.
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My GP referred me to a Meno Clinic years ago, they were hopeless just wanted to put me on Gabapetin (sp ?) and see me in 6mths, having read up on the tabs with awful side effects and nothing mentioned about hot sweats i declined them, and had to go down the HRT route after many years of hot sweats, like you i tried every thing that became available, i still get night sweats after nearly 20yrs, but Femseven HRT patches did stop my day sweats..
Really hope you get better advise that helps.. :-*
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Oolong65
Looking at your other posts I see that HRT is not out of the question because the cancer was in your uterus and that a very low dose was suggested which might take the edge off your symptoms but be of low risk for breast cancer (depending on your particular situation which only your oncologist/gynaecologist will be able to judge?).
I presume your GP is not confident in prescribing you a low dose oestrogen despite what the consultant suggested hence the agreement for a referral? Great that he wants to do this and if you are in the Midlands then there should be an NHS one in your area? They are all listed on this website under Specialists (on the menu) - for the midlands here: https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/clinicsearchresults.php?region=midlands
Some of the information on specialists is out of date but you can google to see which still take referrals.
Good luck and let us know the outcome.
Hurdity x
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Thanks Dotty, for the information on Dr Louise Newton. I've checked out her website and she is just the person for me. I also noticed she is opening a menopause clinic in Stratford upon Avon in September which will provide holistic advice and support. I can also self refer to her clinic to see her in Solihul but haven't worked out yet how to do that. Her list may be long but I fully intend to get on it asap.
Thanks for the info.
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hi Hurdity,
Thanks for your reply. The consultant says I can have low dose oestrogen but it isn't recomended until 2 years post surgery due to risk of recurrence and I am only 9 months post surgery. But then risks are everywhere and there is a serious risk to my mental health if I don't get some quality of life. On Dotty's advice I've just checked out Dr Louise Newton and listened to her series of video clips. On one, she says there is no risk of breast cancer with low dose oestrogen only HRT! Just what I need to hear.
My GP and I have a lot to talk about tomorrow.
Will let you know the outcome
Oolong65
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Well I'm back on low dose oestrogen and grateful for it following my GP appointment this morning. Went for the gel and am going with your suggestion of experimenting to see how little I need to keep the flushes at bay. Thanks to this forum, because I now know so much more than when I first started taking HRT in 2007.
Dr Louise Newton's videos about HRT that I viewed last night was the clincher for me. I thought why am I putting myself through all this when the risk of BC is negligible with low dose oestrogen.
Great site.
Oolong65
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Oo sending you a big hug hope you can work out the dosage and get some relief.. :-*
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Well done x
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So glad to hear this has been approved for you Oolong65 and hope you feel better as a result - do let us know how you get on :)
Hurdity x
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Hi everyone,
I'm now day 3 of 1.50mg of Oestradiol and whilst I don't expect (from previous experience) that the flushes will improve for at least 10 days, I am confused and alarmed to discover that the flushes have increased to every 30 mins. Previously thay were every 1.5 hours but they just seem to be going crazy.
I'm on low dose oestrogen so just totally confused. Has anyone heard of this experience before?
When I was on combined HRT for 10 years I thrived on it.
Any thoughts? Do I just hope that my body will adjust to this new influx of oestrogen after being deprived for a year.
Oolong 65
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Just to add I stopped taking the herbal stuff at the same time as starting the gel. I am putting it on my inner thighs. I am now wondering if it was a mistake to stop the alternative remedies and they were actually helping me. i.e. hot flushes every 1.5 hours instead of every 30 mins. I assumed the herbal stuff was making no difference.
Should I try a different part of the body to see if the gel absorbs better elsewhere e.g. upper arms and/or buttock?
Oolong65
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I put it on shoulders and back of upper arms and it works very well for me . I found it didn't work as well for me on inner thighs x
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Ah well, it was worth a try.
Flushes are now every 15 mins so I spoke with my GP. Have to stop taking the gel and see what happens. Whoever heard of oestrogen gel making hot flushes worse?
Despondent does even begin to describe how I feel
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Are you on Oestrogel or Sandrena?
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The brand name is Estrogel containing 0.75mg oestradiol per pump.
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It could be that your flushes were going to increase anyway. It will take 4 -6 weeks for the Oestrogel to get into your system and for you to feel the effect. I don't know what to suggest about your flushes getting worse. I would say persevere and see what happens.
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Hi Oolong65
Sorry to hear this.
Remind us of the type of HRT you tried for 10 years that suited you - couldn't you have asked for the same oestrogen that is in that one? ALso how long is it now since you stopped?
Personally also I would suggest you've started at a much too high dose - I presume this is two pumps? You should have been started on one pump if you are trying to take the lowest dose to eliminate flushes Some women absorb this so well that they achieve very high oestrogen levels only on one pump (which is 0.75 mg oestrogen) - and higher than I get on a medium dose patch. For some other women it seems to be absorbed barely at all.
It is paradoxical that an increase in oestrogen can cause hot flushes or make them worse but it seems that this can happen. When I tried to increase my patch dose in the past I got increased flushes - although I have since increased by a small amount and all is well. The key thing is slow and steady.
I have used Sandrena gel which is different and my flushes came back - in my case I think it was because the dose was too low but I didn't wait to let it stabilise - as I knew from 11 years experience that patches worked for me.
In your position I would immediately reduce to 1 pump or even less and take it slow - each dose for a week or two and see how it goes....hopefully an experience oestrogel user will be along to give their direct experience of varying doses and flushes.
If it is going to work though you should feel the benefits within a few days - but as Dotty says your body must acclimatise. Anecdotally, from what I read on this forum, I am wondering if it takes longer for the body to adjust to gel application than patches but that may be way off women's actual experiences?!
Hurdity x
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I think you might need to persevere. It can take 6-8 weeks for your body to stabilize on a HRT or increase one & yes in my experience things can get a lot worse before they get better.
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Hi everyone,
I was on the Evorel Conti patches which were 3.2mg Estradion which gave an absorption rate of 50 micrograms each 24 hours. I'm not brilliant at metric but the new gel is 0.75 mg per dayx 2 pumps. That would make it 6mg if equating it to the life of one patch which is double what I was taking before. I stopped the HRT on 1st September 2017.
So reading your responses I am realising that 2 pumps is just way too strong for me. Too much and too soon. I am very sensitive to medicines etc so yesterdays experience of 24 severe hot flushes between 09.00 a.m. and 11.30 p.m. may just be a reaction to the amount of oestrogen. So, no gel today or tomorrow and if normalised on Monday I will start with a half pump for a week and titrate up very slowly. My GP thought it might be something in the gel that I am reacting to and suggested we switch to patches. However, I want to control the amount going into my body so I think I'll stick with the gel.
Isn't HRT and the many ways it can affect women so differently quite incredible. In 2007 when I went on the patches, just slappped it on and came back to life 3 weeks later so this episode of gel and increasing my hot flushes has been somewhat of a surprise to me.
Its going to be 28 degrees today so might just have to move into the freezer!!
Thanks for all your replies, they have been very helpful. I will let you know how I get on.
Oolong65
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It is very difficult to compare the amounts of gel, patches and tablets as they are all absorbed differently.
If the patches give 50mg per day that is about the same as 2 pumps a day. It isn't double what you are taking on the gel. From what I have read it's about the same.
All you can do is stop taking it and see what happens. However, it could just be your normal symptoms breaking through and nothing to do with the gel. Good luck x
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Hi Oolong65,
I managed to get an appt (4.5 month wait) at Integrated Sexual Health Services in Chesterfield. What I'm not sure is if you have to be living in Derbyshire to access it. They also have ( or at least had) an office in Buxton. Hope that helps!
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Hi I have swapped from Evorel sequi patches (so med dose) to Oestrogel... I am a bit cautious so started with just one pump thinking that if it wasn't enough I would soon feel it ,realise and up the dose...however so far after 1 week I'm feeling better than ever and think 1 pump is enough for me at the moment so I must be absorbing well x
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So, I've not used the gel today and hot flushes have reverted to every 45 mins - 1 hr. Still not great but better than every 15 mins. Tomorrow, I will start with the gel again, only this time I will just use 1 pump and see what happens. Easy does it!