Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => Other Health Discussion => Topic started by: Redlocks on December 14, 2019, 12:01:00 PM
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Hello ladies,
I've been taking HRT (100mcg Estradot patches and 100mg Utrogestan days 8-28) for PCOS and severe PMS and was doing well until I doubled the Utrogestan.
After 4/5 months on the higher dose of 200mg I have barely been functioning, severe panic attacks, not wanting to do anything, scared of everything, no concentration, feeling disconnected and out of it, loss of appetite, lack of sleep and paralysing anxiety where I'm scared to be alone.
My consultant told me to go back down to 100mg and I did two weeks ago but I'm still unwell. Has anyone else experienced anything similar? I always got on with the Utrogestan phase before, now it doesn't help me sleep. I've felt so bad I feel I should be in hospital :( It's scary not knowing how long this will last. Please could someone help X
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Hello Birdy,
I'm so sorry, I wrote this before I saw your message! When I'm panicking I seek answers from everywhere, but after reading your replies my suspicions are that it's definitely the hormones playing a major part in all this. I was confused at the time because I also had some bad news about a family member recently, but I think I was coping and this all just feels so...physical. It's hard when you don't know what's causing what because then you don't know the appropriate action to take.
Have you got friends and family around you?
X
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I'm glad you're not on your own! I have support thanks, thank goodness.
Have you got any medication to help you short term? I went through hell last year and something to take the edge off helped get me through it while I levelled out.
Did you feel worse without Utrogestan last week or when you increased it?
Also, you might have told me but do you see a consultant? I see Dr Panay and up until this point he's been great, but he's away at the moment so I don't know my blood test results or anything.
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And I had the non-stop crying last year, pretty much for two days straight at one point. It's awful and I'm pretty sure it's hormonal because once I felt better I hadn't changed my dose of antidepressants, only the HRT.
This time I feel more ‘paralysed' with anxiety and the stress is coming out as waves of adrenaline and panic rather than tears.
And this won't help but I'm sending hugs X
PS: The Strictly final is on tonight, do you watch it? That show has helped me take my mind off things a teeny bit.
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We can think of each other during Scrtickly ........
Maybe print off 'hints for husbands' and hand over?
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That's a good idea, CLKD! It is hard for loved ones too - I always feel guilty about upsetting my family and friends, especially when I'm generally a positive person! But they need to know it's not a choice and very real.
Let's all watch Strictly! I love it :)
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We have a thread about Strictly: hobbies, dog breeds - we sometimes talk about menopause :D
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Gosh girls I have been where you both are.Its bloody awful and really scary.My friend who used to be a nurse and is now in her 80s said to me that all the mental health facilities used to fill up with menopause
Women.I can certainly understand that now.
I just wish there is more said about this huge issue our in the general public.
When I sit and think just how many women around the world right now feel terrible!its just 😞
thank goodness for these forums.xxxxx
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Thanks Penelope for your kind words :) It is horrible. I'm so confused about what's my hormones and what's just me! I'm 33 and don't know whether my life long issue with anxiety has been hormonal or not.
How are you doing now? Sending hugs to you and everyone going through anything like this X
Ps yes, thank goodness for these forums...
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And CLKD, a thread about Strictly sounds great! I loved the final last night :)
And I don't have a dog but I looked after my landlord's elderly cat earlier this year. It was so sad when he died - he was a great comfort to me! I love animals, they make me chuckle :)
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Thanks Penelope for your kind words :) It is horrible. I'm so confused about what's my hormones and what's just me! I'm 33 and don't know whether my life long issue with anxiety has been hormonal or not.
How are you doing now? Sending hugs to you and everyone going through anything like this X
Ps yes, thank goodness for these forums...
I have literally been to hell and back since age 25 with what I now know was thyroid!
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Hello Ladies
I'm really sorry to hear that you are having a rough time at the moment, sending you hugs and warm wishes. Can I ask why you had to double the utro?
that paralysed by anxiety is so horrible, isn't it?
Did you manage to get your decorations up Birdy?
Much love
Jeepers xx
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Hello Jeepers, nice to e-meet you!
Thanks so much for the hugs, have some yourself ⛄️ :)
Good question - I was getting a period every two weeks and my consultant advised me to double the progesterone; I think maybe he thought the higher dose could override my own cycle. He said give it 3-4 months and I didn't have any debilitating symptoms at first (other than being a bit more tearful and not as focused, but I put that down to other things going on), but then around the fourth month I couldn't cope, so I've halved it again. It never stopped the periods anyway.
Last year I reduced the utrogestan to 100mg for 10 days a cycle, and it stopped the extra period but I lost my mind (again) - almost constant panic attacks, and it took about 4 months before I got through a day without experiencing one. Back then I figured it was the high amount of estrogen, so that's probably why he suggested I do the opposite.
Turns out maybe you can have too much of a good thing! I think it's all about balance. I'm still experiencing extreme anxiety, but I have to say I've noticed the teeniest bit of improvement after two weeks.
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Penelope, I am perpetually confused about thyroid issues - I've been tested quite frequently since I was around 18 as my mum is hypothyroid, but it always comes back ‘normal'. My TSH is frequently above 2, which I did hear could be borderline, but I couldn't get anywhere with my GP. I sought the help of an endocrinologist and gynaecologist for my PCOS and I pursued that route because at least I had an official diagnosis. However, if I do have some sort of thyroid issue then it could explain a lot!!
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Penelope, I am perpetually confused about thyroid issues - I've been tested quite frequently since I was around 18 as my mum is hypothyroid, but it always comes back ‘normal'. My TSH is frequently above 2, which I did hear could be borderline, but I couldn't get anywhere with my GP. I sought the help of an endocrinologist and gynaecologist for my PCOS and I pursued that route because at least I had an official diagnosis. However, if I do have some sort of thyroid issue then it could explain a lot!!
Honey I hear you and feel for you so much if your mum has a thyroid issue and you have symptoms you are 85% likely to have thyroid issues.The doctors are like pulling teeth hence the fact I have had Hashimoto's for 25 years And they never did the correct tests because my TSH tests where Normal
But my ferritin and haemoglobin were never correct and they are also a big indicator.
Remember the go to medication for Hashimoto's is HRT Are you on it? That could be something you could try because that way you would be covering both bases Menopause and thyroid.
Maybe a good idea for your mum to ask for a thyroid antibodies test she may come back with Hashimoto's by now as well.
Hope this helps a bit honey.I am gobsmacked that I have had menopause symptoms for 25 years the anxiety so bad at times I could not leave home and it was all my thyroid.😔
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‘Pulling teeth' is the right image!!
That's awful :( Once you got the right treatment, did you feel better? My main symptoms are anxiety and depression.
My ferritin has generally been borderline, my haemoglobin I think has always been ok and when I had my antibodies tested I think the result was normal. Maybe thyroid isn't my issue, but I didn't realise HRT is a treatment for Hashimoto's — I'm on Estradot and Utrogestan. A lot of my symptoms seem to overlap with menopause, such as night sweats and irregular periods.
Could I send you some of my thyroid test results? I don't really understand them: no doctors have ever flagged anything but another perspective would be helpful!
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‘Pulling teeth' is the right image!!
That's awful :( Once you got the right treatment, did you feel better? My main symptoms are anxiety and depression.
My ferritin has generally been borderline, my haemoglobin I think has always been ok and when I had my antibodies tested I think the result was normal. Maybe thyroid isn't my issue, but I didn't realise HRT is a treatment for Hashimoto's — I'm on Estradot and Utrogestan. A lot of my symptoms seem to overlap with menopause, such as night sweats and irregular periods.
Could I send you some of my thyroid test results? I don't really understand them: no doctors have ever flagged anything but another perspective would be helpful!
Yes of course you can I would be happy to look at them.Are we able to private message on here?
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Thank you! Are you free today? I'll fish out any blood test results I've got - I don't mind putting them up here if it happens to help anyone.
Just feel so awful at the moment.
X
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Also, is there an endocrinologist you would recommend? X
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All I can say Redlocks is my experience and then you can take from it what you may. I started on gel and utrogestand in September 2018. I have a mega history of hormonal issues going back to a teenager which I didn't know about until I got to this meno lark when all of a sudden lots became clear - no consolation - but at least I have some answers to questions I have been asking for nearly my whole life! With my hormonal issues I had a mega history of depression and took AD's pretty much the whole time from age 15 until 51 when I ditched them!
My body doesn't do progesterone very well and it made me flat and depressed when I started and has done so to varying degrees since I started 15 months ago. Anyway having read here and learnt a lot, although I should take utro continuously I only take it on a cycle and I had to start slowly. I could only manage 200mg for 7/8 days for the first 4 months. After that it went up to 9/10 days but by the time I got 10/11 months in I could do 200mg for 12 days no problem. When I say "no problem" I mean no wildly fluctuating mood swings or nasty depressive episodes, just feeling a bit tearful, a bit tired and a bit out of sorts! I use the 200mg utro vaginally - right from day 1 - there was no way I would swallow the things!
I was also prescribed testosterone in February 2019 and this dealt with the underlying fatigue, brain fog and libido issues which the gel and the utro did not solve on their own but that also took 3/4 months to resolve itself.
In my case now I am 15 months in I can actually say that by and large I fell better than I have in 20 years but it has taken all that time to even out and become consistent. There are still fluctuations but they are mild compared to what I had before and on other hrt medications. I am of the opinion that hrt is a very slow burn for some women which is unfortunate because the roller coaster which I had to go through to get to where I am today - it would have been easy to give up and assume it wouldn't happen. In my case I felt I had no choice - continue with the way things were (no life at all!) or keep going in the hope there would be light at the end of the tunnel.
When I was bad I had insomnia, panic attacks that made me nearly certifiable, a mind like a washing machine, or a complete blank, pains all over my body so much so a consultant diagnosed me with fibromyalgia! When I wasn't hyped to the max I couldn't get out of bed. I had acid reflux, felt like I couldn't see properly. In fact it is easier to say what I didn't have of the meno menu - which was vaginal atrophy. This had gone on for over 5 years! So therefore Redlocks - all I would say is that there is success but it can be a long and tortuous experience. I think sometimes it is even over estimated by experienced and respected consultants just what a mess we can be and how long it will take for some form of hrt to fix it.
Good luck and much love xx
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Hello Ladybt28,
Thank you for your kind and helpful words! I've been on antidepressants continually since I was 21, first took them when I was 18.
Maybe doubling the dose of progesterone straightaway was just too much for me. I appreciate that none of this works overnight too - I hear celebs say they felt better after a few weeks or even immediately, but that doesn't tally with what many are saying here!
I can relate to the lack of libido (which seemed to increase when I first doubled the dose of utrogestan but has now crashed through the floor) and feeling ‘certifiable'. I feel insane and that I've lost control!
But I won't give up - I know logically I've felt well before and I want to get back there. As I learned from my last experience, it's also a bit of a waiting game which is very frustrating and scary when you feel so unwell.
Big hugs to you - how are you doing at the moment? It's always nice to hear a success story as it gives me hope! X
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I am in two minds about celebs who spout on about meno! On the one hand it is good because it pushes the issues into the wider world and recently has made meno a "hot topic" but on the other they have endless resources we don't have access to. They can get to see people privately at the drop of hat, get tests quickly, see a therapist every week, go for soothing massages or other treatments etc because they can afford to pay for all of this. We could do it too if we have the money, I'm not saying there is no choice, but if you don't have the money well...?
I'm always worried when I post because I'm not sure whether "success" is the right word...its all relative to how bad you are or have been in the past and how long. I also worry about the fact that I just persisted regardless and worry that I give the impression that someone asking questions will take it that I am saying you should carry on regardless. I'm not but all I can say is that for me there was no other choice...things could not continue, I had tried 6 other options of hrt and none had worked so I just had to keep going. I would say that on the depressive side, that is never going to go away fully but it has lessened now the other issues have come under control.
I am currently on a progesterone phase and it's winter - not a good thing...I am down a small hole at the moment for a few days but now I know it wont last long and will lift...before this period in my life it was pretty much constant...I think over time my brain has rewired itself a little bit because my body is not in a permanent state of chaos!
Keep posting Redlocks...I found the ladies here so helpful and supportive whilst I was in the depths of despair and/or panicked out of my mind...its nice to be able to just vent and know you won't be judged and kind words will come. It doesn't actually fix anything but it takes the isolation away and gets it out of your head and onto a page.
Much love x
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Thank you! Are you free today? I'll fish out any blood test results I've got - I don't mind putting them up here if it happens to help anyone.
Just feel so awful at the moment.
X
Ready anytime honey.
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Penelope, thank you :) I'll have a look through my doctor's notes - if I remember correctly one thing I noticed was that my TSH was lower when measured privately, but has always been over 2 when I've had tests through the NHS ???
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And Ladybt28, thank you for your support :) I agree with you on celebs and don't feel that you were giving me 'advice', just kindness :) I think I do need to persist, and it does take a long time.
I saw a consultant today and she seemed to think it could be that my estrogen has dropped, but will have to check when my test results are available. I hate feeling like I can't relax when usually I'm able to switch off! I don't even know exactly what's scaring me so much, the feeling is just there...
X
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Hey Penelope,
Last time they checked my TSH was when I went to A&E with a panic attack last November, and it was 2.63. So, normal - I wish there was an explanation for why I feel like I'm going crazy! :(
X
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Due to not being able to get my normal hrt iwas put on estradot and 200 utrogestan, it knocked ten bells out of me I felt awful and the cramps were the worst I ever had. Saw my GP yesterday who told me to skip a month of the utrogestan then take just 100 the following month, I'm hoping my usual hrt will soon become available as these just don't suit me. Clio
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Hello Clio,
I'm so sorry you couldn't get your usual prescription. - the HRT shortage has been a nightmare!
I've had terrible cramps as well but the anxiety is the worst for me. I felt terrible yesterday, and this morning had a panic attack and found I'd started my period.
How are you feeling now?
X