Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => All things menopause => Topic started by: Unicorn on August 17, 2022, 01:00:21 PM
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Hi all ❤ hope you're all well (as well as can be expected) 😊
I have been on Sandrena gel daily and progesterone every 15 days for 12 days since March now, as I had horrendous symptoms daily. I have now had the sandrena gel increased since the beginning of July to 1.5 sachets but recently gone up to 2 sachets. I'm now day 3 of my withdrawal bleed from the progesterone tablets.
The thing is, I feel absolutely wiped out....
I don't know whether it's the hrt, peri or the withdrawal of progesterone that's making me feel so awful. Since starting hrt, I do feel more 'normal' but by no means, not fantastic. Maybe I'm asking a bit much! It's that I have so much to get done, with a full time nursing job, years ago would have been no trouble.
I'm at a loss x
Suffering pounding heart that pounds up into my face and head, flushing face, fuey feeling in head/dizzy and feeling icky this morning 😪 . It feels like I'm wading through treacle. I also feel a bit weepy (probably because I feel like crap). I honestly thought the HRT increase would sort this out on a all round monthly basis. I have been on the increase of Sandrena for 1 and a half months.Not sure whether a change in antidepressant would help? Not sure if it's an anxiety thing or a thing in itself xxx I feel worse just after withdrawal of the the utrogestan. I want some bounce back.
I have been on 2 sachets for about 2 weeks now.
Also, how can you tell if you have reached menopause by taking cyclical HRT? I know that when the time comes from stopping the progesterone and you get the withdrawal bleed, would that still happen if your periods are no more? Im very confused 😊
Any advice would be gratefully received xx
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It's the heat = confusion ::)
Peri-menopause are the years prior to the final period. However, we can't tell until we have been 12-14 months without any type of bleed whether we are menopause. Stopping may well give you an idea but may also begin up uncomfortable symptoms.
Maybe 2 sachets are too much? Could you drop it down .......... mayB every 3rd night? Hopefully someone will be along, if not put the name of the products into the search box. There may be threads to read. Make notes ;-)
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Lol! Thank you CKLD ❤ the recent heatwave has fried my brain further 😆😳❤
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Fried is an apt description . :D
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😆😆😆🤯🤯 x
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To answer the question about the sequential HRT...
What can happen is you stop bleeding even when taking sequential. Or the bleeding is very light and more of a withdrawal bleed caused by stopping the progesterone, rather than a proper period (so would likely be prevented by just 100mg of utrogestan, which is the continuous dose).
Newson recommend trying to move to continuous after one year of sequential, because research shows that continuous does protect the uterus better than sequential - but obviously not all women would be ready to move after a year.
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Thank you Joziel! That explains a lot xxx
Suffering pounding heart, flushing face and feeling icky this morning 😪 . I honestly thought the HRT increase would sort this out on a all round monthly basis. Not sure whether a change in antidepressant would help? Not sure if it's an anxiety thing or a thing in itself xxx I feel worse just after withdrawal of the the utrogestan xxx
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I'm sorry to say it but I am more and more convinced that pounding heart, tachycardia etc, are all symptoms of some kind of reaction to estrogen - usually an increase or too much of it. No one seems to be able to work out exactly what is going on...
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Thanks Joziel, it's weird, but I had it worse without HRT.... it was nearly 24/7.... so confusing isn't it? Xxx
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Oh in that case you're right, it could be low estrogen for you.
How did it start, just out of the blue? Before HRT I had some skipped beat palps in the evenings, but they weren't this relentless fluttering which HRT gave me.
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Im 48 now. It started with pounding heart, hot face, anxiety, hot sweats at night and low mood about 4 years ago.... it was hideous! I thought it was regular anxiety as I have had anxiety in the past and I thought my antidepressant needed changing. Before this crap, I felt good for years. Then I realised it felt different to the usual anxiety and some random lady in the Doctor's surgery suggested perimenopause..... my periods were still pretty regular, but it made more sense.
There is some improvement whereas I don't feel so crap, but I think I have got used to it now. I think the time when I come of the utrogestan is when I feel worse xx
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You could try a continuous regime with utrogestan every day? Some women do better on the steady same every day hormones...
You might get some breakthrough bleeding if it's too early for you to switch, but if your doctor agrees, you could try and switch back if that happens.
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Thank you Joziel, that's a thought and because I'm still having periods, didn't think it was an option at the mo xx
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Sometimes women are put onto continuous regimes even though they are peri. For eg, endo sufferers need continuous progesterone usually - to oppose the estrogen and stop their endo getting aggravated by it. That's why I'm peri and on continuous utrogestan.
Mood is another reason women might do better on continuous even during peri. There's nothing 'dangerous' about it, it just might cause some breakthrough bleeding.
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Omg, the pounding heart, hot face and icky feeling is brutal this morning 😒 I am at the end of my tether xxxxx
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Sometimes women are put onto continuous regimes even though they are peri. For eg, endo sufferers need continuous progesterone usually - to oppose the estrogen and stop their endo getting aggravated by it. That's why I'm peri and on continuous utrogestan.
Mood is another reason women might do better on continuous even during peri. There's nothing 'dangerous' about it, it just might cause some breakthrough bleeding.
Joziel, how much Utrogestan do you take throughout the cycle? Xxx
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I take 200mg of utrogestan every night, no break. Continuous.
I am dealing with the after-effects of taking estrogen at the moment - heart palpitations at night. This never happened before I took estrogen. I even get a tingly left hand and left leg when I have the palps. Heart beats harder and faster than usual. I'm now at 10 days after stopping all estrogen and it's still happening. (I don't have my low estrogen pre-HRT symptoms back though - because I think my own ovaries have woken up now I've stopped desogestrel and are making my own estrogen again.)
But - if I get that stabilised or if a cardiologist tells me my palps are harmless and okay, I am considering using the utrogestan 200mg just for half the month - a bit like it is used when taking estrogen. That is what Lara Briden describes as cyclic progesterone therapy and also what she recommends in peri anyway, before you need estrogen: https://www.cemcor.ubc.ca/resources/topics/cyclic-progesterone-therapy I feel that would allow my ovaries to make even more estrogen and support me to keep cycling for as long as possible.
It is slightly risky in terms of endo, but I have done everything recommended to reduce that with supplements, healthy living and eating and exercise and given it now appears I can't have exogenous estrogen, I need to use mine for as long as possible. I can't just shut it all down with progestins and take estrogen patches/gels etc, because it seems that is bad for my heart. I can give it a go, anyway.
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Thank you Joziel, I hope you can sort this minefield out soon 🥰.
I have a phone appt with my GP in two weeks.... I know I shouldn't before asking my GP but I've just started to take 100 utrogestan daily instead of 200 for 12 days 😮 I need some sort of stability with symptoms xxx
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Please can I have advice.... I still feel awful today.... nearly every single day. My head feels bunged up this morning, headachy, palpitations, anxious..... every single day nearly. Is there anything different I can try? Change of antidepressant? Change of anything? Xxx please help me someone
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Please can I have advice.... I still feel awful today.... nearly every single day. My head feels bunged up this morning, headachy, palpitations, anxious..... every single day nearly. Is there anything different I can try? Change of antidepressant? Change of anything? Xxx please help me someone
I am really sorry to hear you are struggling. I do not know what to suggest but did not want to ignore your post. I know you have had several different medical changes and are still trying to find something that suits you. It is horrible you are going through this.
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Thank you Flossieteacake 🥰 I just want to feel normal for more than a few days at a time xxxx much l9ve
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Thank you Flossieteacake 🥰 I just want to feel normal for more than a few days at a time xxxx much l9ve
I totally understand that. It is a very confusing time for you.
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Unicorn, those symptoms to me are to do with estrogen - too much or too little. Could that be the case for you?
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Hi Joziel, I really don't know tbh. I feel slightly better at times since going on hrt, but still have a week to 2 weeks of feeling lousy in 9ne way or another 🤔 im not sure whether I feel better or not... some days I do, some I don't, I think I can function slightly better. I think I may feel better on the Utrogestan phase of my cycle, but I can't really see any particular pattern. I have decided to see if 100 utrogestan taken through my cycle will help, even though I still have regular periods xxx
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I can see that you've recently increased your estrogen to 2 sachets of Sandrena - which is quite a lot. It's fine if you need it, but since this increase was recent, I'd be thinking that the estrogen side effects are related to that...
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Yes, you may be right Joziel. The GP increased me to 1.5 so I thought I would add a bit more..... not a sensible thing to do but I have been desperate. I had been on the increase to 1.5 for a month and a half, but still didn't feel 'myself' so I have been impatient.... naughty, I know. But I felt horrible without hrt and slightly less horrible at times with it 🤷♀️ I am so low right now with feeling crappy, I don't know where else to turn or what to do. A wait for a menopause clinic will take forever, and I don't have enough cash to go private xxx
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I would go back down to your 1.5 and stay there for 12 weeks :)
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Thank you Joziel! I went back down to 1.5 yesterday. Will continue taking 100 utrogestan daily. I will speak to the GP in a couple of weeks.... this is so hard xxxxx