Menopause Matters Forum
General Discussion => New Members => Topic started by: Yogini on December 20, 2017, 02:02:02 PM
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Hi everyone
I'm 47 and am in full nightly hot flushes, waking up 3 or 4 times a night. Also day time but I can cope with these better. I spent 9 weeks with sleep deprivation before I cracked, and asked the doctor for HRT. It took a week to get them and I've now used them for a week - FemSeven Conti 50mg patches. 50mg as my symptoms are sever, the GP said. Unfortuantely I've had no benefit so far from a week's worth of the patches. I still get exactly the same severity and frequency of hot flushes. Can anyone advise? How long should I expect to wait before I feel any benefit? Am desperate for a good night's sleep after 11 weeks like this...
Looking forward to hearing from others about their experience.
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The guidance is hrt could take 3 months to work. My hot flushes during the day went after 3 weeks. Night flushes take longer.
Are you post menopausal?
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Hello Yogini
I am new here today and started low dose Elleste Duet Conti 4 1/2 weeks ago).
I saw joint improvement in 3/4 days, evening flushes went in 10 days and flushes in bed (I don't have actual sweats) gone in 2/3 weeks. I do not have flushes during the day. I was told two weeks and I should see some improvement with more improvement by 3 months. I have been delighted with how it has worked as all the natural remedies I tried did absolutely nothing. However, last 8 days I have developed a dry mouth and a burning tongue, so have decided to stop taking it. None of my friends or my mother who took HRT have had this problem.
So from my extremely short experience, 1 week was not long enough for me to see any difference in my flushes and it is so difficult as we are all so different, but persevere and hopefully sleep deprivation will be a distant memory. For me it looks as if I am back to the drawing board!
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I would persevere for 3 months. If you stop taking it then your symptoms will come back. What you are experiencing could be normal menopausal symptoms coming through and not a side effect of the hrt. X
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>wave< ........
Browse round.
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Yogini
Are you actually post menopause - how long is it since your last period? If you have gone one to two years since your last period then you may be starting from a very low baseline of oestrogen and it could take time for symptoms to really improve - one week is not that long on HRT but you should start to get some improvement over the next 3-6 weeks.
You do need HRT to protect your heart and bones as you are too young to be oestrogen deficient - I'm surprised you weren't adviced to use HRT earlier if you have going through menopause so early.
If you are still peri meno ( still getting occasional periods), then you should be on a sequential HRT. Be patient - things will improve. DG x
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Thanks to all those who took the time to reply. I was distracted by organising Christmas for my family and have then been away without access to the internet so haven't been able to follow up.
I saw my GP soon after I wrote my last post. She took me of the FemSeven patches and onto Kliofem tablets, which are much stronger. They reduced the severity of my hot flushes but I was still getting three hot flushes a night and getting the same level of sleep disruption. I stopped taking them after nine days, when I developed a swollen tongue and dry mouth, and strong abdominal pain. Since I stopped taking it my hot flushes are stronger.
I am post-menopausal, having not had a period for more than 18 months.
Having read through various people's comments, I can see it's best to stick it out longer than I have. The problem is, I have another set of problems which have come about after blood tests to check for the menopause, namely very low iron. The GP is referring me for a colonoscopy to see if I am losing blood in the bowel and I am having bowel issues.
I was concerned that I could not tell if the abdomen pain I was experiencing was because of the bowel issues or because of the HRT and thought it best to come off them until I know what is happening in the bowel. It's a shame that I have low energy through the low iron, and also because of the sleep deprivation over the last 3 months.
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Yogini
You poor thing. At least they have identified the cause of the fatigue. Do let us know how you get on. Unfortunately many of us develop problems with our digestive system when meno hits. I had Divertculitis last year and, from what you are describing, you may well have this - this does get better with a careful diet - so small simple meals often. I actually drank fortified drinks for some time as I couldn't eat much and everything I ate just went straight through me. I felt weak and tired for quite some time but I am now much better - I'm just very strict about what I eat and never eat too much at once. I take iron and B vitamins.
It may not have been the HRT causing the stomach pain but it's probably best to stop everything till they have done the colonoscopy and discovered what is going on. Keep us posted adn good luck. DG x
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Hello Yogini my night flushes took three weeks to go on the HRT, but like you I have developed dry mouth (and a burning tongue). Currently drip feeding the tablets to see if it lessens and have been advised to see the course through. However, if your tongue has swollen, think it is best to go back to the Dr (easier said than done sometimes, I know) . Also had a breakthrough bleed that I wasn't expecting, but that is normal apparently. It does seem for some of us that we don't hit the magic cure first off. Are you able to take iron tablets in the interim whilst waiting for colonoscopy, or is that not an option? At my worst with anaemia, I was unable to walk up our stairs, but iron tablets corrected that. Good luck Yogini, keep in touch.
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It would also be a good idea for many ladies to go onto a vitamin b complex as lack of b vitamins cause many of our symptoms and sore tongue and ulcers can be one of the symptoms of low b12 xx
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Hello Yogini and Welcome.
I just posted a version of this exact information on another thread.
I found out a few months ago through my GP that Antidepressants, particularly SSRI's, are often prescribed for women approaching the menopause. Nobody understands why, but they help with the vasomotor symptoms, which are hot flushes, night sweats, etc. Here is a link to a lot of studies that were done on this: http://mhc.cpnp.org/doi/full/10.9740/mhc.2015.11.260?code=cpnp-site
This option could bring you some relief from the flushes and as it's a non-hormonal treatment it can be used with or without HRT. It may also help with the worry etc over your other problems. Your GP will be able to advise you further.
Good Luck with everything,
Peaceluvva x
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Hi yogini
:welcomemm: from me too.
At you age - less than the average age of menopause of 51/52, it is advisable to take HRT for protection of bones and heart especially and you have already been post-menopausal for 18 months. This is the first line of treatment for menopausal symptpoms, and not anti-depressants, if you are medically able to take HRT and no contra-indications. This is the advice given by NICE in the menopause guidelines. ADs should only be given (for menopausal symptoms and new onset anxiety) if you cannot take HRT or in extreme circumstances in addition to HRT after finding the right dose/type of HRT.
In terms of type of HRT and dose - if you had no side effects from transdermal HRT then perhaps better to stick with these. The disadvantage of the Femseven and the other combi patch is that they only come in one dose of oestrogen, and also with a conti HRT you are taking progestogen all the time.
How long did you take the Femseven in the end? The general recommended time is 3 months as has been said although your flushes and sweats should disappear after a couple of weeks or at least lessen. The other alternative, and especially if you are getting side effects from tablet HRT, is to have a separate patch and progestogen - as patches come in varous strengths. The oestrogen types are listed here: https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/treatafter.php and the progestogens here: https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/to_progestogens.php (basically progesterone =- Utrogestan, Provera or the Mirena coil, which has the same progestogen as the Femseven).
Let us know if we can help further :)
Hurdity x