Menopause Matters Forum

Menopause Discussion => Personal Experiences => Topic started by: Fruit loop on October 14, 2018, 08:26:26 AM

Title: Positive experiences with femoston 1/10 please
Post by: Fruit loop on October 14, 2018, 08:26:26 AM
Thanks for reading,please can anyone give me something positive about femoston 1/10. I've had a nightmare so far with my experiences of hrt and I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever feel ok ever again. Last November I started on elleste duet,which was initially brilliant I felt great then I had a reaction to the progesterone and felt suicidal. I was then started on everol patches and uterogestan for 25 days a month. I felt constantly anxious and wasn't getting much advice so stopped everything. This led to me feeling extremely depressed. Found out as I am still peri shouldn't have been on what was a continuous regime. 10 days ago I started on femoston 1/10 and still feel rubbish,not sleeping,feel really low,can't be bothered with anyone ,having cold sweats and shakes. I'm off work yet again and feel so miserable I just want to be me again. I have so much to look forward to but really can't be bothered. Before I started on hrt I had no mental health issues whatsoever and anxiety and depression weren't in the original symptoms I had. Please tell me something positive will things improve ,am I going mad, what else can I do ?
Title: Re: Positive experiences with femoston 1/10 please
Post by: Dancinggirl on October 14, 2018, 09:14:19 AM
Hi and welcome to MM

How old are you?  What were your periods doing when you started HRT? 
What menopause symptoms are you trying to control?
HRT doesn't suit everyone and finding something that does suit you can be difficult. It sounds as though you are a bit progesterone intolerant, so Femoston would be a good choice to try (kinder progesterone) but if you are feeling ‘rubbish' on the oestrogen part then this is a bit of a mystery!!  However, changing from one HRT type to another can take time to settle so I'd try to give Femoston a chance for at least 2 months and hopefully things will improve.  If is doesn't then there are other options - many find Oestrogel or oestrogen only patches continuously with Utrogestan (used vaginally) for 12 days each month can work well. 
Do look after yourself - perhaps do some Mindfulness, eat a good diet and get out for brisk walks as HRt won't fix everything.
DG x
Title: Re: Positive experiences with femoston 1/10 please
Post by: alibeau on October 14, 2018, 11:34:31 AM
Hi,

I am on my second month of Femoston 1/10.
I am 46 & peri.....
My main symptom which was pretty much unbearable was hot flushes.

Initially I waited for my period to arrive and then started taking the tablets.  Month one I felt good but I am now wondering if that was due more to my own hormones?

I'm on month 2 now, I do feel a bit flat at times, I've also had sore boobs and other bits n bobs, I now have some spotting but for me, the relief from the hot flushes is life changing...

I have read many times that we do need to give these tablets a good go, ie I am going to stick with it for 3 months and then review..... the difficulty is if you are not feeling great in the meantime, 3 months seems like an eternity
....

I wish you well and hope Femoston works out for you, give it some more time if you can....

Best of luck.

Ali x
Title: Re: Positive experiences with femoston 1/10 please
Post by: Fruit loop on October 14, 2018, 01:30:04 PM
Hi ,
Thanks for the replies.To answer your questions DG,I'm 53 ,was 52 when started hrt initially,still having periods but quite irregular 3 - 5 months apart.Original symptoms were urinary issues ( sorted with vagifem ), increasing frequency of migraines,night sweats,insomnia,crashing fatigue,nausea and stomach problems.
The elleste worked brilliantly at first and made a difference within the first week.However the reaction to the progesterone was severe. For the last 9 months everyone has blamed my anxiety on that being a traumatic experience but I now know it was the progesterone and taking it continuously while my own hormones were fluctuating wasn't ideal.Stopping taking hrt stopped the anxiety but gave me depression. I got cold flashes and could feel the misery welling up inside me. To be honest I'm not feeling as bad now just feeling quite low. I seem to have good and bad days ,feel positive then feel the familiar cold shaking feeling and the low mood returns. Thought this was probably due to low oestrogen and hoped femoston would help. Am I being impatient will I eventually feel better. Had a good cry this morning then pulled myself together,had a brew and went for a walk. Going to do some baking this afternoon and the sun has come out so trying to be positive. Thanks for reading
Title: Re: Positive experiences with femoston 1/10 please
Post by: Dancinggirl on October 14, 2018, 02:15:35 PM
Fruit loop
I do think you need to give Femoston a good try.  The progesterone is kinder and suits many women very well. You should never have been given a continuous HRT regime while still peri meno.
I'm afraid low mood and anxiety often emerge with menopause and HRT can help but it often involves a range of strategies to really pull everything together - you can't expect HRt to solve it all.  The peri meno phase is particularly difficult as your own hormones will be fluctuating in the background and this will be having an effect on mood and everything. Give things time to settle - try to get on with life - do some relaxation techniques - concentrate on getting your diet and exercise regime is good order.  keep us posted. DG x
Title: Re: Positive experiences with femoston 1/10 please
Post by: Sammas on October 15, 2018, 01:21:41 PM
Fruit loop, Just wanted to send you a hug As you can see on here I have a similar post so fully understand x
Title: Re: Positive experiences with femoston 1/10 please
Post by: Sgtvhilts on October 15, 2018, 08:12:49 PM
Hi fruit loop,
Bless you. I started on elleste 1mgs in april- lasted a month! Urg- nausea, twitchy- changed to femeston 1/10, much better, but it set my gallstones off- another story ! Was okay for a bit then head fog creeping back and the heat was increasing again, so upped to 2/10. Still feeling heat and some night sweats but plodding on okay.
Now my  mental health - that is also another very long story. I have suffered anxiety all my life but it got significantly worse before I started hrt.  I am on a wacking dose of ssri ‘s and have been for many years.
At the moment my anxiety is well under control with both meds, but wow i really was suffering before starting the hrt, so i would say hrt has helped
It depends i guess what you're moods have been like in the past
Have you always been an up and down gal? Or is all this new?
If your mood is bad- then trust me - no point suffering- get it sorted even if it means taking ssri's for a while - i know only to well it's no fun, but i also known it is very treatable.  Good luck
Title: Re: Positive experiences with femoston 1/10 please
Post by: Fruit loop on October 17, 2018, 07:25:55 AM
Thanks all,
Some things are improving and my mood over all is better. On Monday I woke with the worst migraine I've had in years,felt like someone had bashed my head with a sledgehammer and vomiting  :'(, went ba ck to bed and slept for 3 hours and felt fab for the rest of the day. Yesterday wasn't too bad but my question is this does anyone suffer cold flashes as opposed to hot flushes? I feel shaky and shivery inside it can last for hours at a time. My temperature is normal and I'm not actually feeling cold my body seems to think I am. It woke my last night and I couldn't get back to sleep as it sets me off feeling anxious. Day 13 of femoston today and due to start the progesterone pills soon this also makes me anxious.In answer to you Sgtvhilts I never had any anxiety or depression before I started on the hrt journey.It seemed the wrong hrt caused my issues,stopping it suddenly made things worse and now I feel I'm in a catch 22 situation scared of the hrt but scared not to take it.Back at gps tomorrow,can't decaf I'm ready to go back to work feel a bit pathetic to be honest . :'(
Title: Re: Positive experiences with femoston 1/10 please
Post by: Mushyjam49 on October 18, 2018, 03:22:18 PM
Hey Fruitloop - I have been on HRT for over 18 months - trial and error - started with Femoston 1/10 for a few months, went back to the GP still suffering so GP increased to 2/10 much better but I then had BP issues 190/101 at one point!!! GP no way are we allowing you to continue at all on HRT.  Boom stopped immediately.  Cried like a child that had had it's sweets snatched away.  Months of enduring the inevitable, night sweats day sweats, mood swings, brain fog, aches pains you get the drift.  BP monitored until finally got it under control.  Started on the patches.  Took a while but hey presto I was back however, sensitive skin did not like me sticking patches all over myself so back to the GP stopped the patches and tried again on Femoston 1/10.  That was a fair few months ago now and I am pleased to say BP well under control Femoston 1/10 has made me feel more human again.  Sweats down to a minimum and the raging bull inside is tempered although still has a bitch fit every now and then, which sees every member of my family looking for quick escape routes!!! ;D ;D stick with it,
Title: Re: Positive experiences with femoston 1/10 please
Post by: Fruit loop on November 09, 2018, 07:03:55 AM
I'm now on week 5 of femoston 1/10 and although something's have improved others definitely haven't. My mood has lifted and I'm now back at work but struggling due to lack of sleep,cold flashes and feeling anxious. I wake between 2 and 4 every morning feeling shaky and cold inside.Dr did give me a mild sedative to help but even when I take these I still wake this leads to me feeling awful during the day.Any advice should I be thinking of increasing to femoston 2/10 I know it's not been long but I can't take much more of this , :'(
Title: Re: Positive experiences with femoston 1/10 please
Post by: Dancinggirl on November 09, 2018, 08:21:49 AM
It's early days on this HRT and a higher dose won't necessarily help at this stage.  If hot flushes are improved then that is great. Waking in the small hours of the night is common. I believe that stage in our sleep pattern is when we are likely to wake and it is also when the nighttime temperature is at its lowest. Have an extra blanket at the bottom of the bed to pull over you and do some Mindfulness to help you drop back to sleep. I'm afraid hrt can't fix everything and more disturbed sleep is common once meno hits - with or without HRT.  Waking in the night is not a problem really - I understand it is quite normal to get up to pee a couple of times a night but you're still getting enough sleep - we only need 7-8 hours per night. I think getting anxious about not sleeping right through is not helping. Try to telax
The anxiety will probably subside in time so you need to be patient.
Try not to use the sedative as this will make you feel rough the next day. Follow a good sleep regime - so go to bed at the same time each night after a quiet wind down time and get up at the same time. Don't nap during the day but try to get outside for brisk walks.
Things will improve I'm sure. DG x
Title: Re: Positive experiences with femoston 1/10 please
Post by: alibeau on November 09, 2018, 04:43:30 PM
Hi again,

Well I have had my 3 month check up this week and all good.  I've almost completed my third month of Femoston 1/10 and now have another 3 months supply with another review in 3 months time.

My three months have had ups and downs (mainly ups!) but I have to say that my life on Femoston 1/10 is dramatically better than off it.  Month one was good, month two not so good but this month (month 3) has been good again..... so as I say, ups and downs as it all settles I guess....

It's easy to say 'give it time' when things are going well but everyday can seem like an eternity when things are not improving.

I hope things start to improve soon for you and hope my positive results give you a possible light at the end of the tunnel.

Best wishes.

Ali x
Title: Re: Positive experiences with femoston 1/10 please
Post by: jancis on December 20, 2018, 12:51:36 AM
Hi Ali

I'm glad to hear your doing well on Femoston 1/10. I too started these a month ago and noticed an immediate improvement for the first two weeks. My night sweats have disappeared and I don't get palpitations anymore
The progesterone was ok but not as good. I've started the second month and this week have lots of joint pains and energy levels have plummeted. Have you experienced this on 1/10s. I also have sublinical hypothyroid and wondered if the estrogen has unbalanced the thyroid
Thanks any advice is good

Jancis 😃
Title: Re: Positive experiences with femoston 1/10 please
Post by: alibeau on January 15, 2019, 11:14:21 AM
Hi Jancis,

Sorry for not getting back to you sooner.....

I am just starting month 6 of Femoston 1/10....

I have found that I am still a bit up and down with symptoms (on and off with headaches and migraines, lack of energy, irritable etc) but still absolutely certain that I am feeling better on HRT than not...

I am having the odd 'hot spell' in the night, more than manageable and nothing like the hot flushes I had prior to starting HRT (they were unbearable, on the hour, every hour and felt like I was going to explode with the heat!)...

I have also found that I am not feeling as rough on the grey tablets anymore, the whole month seems to have evened out and I feel pretty much the same whether I am on the white or grey tablets.... famous last words!

So all in all, still going well with the HRT and I have another check up with my GP later in the month...

Best wishes!

Ali x
Title: Re: Positive experiences with femoston 1/10 please
Post by: Fruit loop on February 09, 2019, 04:59:41 PM
Well I'm now on month 5 of femoston 1/10 ans whilst something's have improved others haven't. I am now sleeping which is a plus but I am still suffering from cold flashes. Similar to hot flashes apparently caused by a drop in oestrogen upsetting your hypothalamus and making you think you're cold when you're body temp is normal. I'm still having migraines,but usually 4 days in the week before a bleed.I am also suffering anxiety. Some days I feel like my old self and feel quite positive other days I have a feeling of nervousness and dread which stops me enjoying anything.It doesn't matter where I am or what I'm doing the feelings are completely random It's ruined 2 family holidays so far and I can't look forward to anything .At the moment I'm having hypnotherapy to try and deal with it as I decided perhaps it was my head not my hormones causing problems. I've also started yoga and joined a choir so trying my best to cope and remain positive. However on Wednesday I woke in the lowest mood I've felt since I started femoston it's lasted 4 days and honestly feel like I can't go on . So my question is this I am seeing my not very well informed GP on Monday do I ask to increase to 2/10 or something else. I know she will try to push me on to antidepressants which I keep resisting as I'm convinced my hormones are the cause of my mood changes and anxiety. Any thoughts?
Title: Re: Positive experiences with femoston 1/10 please
Post by: alibeau on February 13, 2019, 02:27:55 PM
Hi Fruit Loop,

How did you get on with your GP?

Ali x
Title: Re: Positive experiences with femoston 1/10 please
Post by: Fruit loop on February 16, 2019, 10:46:53 AM
Sorry I've taken a while to reply but I'm really struggling.GP didn't have a clue at one point she suggested I stopped the hrt to see what happened till I reminded her that's what I did last September and ended up really depressed. She has increased me to femoston 2/10 and I'm still waiting to see any improvement. So far I'm on day 5 and feel awful so low I can't function.Im not sure whether to go back to the GP and ask for antidepressants I don't think I can carry on much longer .
Title: Re: Positive experiences with femoston 1/10 please
Post by: Larkspur12 on December 07, 2019, 10:39:40 AM
Fruit loop. How are you feeling now? I hope things have improved for you xx