Menopause Matters Forum
General Discussion => New Members => Topic started by: Gardening Girl on February 12, 2019, 05:32:28 PM
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Hello everyone, this is the first time I have posted on this site, although I have been reading other people's posts for about 5 years and found it very informative and supportive, so I thought it was about time I joined!
Just a bit about myself, I am 56, post meno and have been on hrt for 6 years. I was on Evorel 100 patches and continuous Utrogestan 100. Everything was going fine until dr reduced my Evorel patches to 75, then things started going wrong. I have had problems with progesterone in the past.
I'm sure I'll be back again having a moan!
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Hi Gardening Girl,
:welcomemm: Why did you Dr reduce your patches, if it was working ok?
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The dr felt that at my age (56), I should not be on Evorel 100 patches, which are the strongest patches, and shouldn't need as much oestrogen.
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Well I suppose that is fine in theory, but obviously the practice has turned out very different for you :-\.
I'm 57 and post meno but I am nearly on the highest level of oestrogel pumps you can have. I tried to drop from 4 to 3 butI don't feel as well so put it back up to 4.
We are all so different Gardening Girl and what works for one doesn't work for another and although GP's and their theories are good you will find if you poke around the forum there are loads of posts about what is "supposed" to work but doesn't and loads of exceptions to the rules.
Have you been back to say it appears to have all gone to pot? Are you due another round of repeat prescriptions? What changed exactly when you reduced the patches? Forget any progesterone problems for the moment - you say that "it went wrong" when the patches were reduced.
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Hi Gardening Girl.
:welcomemm:
You moan away when ever you want to.
We're always here to listen......
Xx
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I'm due to see dr in about 3 weeks time (you know what it's like getting an appointment with a particular dr!)
My very brief history is that I have suffered with depression and anxiety for over 20 years. When I first went on hrt 6 years ago it took about 12 months to get it right (and a few wobbly moments). Got settled, then in July 2018, dr told me to reduce oestrogen patches to 75. After about 4 weeks anxiety was getting worse, I persisted but it got even worse with low mood, so I decided to go back up to 100. Things improved after about 3 weeks. Went back to dr who told me to come down gradually. Decided to stay with 100 patches until I felt more stable, so did a gradual decrease starting in about end of October (cutting strips off patches, hoping my body wouldn't notice!) But it did and in January had a major problem (depression, anxiety, insomnia) and ended up in A&E and on diazepam and sleeping tablets. I took it on myself to up the dose back to 100, that was 3 weeks ago. Still not in a great place!
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Hi.
Maybe you just need a little bit longer.
Persevere with it, and hopefully, one day soon, you'll start to feel better.
when I've messed around with my hrt, sometimes it's worked very quickly, other times, It's took longer to kick in.....
Hopefully, it'll kick in again, quite soon for you.....
Keep us posted, good luck xxx
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Thanks for the support, it's nice to know there are people out there who understand! xxx
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Your GP needs a :kick:. :welcomemm: and the wonderful World of GPs with no knowledge. If it ain't broke, why fix it? You were benefitting from the regime, tried to drop the dose - because the GP thought you should ?!? - and found it is too loo. No mystery there then.
Some ladies find that keeping a mood/food/symptom diary of use. Something to wave at the Practice Nurse or GP to show how the medication is working for you!
Sometimes it is GP ignorance. Or they have no understanding of NICE guidelines. Or they are constrained by budgets. But they wouldn't tell a diabetic to stop their medication :-\ :bang:
I keep seeing bumper stickers: "Some Diabilities are Hidden" - and I want to add, "Due to ignorant GPs" :-X
Browse round. Make notes. Keep ranting :rant: we all know how to duck ;-)
Do you garden, we have threads about that too ........
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Hi gardening girl. Welcome to the forum.
I might be wrong but I think a blood test might be useful. You might not be absorbing enough from the patch.
Just a thought.
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I could add that to my list of questions, doc is going to love me (not)!
I have been browsing around, might have a look at threads relating to Utrogestan next. It all gets very frustrating ...
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Do you have a practice nurse to chat with?
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Yes there is, do you think they would have more idea?
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I have been wondering if by reducing my oestrogen patch, it has made the progesterone (Utrogestan) more dominant? I have had problems with progesterone/progestagen in the past when on the pill, and when going on hrt, Utrogestan was the only one I seemed to tolerate. Has anyone had similar problems?
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It's possible Gardening Girl that you just need that level of oestrogen - that is how your body balances.
I am on 4 pumps of gel which is considered quite high and I have tried to drop it to 3 but I just don't feel as well on 3 and I was on 4. I have decided if that's what I need - well so be it!
The theory says we should need less and then be able to give it up altogether eventualy but the theory doesnt work in practice, some women need it to function at all well into their 60's and some can't give it up at all (nor should they have to in my view).
If it was working before you just need to give it time to work again. Its taken 7 months to get my balances right and and 3 years to get the right hrt, there is no way I will ever be persuaded to mess with what I am doing now unless something stops working big time.
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Thanks Ladybt28, that makes sense, hopefully doc will agree, I'm miffed it was messed about with in the first place, and has caused me to crash. Hopefully going back up to Evorel 100 again (I've done it under my own steam, hoping doc won't be annoyed) will stabalize me again. Fingers crossed!