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[Bette]

So much of that sounds familiar, Ade. At my lowest, I found it hard to imagine ever feeling well again but I really do feel great these days. 
I'm sorry to hear about your friend but personally I think that if you feel like that when you come off HRT, it means that you're one of those women who need to be on it for ever. Many seem to come off it successfully with no serious re-accurance of symptoms but I think those who have problems probably need estrogen for life. My gp has patients on it in their 70s and sees no problem with staying on it longterm if necessary. i plan to try weaning off at some stage to see how I feel but if I don't feel good, I'll be back on it like a shot! 
Bette x

[Tea and Toast]

Hi Ade
 
Welcome!
X

[Ade]

Hello all just posted on hrt good or bad didnt know if i should off done it here. Started CLIMAGEST 1mg three days ago and its making me feel ill, tired really sick, dizzy headache. has anyone else felt like this at first any advice would be welcome dont know what to do, weather to just stop it or not. Got craping pains in tum as if going to have period to.  .

[Bette]

Hi Ade
Sorry to hear that you're feeling rough.  One problem when starting HRT is working out whether things are really side-effects or just coincidental.  When are you taking them? Nausia can sometimes be prevented by taking the tablets with food.
They suggest trying each type for 3 months to give any side-effects a chance to settle but obviously there's no point struggling on if you feel too bad. If things don't improve quickly, I'd see your gp if I were you.
I notice from the menu on the left that Climagest contains estradiol valerate whereas several other brands contain estradiol but I'm not sure what the difference is. Different tablets also contain different fillers, of course. You may do better with patches if tablets don't suit you.
Bette x

[rosie c]

Hi Ade,

Im trying the Hrt patches as I had bad nausea and reflux with the tablets. Can sympathize with how you are feeling completely, as I have been diagnosed with Fibro. Its such a struggle isnt it ? Yesterday was bad for me, but today feel a bit brighter. I am also on prozac which has helped me with anxiety but also helped with the fibro pain. I would say Stick it out on the Hrt and then you can be more certain if its going to help in the long term. Not easy when you feel so crap and you want it all to go away,.... but thats what I'm trying to do. Good luck  and a big hug x

[Ade]

Thankyou so much for your replies  Im so glad ive found this site, dont feel so alone. Bette it is hard to know if there  side affects or coincidental like you say, the only thing is i do get  side affects off a lot off tablets, i think im sensitive to them, i end up with the rare ones.. Back at doctors on tuesday so dont know if ill take them till then or just stop, part off brain says yes other no lol going mad. Have you ladys all put on weight with hrt? water retention?.My doctor is not really good on menopause she is young and i think anti hrt.Think i will ask about the patches, but then still thinking am i just prolonging menopause will i have all the side affects agin when i come off it.   
                   Rosie ive got the reflux as well, we have Ibs with fibro so dont know if its upsetting that.i hope to have a good take to doctor on tuesday, like ive said i think she does not know about menopause puts everything down to my fibro, I was diagnosed with it in 2000 so have had it for years, cronic pain fatigue etc, so it doesnt help us having meno symptoms on top.How long have you had it? do you get support?ive not had any over the years , just get on with it. Do you know there is support groups all over that might be helpfull, i joined one last year, not gone yet though, need to.Yeah ladys its not easy being us, we should off been born men lol.

[rosie c]

Hi Ade, I was diagnosed in 2010 by my gp with having fibro. But it coincided with a host of other symtoms... hot flushes, anxiety, depression, mood swings, tiredness  fibroids uterine polps.So I put it down to the change. Im 47. But I NOW dont think all the pain Im feeling is to do with peri. I think my hormones have kicked in the fibro. So Im really hoping the hrt will help. Month 2 now..... so Im holding out for a bit longer to see if there is an improvement.

Funny enough there is no support whatsoever from the gp. .. but locally a brand new group has been sent up and its fantastic!!!   I would say to you to go to one if there is one near you. Likewise, with this site, the ladies there are so much more informed about fibro than the doctors. There is  a wealth of info and I for one dont feel so alone dealing with it. Some ladies have had a terrible time.... for some years without help. And funny enough lots of them are a similar age. 40s to 50s.

[Bette]

Hi Ade
It does sound as if you might be better off with a patch. As for the weight gain, this is from the menu on the left:-
Q. Will I put on weight if I take HRT?
A.   This is the MOST frequently asked question. Studies have shown that as many women gain weight that are NOT taking HRT as those that are. Unfortunately, many women do gain weight around the time of the menopause and HRT should not necessarily be blamed for this. Some women taking HRT have exacerbation of fluid retention, which is closely related to weight gain. Changing the dose or route of HRT can often help.
So if you have got water retention, changing to a patch might help with that too.
As for prolonging meno, I don't think that HRT does that. It's true that some ladies start it when peri and come off when post to find that they've still got symptoms.
Others take it through peri and find, when they come off it once they're post, that they feel fine. (Bramble is one of those.) My logic tells me that it depends if you actually are one of those who need it when post; if so, I wouldn't have thought that taking it when peri would affect that one way or the other.
At the end of the day, though, only you can decide if you want to take it and taking it reluctantly probably won't help you as much as if you were sure about it. The mind/body connection is very strong, after all. 
Bette x

[Ade]

Ah thanks again ladys, yes bette i do think mind over matter is very strong, I think i can look into things too much at times. Ive been on looking about hrt on website all evening came across a site that says we might have too high estrogen and thats were are probs lie we are actully lacking progesterone, and not to take hrt, so am even more confused. Taken it this evening though, so think ill take it till i see doc on tuesday.Ive also seen that women on hrt should lower there salt intake and that will help the water retention.Ive not noticed any more than normal, i always am bloated with Ibs, just dont want to make it worse.So like i say i think im looking too much into it, But i find its a hard descion to make after suffering for years, im worried that i might be at the top off the symptoms and if i wated a bit longer might just be ok!!! I keep thinking my body is suposed to go through the lost off hormones and i shouldn't take them, but then again can not see a light at the end off the long tunnel. Sorry i seem to be rambling on, just my  confusion, thanks for listening your a saint.
        Rosie im 47 too. Trouble with fibro it has a lot off the same symptoms as meno so it just makes it worse.Yeah ive not had any support from gp either.just found a site tonight its FMAUK.ORG its got a forum there too, was looking about meno, and fibro and meno came up. better get off this comp its getting late, and now aching lol my own fault.

[rosie c]

Ade... Ive been completly confused like you, regarding HRT, and probably read the same things ie too much oestrogen against the progesterone. It is so bloody confusing. You want to do the right thing for yourself... yet there is so much conflicting info out there. I get very frustrated with it all. When you feel crap the last thing you have the energy for, is trying to fathom it all out! Men have no idea!! Although I am blessed with a lovely Husband I can see he gets a bit fed up with it all as well. Would you consider getting in touch with Dr Currie, It tells you on the home page what to do? X

[Bette]

I, too, remember reading about the estrogen dominant thing during my peri meltdown and getting very confused. Eventually, I decided that the only way I was going to find out was to take the plunge and to see if HRT helped. Some of my symptoms improved immediately on the est-only part of the HRT, so I realised that I did, indeed, need estrogen. However, I also found that my anxiety was better when on the prog too, so it seems that I'm one of those women who needs/needed both. That's why my gp put me on the mini-pill as well.
One of the problems with the internet is that anyone can write about anything, so it's very hard to be sure that all info is as valid. I have no doubt that est-dominance does exist but I also think that it's very rare - it's interesting that there's been one member here diagnosed with it by a gynae and given progesterone cream on prescription and that's only one out of how many  so it doesn't seem like the percentage is very high. Many of the sites supporting the theory are also selling progesterone cream (which makes you think!) and most of it isn't the same quality/strength that you would get on prescription.
This is from the menu on the left:-
NATURAL PROGESTERONE CREAM This is only available on a private prescription and is used in varying strengths. Some individuals believe that the replacement of progesterone rather than estrogen is needed at the menopause but many experts still believe that the symptoms of menopause are due to estrogen lack and therefore the main hormone to replace should be estrogen, with forms of progesterone only being added to protect the womb lining from stimulation by estrogen. However, progesterone cream has been shown to be of some help in the relief of flushes and sweats at the menopause but natural progesterone cream is not suitable for providing protection to the womb lining.
There are claims that it can offer bone protection but the National Osteoporosis Society funded a study into these claims and they have not been confirmed. Therefore any individual at risk of osteoporosis should NOT consider this as effective for offering bone protection.
Bette x

[rosie c]

Bette.. You will have to excuse my ignorance, but if you were on HRT with oesrogen and progestorone why would you need to take the mini pill as well? or am I just being stupid?? xx

[Ade]

Rosie i was going to ask bette that too! Im completly confused Took tab last night feel crap today. :'(Think im going to stop it.

[limpy]

Bette.. You will have to excuse my ignorance, but if you were on HRT with oesrogen and progestorone why would you need to take the mini pill as well? or am I just being stupid?? xx

Perhaps she doesn't want to get pregnant?

[Bette]

Perhaps she doesn't want to get pregnant? - that's it, limpy!  And as my anxiety was better with prog, my gp suggested the mini-pill as a way to kill two birds with one stone. I'm on sequi HRT, so only on prog. for 2 weeks out of 4; the mini-pill gives me prog. all the time.
Bette x