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[Sunnygirl]

Good afternoon I am new to this forum!

I am 53 and had an early menopause before 40. I have taken Premique for over 10 years eventually the lowest dose 0.3mg/1.5mg. There seems to be a supply issue with them at the moment so in December I decided to stop taking them to see how things were. Don't feel great generally,hot flushes and hideous night sweats so went to new doctor to ask for hrt again. She said she was concerned with how long I had already been taking them and the fact my mum died of breast cancer. There are no other relatives with any sort of cancer and my mum's was not hormone related.

She gave me a prescription for Citalopram which I have done nothing with as I don't want to take an anti depressant. She said if I insisted it was my choice but she made me feel I was stupid to even consider it!!

I just wondered if anyone else was in this situation. I don't want to feel rubbish until I am 95!! 

[Carms]

Hi Sunnygirl,

I'm new here too and this is my first post!  I've been on Prempac C 1.5 for  over five years.  The last time I had my script renewed the doc said I have to come in for review.  I think Prempac are going off the market as well, so I'm at a crossroads now. I know he will want me to go off it but  I really don't want to go back to all the horrible symptoms.  I'm already well into the first week of my last pack

There is still no real alternative to HRT.

Carms

[Sunnygirl]

Hi Carms,

You have my sympathies! I don't think there is anything as good as HRT. The doctor started listing other things I  needed to start taking calcium, vitamin d, bone scan ( although I have already had two of these first one showed osteopenia, second one, after taking hrt, normal!) She said herself that hrt protects against all these things!

I did say to her the flushes are not feeling slightly warm but like sitting in a furnace, she said "yes some of my ladies say they get quite hot!!!"   

[Smokey]

Hi Sunnygirl and Carms

Welcome to the forum you will find loads of advice from all the ladies on here.

[Hurdity]

Hi Sunnygirl and Carms

  from me too!

Sunnygirl - you are only just over the average age of natural menopause which is 51/52, so the years you were taking HRT until then do not count in terms of risk, as your body should have been producing oestrogen and progesterone anyway. If you look at the info on this site the benefits of taking HRT exceed the risks under the age of 60.
http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/balance.php

So sorry to hear about your mum too, but at least you know that it wasn't hormone related so you are not at any greater risk. In any case your doc should give you the choice whether or not to take any known risks, having explained them to you (if they are knowledgeable that is). I completely agree re the Citalopram - the new NICE Guideliens say that ADs should not be offered as the first line of treatment fo menopausal symptoms, if there are no medical contra-indications which are listed here:

http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/contraindications.php

    Pregnancy
    Undiagnosed abnormal vaginal bleeding
    Active or recent blood clot or myocardial infarction (heart attack)
    Suspected or active breast or endometrial (womb) cancer
    Active liver disease with abnormal liver function tests
    Porphyria cutanea tarda

I am still taking HRT at 62 and have been on it for 9 years.

Do go back and print off any relevant information from this site if it helps. At this point, as you have stopped and your symptoms have returned - you might like to try a different type of HRT for example Femoston, which contains estradiol - bio-dentical oestrogen, and dydrogesterone - which is very similar to your own progesterone. If this suits you then you will be able to continue until at least 60. She should not make you feel stupid - she is the one that sadly, seems not as well -informed as she could be.

Carms - how old are you? There is no reason to stop HRT as you will see from the above - unless you fit into one of those categories. Read as much as you can before you go to your appointment!

Hope this helps

Hurdity x

[elainewin]

Welcome to the forum, sometimes Drs can be so useless no woman should have to suffer or be refused HRT....hope you get sorted soon x

[Sunnygirl]

Thank you Hurdity for your post with some helpful information. I think I will go back to a different doctor and discuss HRT again and ask a few more questions. I always tend to get flustered and never say all I want to say so I think I will attend with notes!! 

[Carms]

Thank you Hurdity for advice and the welcomes from Sunnygirl and Smokey,

That's good to know. I'm 59, My older sister was on HRT for 12 years but unfortunately got breast cancer four years ago and she thinks I should come off it since that happened to her.   The liver bit makes me a little anxious.  I have had blood tests showing high LDL.

Yes I'll do plenty of research before I make my appointment!

Has anyone gone off HRT gradually?  Would it make it any easier I wonder? 

Great to talk to you all x x Carms.

[Keepgoing]

Hi my friend just told me she told the doctors she wasn't coming off her hrt, she said she knew all the risks but for her quality of life she was staying on it. The doc said this was fine but she had to sign a form saying she was staying on it and knew all the risks, I presume this is to cover the docs maybe getting sued...so I would say to all your doctors if you want to stay on it you will sign the form saying its your decision...hope this makes sense I'm not very good at explaining things lol x