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[Felix]

Hello,
I've been using 2 pumps of gel to my inner thigh for a week.

I'm feeling irritable,  emotional and tense, I also feel  very tired but wired if that makes sense.

I previously had problems with my joint pain when using evorel conti so I had a break from HRT for about 8 months.
However I started with night sweats so that's why I'm trying Estrogel.

Can someone please tell me if the anxious irritability will settle down after while or should I just give up with HRT.

Also did anyone else have joint issues wit HRT and a funny sensation in the mouth.

I'm 57.
I would appreciate some help please.

Thank you

[Felix]

Thank you for replying 

I'm using a prasterone pessary nightly. They are helping me a lot with vaginal dryness.

I did start off on vagifem but they caused tenderness.

My first experience of HRT was evorel sequi ? They were fine but then I was put on the Conti and got joint pain particularly in my hands a feed and a tingly raw mouth.

In then had a break started to struggle with night sweats and feeling vague so that's why I started the estradiol.

I'm wondering if that is the cause of my feeling irritable,  emotional, tense and exhausted.

If it will settle down I will continue with my 2 pumps of gel a day?

I'm wondering if other have had a similar experience.

Thank you

[Ladybt28]

I was started on 2 pumps but it didn't seem to help and I had to up it to 4 and then I had to wait for 5 months before all the symptoms disappeared one by one Felix.  I had ridiculously chronic anxiety for about 3 years before this regime and I was even diagnosed with Fibromyalgia because of the joint pain but turns out it was hormones!  I think because I had had it so long it took ages to settle.  In my opinion hrt isn't a quick fix and you have to find the right regime for you.  I had tried 6 others before this and this is the only think that worked.  Try upping the pumps but you might feel worse to start with before it actually gets to the right level to control the symptoms.  I stayed on 4 pumps for 16 months before my body started throwing symptoms that said 4 pumps was too much and so I have dropped back to 2 now and everything is fine.

We are all different you have to play with the doses which of course you can do with the gel but you have to wait at least a month or more on the higher dose to see if any of the symptoms are lessening or seem to be disappearing and it may well be a good deal longer than that.

My journey was long and complicated evoril of any kind didn't work for me.  I am post meno by the way and 58 and had been on hrt since age 45.  When I got to 50 the symptoms went beyond crazy.  All you describe and more.

[Felix]

Thank you Ladybt for your reply.
It sounds like it's been a long and difficult journey for you.

I'm pleased you have found something that suits you now.

What's strange for me is that the anxiety, irritabily and joints are worse now that I've been using the gel.

This has surprised me, I also feel like my heart is beating very fast.

I'm wondering if it will settle down.

[Felix]

Hi Stellajane,

Is the prasterone a type of progesterone?

I've been using these pessaries for a while now for vaginal dryness and they work well.

It's just since i started the estradiol gel I've been feeling a bit odd, tense, emotional etc.

Thank you for replying to me. I hope I can get to the bottom of this.

I thought HRT was meant to get rid of anxiety and irritability not cause it.

Thanks

[KittyKats]

Hi Felix - I have just started on estrogel in the last few days. Because I was concerned about side effects i have started on half a pump a day. The gyn said to start on one pump and go up to two. I think for some people it's good to start slowly. I have noticed side effects from the gel. I got a bad headache at about 2pm after putting the gel on at 10am plus stomach cramps in the first few days. This is now wearing off. You could possibly go down to one pump and build it up again over a couple of weeks? I think it's hard to know if the anxiety is because of the menopause itself and the fact we are in a global crisis or the gel. From the literature I've read oestrogen has a calming effect for women.

https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2012/08/estrogen-and-female-anxiety/

I'd stick with it for a while. Wishing you luck x

[Shannonplussed]

I was started on 2 pumps but it didn't seem to help and I had to up it to 4 and then I had to wait for 5 months before all the symptoms disappeared one by one Felix.  I had ridiculously chronic anxiety for about 3 years before this regime and I was even diagnosed with Fibromyalgia because of the joint pain but turns out it was hormones!  I think because I had had it so long it took ages to settle.  In my opinion hrt isn't a quick fix and you have to find the right regime for you.  I had tried 6 others before this and this is the only think that worked.  Try upping the pumps but you might feel worse to start with before it actually gets to the right level to control the symptoms.  I stayed on 4 pumps for 16 months before my body started throwing symptoms that said 4 pumps was too much and so I have dropped back to 2 now and everything is fine.

We are all different you have to play with the doses which of course you can do with the gel but you have to wait at least a month or more on the higher dose to see if any of the symptoms are lessening or seem to be disappearing and it may well be a good deal longer than that.

My journey was long and complicated evoril of any kind didn't work for me.  I am post meno by the way and 58 and had been on hrt since age 45.  When I got to 50 the symptoms went beyond crazy.  All you describe and more.

Ladybt I'm curious to know what were your symptoms to know that 4 pumps was eventually too much, and how you went from 4 to 2 pumps. Did you go to 3 pumps first?

[Ladybt28]

Hi Shannonplussed
I started getting sore boobs again after 18 months of everything being fine and also started to itch big time and I couldn't control the itching with antihistamine.  I did drop to 3 pumps and then down to 2.
It started with the sore boobs,as I say, almost like I got when I first started the gel.  The itching started on my temples at first and then spread to me scratching my head like my head was itching and then it moved to me scratching my belly and the itching woke me at night.  It built up over about 6 weeks to 8 weeks so I thought, it sounded a bit like when some people start gel and their symptoms get worse as their body adjusts to the gel but the dose hasn't levelled out yet.  So I started to drop it, over a period of about 6 weeks until I was down to 2 pumps and it stopped.  Everything has been fine since and its been like that now for about 2 months.

I have been on this regime for around about 2 years now...blimy where does the time go, I think that's right, I lose track of time!.  All I know is I have to play around with this regime because I dont have other choices so I tried stuff out when I started from what I learnt here, but had to be very patient and so when changes started I knew I had to play around again but its worked.