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Author Topic: 8 weeks on HRT and still feel meh  (Read 335 times)

Caggy

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8 weeks on HRT and still feel meh
« on: March 26, 2024, 10:22:20 AM »

I’ve been prescribed Everol 75 and 100mg utrogestan daily which I’ve been on for 8 weeks now. My sleep has really improved which is a positive but I’m like a zombie in the day, so weary. I haven’t slept properly for a year, so I have a lot of sleep to catch up on. I want to give it a really good go before I look at other options and don’t want to go back to not sleeping. My mood is quite low and I have no motivation to do anything, mainly because I feel so drugged up! Anyone with any experience of this, would be good to hear. Is it still early days and am I expecting too much too soon? I was on Evorel Conti which seemed to suit me more but my hair was falling out by the handful. My Dr insisted it doesn’t cause hair loss but I said I wanted to try something else as I had heard otherwise. After 3 weeks the hair loss totally stopped so I think it was definitely related. Anyone else experienced hair loss on evorel conti?
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sheila99

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Re: 8 weeks on HRT and still feel meh
« Reply #1 on: March 26, 2024, 02:12:33 PM »

Utrogestan turns me into a zombie too. You might be better with a different type of progestin.
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Violetta808

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Re: 8 weeks on HRT and still feel meh
« Reply #2 on: March 27, 2024, 10:06:20 AM »

Hi Caggy, utrogestan is infamous for causing zombie effects. I got used to it fairly quickly but not all are as lucky. Some take utrogestan vaginally (off licence) and find it has fewer side effects.

Re hair loss I found this from a quick Google:

'Some HRT contains synthetic progestogens with a high androgenic affect, which can have a negative effect on hair. HRT containing Norethisterone or Levonorgestrel are best avoided. Good hair friendly options include compounds containing Hydroxyprogesterone, Dydrogesterone, and Medroxyprogesterone.'

Everol Conti contains norethisterone so that does seem to explain what you've experienced. The Mirena coil contains levonorgestrel so be aware to avoid that one too (it's very popular). Thyroid function is another thing to check, but from what you say it does seem you were reacting to norethisterone.
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Caggy

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Re: 8 weeks on HRT and still feel meh
« Reply #3 on: Today at 08:42:27 AM »

Thanks, this is what I found too and mentioned it to my Dr, she dismissed it saying there is a lot of misinformation about menopause/HRT online and hair loss as a side effect wasn’t listed in her Drs ‘bible.’ I told her that when I stopped taking the eveorel conti the hair loss stopped after 3 weeks, she still wouldn’t acknowledge it, despite all my blood tears - thyroid, iron and several others all normal.
I can’t handle the spaced our feeling so I will try it vaginally and see if that helps.
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merrygoround

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Re: 8 weeks on HRT and still feel meh
« Reply #4 on: Today at 01:39:48 PM »

Thanks, this is what I found too and mentioned it to my Dr, she dismissed it saying there is a lot of misinformation about menopause/HRT online and hair loss as a side effect wasn’t listed in her Drs ‘bible.’ I told her that when I stopped taking the eveorel conti the hair loss stopped after 3 weeks, she still wouldn’t acknowledge it, despite all my blood tears - thyroid, iron and several others all normal.
I can’t handle the spaced our feeling so I will try it vaginally and see if that helps.
The misinformation is simply a lack of knowledge by humanity in general, your doctor is wrong to think her medical-bible has less of it than other sources, because the research hasn't been done yet.

After you have spoken to a few different doctors about menopause you will realise there is no consensus among medics.
I've been really shocked over the last few years at how many menopause questions have no answer and when you search, you see research has been suggested as necessary but not acted on, time and time again, no action.

Unless the authors of the Dr bible were/are psychic, they were filling in the blanks with best guesses and older texts rarely took women's opinions at true value, so quite possibly the women on the internet are more real than those theories ever were.

My own GP blatently lied and I'll never trust her again.
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