Just started HRT, how long before I feel better?

[Greyat]

I'm assuming it's going to help and I won't be one of the people who spend months trying to get the dose right. The power of positive thought, right?

So if all goes well, how long before I notice a difference?

I'm hoping it will help with brain fog, lack of focus and general loss of omph.

Rather miraculously, a few days after I started it, I slept for 5 consecutive hours for the first time in months. By the end of the first month, I'd had at least 1/3 of my nights with semi decent sleep, a ratio that was mind blowing to me and lots of positive impacts.

It took a bit longer to really feel the other affects. And I'm not entirely sure my family feel it as much as I do! . I had to slightly increase my oestrogen dose and fiddle around with it a bit before I felt properly more stable.

I just whacked the patches on and left it at that

No fiddling or tweaking required!

That's what I'm hoping for. How soon did you feel better?

2-3 days I think. Wasn't long. Main symptom for me was the hot flushes, they have completely gone

Sleeping was resolved really quickly for me, within a couple of days.
I have 'tweaked' but only in that after every 6 months I felt symptoms returned a little and increased dose to the next step. I'm on max now 100 / 4 pumps) and don't feel I need any more.

If your starting dose is 25 / 1 pump, you might not get the benefit, 50 / 2 pumps is usually enough to feel it when you start & many Drs start at that level.

Only a couple of days for me. But this was with very specific hot flushes and lack of sleep. I don't know how it would be with more general symptoms like yours.

Pretty quickly for me. Ovestin cream and testosterone in particular worked within days.

Within a few days for me I felt much better. No more middle of the night anxiety or aching hips

Now I'm wondering if I've done the right thing. I have been really struggling mentally, but don't have real physical symptoms. No aches and pains, sleep is fine and only very occasional flushes.

I've got patches, which GP said most women prefer...?

I felt better a few days later. My main symptoms are lack of labido and sleep. Both of those are improving. I am thinking of asking to increase but I've been a bit rubbish with taking my vitamins and thyroid meds and suspect if I actually get on top of those properly I may not need more.

But I I want to sort of shout to everyone woman my age "get the gel get the gel"

It took me a month to feel much better. It was gradual for me, with the hours and then days I felt more like myself slowing increasing. I'm on Sequil patches.

Mind you, I have a long list of symptoms, with hot flushes being the least of them.

There are sooooo many different symptoms, oestrogen affects so much!
I prefer patches but as long as it is transdermal, would take anything!

@Greyat
here's a copy of the post I wrote on a similar thread to another OP - I've not got time to rewrite it for you but really wanted you to know that Sertraline has made a MASSSIVE difference to me in the last few weeks:

"When you eventually get to see your GP, don't discount anti-anxiety / anti-depressant meds. Although it was bloody wrong when women got fobbed off with them instead of HRT, they are a really useful weapon in the menopause armoury.

I was lucky enough to be prescribed HRT > 5 years ago but my anxiety, irrational rage, overthinking (borderline paranoia?), brain fog and other utterly shit symptoms had got worse in recent months and my mood was desperately low, despite the HRT. I did some reading and asked my GP for an SSRI. She agreed it was worth a punt and bunged me on Sertraline. All I can say it that it's been an absolute game changer and I wish I'd done it years ago. It did take 3 weeks to kick in but I feel like a different woman.

Menopause is the gift that just keeps on giving for some of us and I hope you manage to find something that helps.

I did feel a bit pukey the first couple of days but really no biggie. I feel better in myself than I have in months. I hope you get an equally positive outcome as it just sucks

That's interesting because when I went to the GP I fully expected to be "fobbed off" with anti-depressants, but he didn't mention them at all.

Be aware that GPs work off a price list - and will always try and prescribe the cheapest meds first. I asked for a spray rather than gel which I had been told by friend was much easier and less faffier (to be fair, she hadn't tried patches at this point so they may be superior to both spray and gel) - but the GP said she would really prefer to prescribe gel as it was cheaper.

She did say if I really didn't get on with the gel she would prescribe another method.

I started a few days ago (not yet started on progesterone as that's not for another few days into my cycle) but on the oestrogen alone I think I feel better - but is it psychosomatic?! Who knows...

I’m on my 2nd week of patches and no improvements yet. Although I’ve never had hot flushes. My main symptoms are aching joints (think there MIGHT be slight improvement there but not sure if I’m imagining it), anxiety, loss of libido, brain fog and general total eradication of any get up and go! Fingers crossed for us both OP!

He actually told me tablets are the cheapest but he didn't recommend those because of a small risk to the liver (I think it was liver?)

I thought tablets were far less popular now due to higher risks of clots etc? I've only ever really discussed the options as being patches, gel and spray. But happy to be told I'm wrong.

Transdermal oestrogen is definitely best. Oral forms (tablets), the oestrogen gets first pass metabolized through the liver after absorption from the gut, so a slightly sudden form ends up in the blood. In some women, this is less effective.

I found Oestrogel hugely effective for a lot of things very quickly, particularly my mood and anxiety. I was on sertraline for a while for other reasons and have recently stopped. It might be coincidence, but some of my memory loss (inability to recall words mostly) seems to have come back. Hmm. Maybe I should go back on it, but I hate the impact it has on my libido.

@Greyat my GP did say that the medical profession had done themselves no favours in the past by fobbing women off and that they are super mindful now not to make SSRIs the first port of call. She was utterly delighted when I proactively asked for an anti-d, as she's a big fan of it as a treatment but she is cautious about suggesting it herself due to the past issues.

I've come off the HRT now and will say I'm getting the odd surge of heat! But absolutely nothing desperate. On Sertraline, my mental/cognitive improvements have been really noticeable. DH no longer feels the need to hide the knives, as I am way less stabby. He's always been supportive and understanding but has commented how much he can see my mood has lifted and that I'm way less panicky.

Took about 1 patch to feel better but a year to titrate to the right dose.

I'm not anxious or bad tempered. In some ways that's the problem, I don't care enough about anything. No focus or motivation.

I would add to this that my mood and energy levels lifted fairly quickly.

I waa on anti dep/anxiety meds as well as HRT, and like you (amongst other symptoms) was very flat - in the last year I have significantly upped the Oestrogen dose and feel fabulous and have finally come off the other meds with no ill-effects.