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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To tell you that HRT has saved me

53 replies

Lightsideofthemoon · 15/12/2023 06:54

I was really scared to take HRT for loads of obvious reasons but things started to get really really bad. Loads of physical symptoms like brain fog, not sleeping at night, dry eyes, atrophy etc. But it was the effect on my mental health that was really awful- I felt empty, sad, low all the time, like I was dragging myself about, no motivation, no joy. My PMT became 5 days of paranoia, dark thoughts, a few times suicidal ideation. It’s hard to describe how awful things got.

One month, things were so bad that I rang the doc and he advised me to at least try HRT for 3 months. I started with the gel and couldn’t tolerate it so moved to Evorel sequi patches and honestly, it’s changed everything. I could feel a difference in a day. It was like everything lifted. And it’s just got better and better. Even my PMT now feels like ‘normal’ PMT and not a 5 day dark ordeal where I am so paranoid, I can barely get out of bed.

So I guess I am saying that HRT definitely isn’t for everyone and I still can’t quite believe the impact that it’s had on me- it might not last and I still worry. But If things get bad, it’s really worth trying it. I don’t think I could have continued without it- menopause can be devastating for some women, especially if you are very prone to hormone sensitivity like I am.

I feel like a completely different person and more importantly I feel like myself and normal again for the first time in about 5 years!

OP posts:

DustyLee123 · 15/12/2023 06:56

I agree. I was very against it, but not wanting to go anywhere was no life.

LizzieSiddal · 15/12/2023 07:00

So pleased it’s working so well for you. It did the same for me, within a couple of weeks I felt so much better, awful hot flushes stopped completely, slept through the night again, anxiety was much better and the awful itching stopped.
Within months I’d stopped creaking whenever I stood up and painful joints in feet and hands disappeared.

HRT has been like a miracle for me and my only regret is not taking it earlier, (I was 56 when I started.)

allitdoesisrain · 15/12/2023 07:03

Glad it's working well for you. I tried it and found my body loved the estrogen patches, but didn't like the progesterone so much. I decided to forgo it and am finding other effective ways to deal with symptoms.

whyamiawakestill · 15/12/2023 07:08

I'm not far behind you, intolerant to gel and now on patches but only 1/2 I still get jitters with more but my mood has improved massively, my wake up on the weekend and "what are we doing" rather than laying in bed.

I've got a list of things I'd like to achieve, new ideas and thoughts that feel like they've been hidden under a fog. I feel busy again.

I was getting hot flushes 20 times a day for weeks on end it was just awful and what prompted to try again and within 3 days they stopped.

I'm a causal smoker and being on HRT I've been able to stop I've had the motivation to look after me, I've reduced alcohol massively as I was also drinking to try and feel normal and happy.

I do have some new symptoms like gastric, some bladder pain etc. but I'm hoping those will iron out and I'm stressed atm so thinking it could be stress not HRT.

I'm also loving no period for 5 months as I'm taking progesterone pill and no break as I have endometriosis, it's bliss.

I've been reading these "HRT is great" threads for the last 3 years while trying to get my right balance it's taken 3 attempts, so you have to want to be on it.

EarringsandLipstick · 15/12/2023 07:19

I was really scared to take HRT for loads of obvious reasons

What were the 'loads of obvious reasons'? 🤔

FiveShelties · 15/12/2023 07:21

Yes me too. I am 'me' again.

Original poster

Lightsideofthemoon · 15/12/2023 07:23

@EarringsandLipstick worried about taking regular medication, worried about some of the publicised risks of breast cancer and blood clots etc.

Not sure why your reply has a weird tone and emoji to it. I have health anxiety too, probably made worse by perimenopause symptoms of anxiety too. It’s reasonable to worry and I still do but right now the HRT is stopping me from falling into a really dark place.

OP posts:

EarringsandLipstick · 15/12/2023 07:28

Lightsideofthemoon · 15/12/2023 07:23

@EarringsandLipstick worried about taking regular medication, worried about some of the publicised risks of breast cancer and blood clots etc.

Your last line & OP captures it - HRT is really helping you, which is good.

There are no 'obvious reasons' not to take HRT, if it's needed. There are some women who can't, due to particular medical history , but even then, there are increasingly alternatives available.

Your stated worries are not correct - there isn't an increased risk of breast cancer or blood clots. (For women with a certain family history of types of breast cancer, it's not recommended - not the same as saying there is a risk of breast cancer to anyone taking it). As for worrying about taking medication, you are simply replacing hormones that previously existed, like with many other medications that replace something the body would produce naturally (g thyroid medication).

It's great it's working for you; it's a pity you had waited due to reasons that are inaccurate.

I didn't want others reading to be similarly misinformed.

Madat54 · 15/12/2023 07:28

Wonderful news. I tried HRT but it gave me migraines, this was 5 years ago and I maybe should’ve tried a different one. I’ve been post menopause now for about three years and the symptoms do come and go but seem more manageable.

EarringsandLipstick · 15/12/2023 07:29

and normal again for the first time in about 5 years

I mean, this is sad - that you waited 5 years and put up with such debilitating symptoms, before getting help.

EarringsandLipstick · 15/12/2023 07:30

Madat54 · 15/12/2023 07:28

For sure - not every product suits every woman, there are lots of options.

ArchetypalBusyMum · 15/12/2023 07:31

Similar improvements here op.
What a relief. 🙂
Was pleased that hrt also protects bone density and reduces risk of colon cancer and various other things, I forget them all.

Unusualactualname · 15/12/2023 07:34

Yep. Hot flushes every 15 minutes, day and night, quickly became completely intolerable.

MrsJellybee · 15/12/2023 07:36

So pleased for you, OP. I battled on for two years because I was only 40 and thought I was too young. At 42, I contacted my GP and luckily got a sympathetic response. Three days after starting HRT, I was me again. It has literally saved my life.

Ilovecaviar · 15/12/2023 07:36

Great to hear this, I’ve just started this week and am so hopeful for the mood swings and brain fog to lift.

Missherso · 15/12/2023 07:41

Can I ask what side effects the gel gave you? I’m 50 and definitely perimenopausal but have regular periods. I started the gel two weeks ago but I’ve started small just 1 pump. Last night I started the progesterone as I need to take it every 14 days.
I’ve seen a slight improvement in sleep and I haven’t woken up in the night hot and with a racing / adrenaline feeling.
However I am a bit dizzy and feel slightly jittery. I had previously suffered with TMJ which had settled but that’s back again this week along with a bit of tinnitus.
One evening I used 1 and a half pumps and the following morning I definitely felt odd and jittery.
To be honest I’m not sure what is too much oestrogen and what is not enough.

whyamiawakestill · 15/12/2023 07:45

@Missherso you can be intolerant to the gel, and try patches instead.

The gel gives a large daily spike where the patches are more gradual and spaced out, so a gentler way of administering the hormones.

You can also google histamine reaction to HRT and see if your symptoms fit, it can cause reactions.

ssd · 15/12/2023 07:45

I felt amazing the first 2 months and thought this is what ive been needing to get. Then things went back to normal. And i started getting horrible side effects. The dr just said to increase the dose, which i didn't want. So i stopped completely.

But those first few weeks were amazing.

Original poster

Lightsideofthemoon · 15/12/2023 07:47

Can I ask what side effects the gel gave you?

@Missherso it made me really dizzy - and all the things you have mentioned. I found even a small amount too much of a hit whereas the patches are slow release and much gentler and so I was able to tolerate them better. I tried the gel 3 times as the doc kept saying it was the gold standard treatment but it just wasn’t right for me. Patches have been the game changer!

OP posts:

Original poster

Lightsideofthemoon · 15/12/2023 07:48

@ssd oh no!! I hope that doesn’t happen - i am 3 months in 😬

OP posts:

allitdoesisrain · 15/12/2023 07:48

ssd · 15/12/2023 07:45

But those first few weeks were amazing.

This was my experience too.

Menomeno · 15/12/2023 07:51

ssd · 15/12/2023 07:45

But those first few weeks were amazing.

That’s completely normal. Most women will need to increase their dose within the first year as their body adjusts to it. It’s better to increase gradually than start on four pumps, for example. I’d give it another go if I were you.

BrownTableMat · 15/12/2023 07:58

I get no side effects from the oestrogel (though I do take 4 pumps all in the morning - when I tried taking 2 in the morning and 2 at night I’m sure I slept worse).

I got horrible side effects from utrogestan whether I took it orally or vaginally - my mental health took a massive dive and I felt sedated all the time. Hated it. So I got a Mirena coil which has been a life saver - 6 months in I still get a lot of minor spotting but it’s totally solved my horrible heavy periods.

I started HRT with the Evorel sequi patches too, just over a year ago and also found them miraculous. I needed a higher dose of oestrogen which is why I switched to the gel. But, before HRT I was at the point of thinking I’d have to give up my career due to the fatigue, insomnia and hot flushes. It hasn’t all gone away - I still struggle a bit with fatigue and insomnia, but I am coping now including with my very stressful long-hours job (that I love).

Oh and a few months ago I had horrible burning sensations when peeing so it was onto the vaginal oestrogen tablets which have had a similarly miraculous effect on my bladder - I no longer have to get up to pee all the time in the night.

Original poster

Lightsideofthemoon · 15/12/2023 08:02

@BrownTableMat yes I am on vagifem too- it was the one thing I was taking before I started full HRT as atrophy was one of my earlier symptoms. And one of the worst I think! It’s better but can see being on vagifem for life I think!

OP posts:

AlisonDonut · 15/12/2023 08:13

I went into early menopause at 42 and my doctors refused to even test me. I got incrementally ill day after day until aged 49 I begged a different doctor for something and he gave me HRT. I had two hot flushes that morning and haven't had a single one since.

By then I was pretty crippled with bone pain and he sent me for FSH tests which were sky high, and a dexa scan which showed i already had osteoporosis.

I doubt I'd be here now if it wasn't for HRT. People that say 'why suffer so long', it's because we can't prescribe HRT for ourselves, you get that right?

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