Given up on HRT - feel great but constantly exhausted.

[frignorant]

I'm 46. I'd been taking HRT for just over 2 years but, after taking 3 types, I've now decided to give up. I was in a constant mood and on some days felt like I just wanted to give up and leave everything and everyone behind. My moods were having a massive, negative impact on my relationship with dh and my dc.

I stopped taking the tablets in August and, apart from the tireness, I feel great. I'm like a changed person, moodwise. I haven't felt so calm in years and for that reason alone, I'm not going to try any other HRT.

I do have warm flushes but not raging hot flushes (iyswim) so they're not really bothering me.

I'm sure someone will tell me to persevere with other types of HRT but I am adamant about staying clear of them.

BUT, I'm constantly tired. I try to eat well, exercise regularly and limit caffeine and alcohol. From what I've read, feeling tired is just normal.

Not sure what advice anyone can give but wanted to know if anyone has got a magic formula?

It's hard isn't it.
At 46 with a premature meno you presumably know all about the risks of being oestrogen deficient before the age of average meno? It's really worth taking all of this on board if you haven't and considering not just short term unpleasant symptoms like flushes, but the longer term increased risks of heart disease and thinning bones.

What kind of HRT were you on? Most women do really well with the oestrogen part but it's the progestogens that give them side effects such as moods.

HRT as pills is now a bit old fashioned- it carries the highest risk and there is a risk of less being absorbed due to having to pass through the digestive system.

Many women find that if they can get the progestogen part right then they feel fine. You could also possibly try a 3-month cycle where you only take progestogen to give a bleed once every 12 weeks. I did this for years and it was great! I've now reduced it to every 6-8 weeks to cut down on the bleeding.

I have to say that many GPs are not clued up on this- I see a consultant- who has a few more tricks to offer and who is a meno expert.

Might you consider a different type of HRT or not?

What have you tried? A lot of GPs just give you a standard one, with the lowest dose oestrogen, then you have to keep going back and keep changing it until it is right. It is very wearing, when you have to go through several changes to find the right one. They will only change the progesterone, or the oestrogen dose at one time, not both.

I was given elleste duet 1mg, which is not the best progesterone for me (I was taken off a pill with this many years ago and put on something more 'modern', so needless to say, it did not suit).

If you are not going to take hrt at 46, you need to overhaul your general health. You need to be very aware of osteoporosis risks, do regular exercise with plenty of the right sort of impact, eat food with the right amount of calcium (not supplements for this - these can cause other problems) and have your vit D levels checked as your ablity to make this reduces with age. (Actually, you need to do this if you take hrt too!)

The beauty with Oestrogen gel is that you can adapt the dose yourself from a tiny amount up to the full high dose and anything in between. This means you don't have to see the dr again and just find a progestogen that suits.

Thanks for your replies.

God, it's a bloody minefield isn't it. I think I started on Elleste Duet which started the bleeds after I'd been period free for 8 months. The periods then petered out so I changed to another type ( forgotten the name). They made me feel suicidal so I changed to Elleste Continuous (?) which were only marginally better. Maybe I should see someone who specialises in menopause rather than the GP who seemed to go with the trial and error method. I know deep down that I should give it another go but I'm so worried about feeling crap again

I had a bone scan last year and that was fine.

If you took continuous HRT then you'd be taking 2 hormones every day and it's the blasted progesterone that causes mood swings.
There is one that is a natural progesterone- called Utrogestan- that is the same as what we have naturally and many women find this better. You can also use the capsules vaginally ( evidently very popular in France) and this avoids even more side effects. Most GPs don't know about this so you just have to ask for it - and don't say you might use it vaginally because in the UK it's only licensed for vaginal use for fertility!