How long does HRT take to have an effect?

[reup]

I started on 1 mg of Elleste Duet 2 months ago. My periods started to get sporadic since September but have been monthly since Feb. I just started the tablets on a random day rather than syncing them with my periods as I wasn't sure they were actually monthly.

My main symptoms are early waking (4-5am every day), terrible bleak depression and moments of rage. I get the odd joint pain and thinning hair too. My GP was really ill seeming at the appointment and didn't really go into anything in depth and I had no specific hormone blood tests.

Anyway nothing has much has change. I'm due a review at the end of 3 months. Do I need a higher dose or a different pill?
I would be grateful for any advice thanks

You could go up to a 2mg version. You should allow 3 months anyway to see how you feel.

If you still don't feel better on a higher dose, try patches instead- pills are poorly absorbed and not the 'best' type of HRT nor the safest. Patches give you more bang for your buck- the hormones go straight into your system through the skin rather than being swished around your guts when a lot of them can be lost, so less effective.

Thanks for that information.