Tridestra - placebo time

[mommybunny]

I started Tridestra almost 3 months ago to ease the awful night sweats and hot flashes. It took a couple of weeks but has since then been working like a dream (pardon the pun ...).

Now I'm on the placebo week of my 3 month course and the night sweats and hot flashes have come back! Does anyone know if this is something I can expect every cycle, or should it settle down after I've been on it a few cycles?

Many thanks.

I thought Tridestra had been discontinued? Are you in the UK?

Sounds as if you are very sensitive to loss of estrogen in the week you don't take any.

TBH it's something that may well continue so you might need to think about changing to a different type.

Out of interest, why did your Dr prescribe this type rather than monthly HRT, OR long cycle using 2 different hormones separately where you can still have a 3-month cycle but you'd not stop the estrogen for a week.

Hi Polly, thanks for answering. Yes, I'm in the UK. I have no idea why my GP prescribed this type of HRT. If it's been discontinued in the UK it must have been in the last 3 months as that is when I was prescribed it, and while I had to wait a day for the chemist to order it in I had no other problems getting it.

It seems very strange that I get the meno symptoms so soon after stopping the hormones - I'm only on the second day of the placebo. During this cycle I have missed one tablet, and a couple of times I took it at night instead of in the morning. While I did get some breakthrough bleeding on those occasions (which the leaflet said to expect, so it didn't worry me), the meno symptoms didn't come back.

Having already paid for the second cycle I think I will soldier on and see if the symptoms come back at the end of the next cycle, at which point I will call the GP and see if I need to change things.

Thanks again for your input.

Sorry- you are right- it's still available. Was sure I'd been told /seen it wasn't.

It's odd you should have symptoms so quickly just after missing a couple of tablets. I've read other women say it can take 3 months after giving up HRT for symptoms to come back.

It could be a total coincidence and nothing to do with missing a tablet or two. Think you will have to wait and see.

Thanks again Polly. Could it be that the symptoms have come back because I've actually been off the estrogen for a full week (last week, the blue tablets, were progesterone I think)?

I woke up this morning feeling really, really rough, almost hungover (and I had actually refused my DH's wine offer last night!). I had a very dry mouth and a raging headache and of course I hadn't slept much. I took some nurofen for the headache which helped but it's wearing off and the headache is coming back. I really, really hope this is just coincidence!

So have you finished the progestogen tabs? Have you had a bleed yet?

I know it's long cycle but I didn't know there was a placebo week. I thought it was 12 weeks of oestrogen then 10 days of oestrogen plus progestogens, with no week off.

It seems a bit barmy having this placebo week. You can still do long cycle- I do and for 5 years used estrogel daily with Norethisterone for 10 days every 3 months. But gel was 365 days a year.

The rise in temp could very well be due to 'peak' progestogen levels and once they fall and you bleed you will feel ok.

I finished the progestogen tabs on Tuesday. I think the bleed is just starting.

Are you saying it's possible to go straight from progestogen to another cycle of estrogen, with no time off? I thought the bleed was necessary to "clear you out" if you still had a uterus. (Forgive me if I sound very ignorant.)

I will definitely watch my symptoms this week and if they're really miserable I will speak to my GP.

Tridestra is as far as I know the only form of HRT where you have a break - a placebo week. None of the others- pills or patches- do this.

You will still have a bleed with all other types of HRT which are sequential (that means giving a bleed) but you don't need to have a week without oestrogen with those. You will have a bleed once the progestogen is stopped- (not when the oestrogen is stopped) - so with all other types, it's oestrogen 365 days a year.

When you stop taking progestogens, the lining disintegrates and then that's what causes a bleed. Continuing with oestrogen during a bleed doesn't stop you bleeding.

Hope this is clear :)