Anyone else finding HRT isn't helping?!

[QueenRefusenik]

The thread title is a bit misleading I guess as it IS helping a bit... Just not as much as I thought it might. I'm 44 and started HRT last year on Elleste solo 1mg everyday and Utrogestan 200mg for the second half of the cycle. It helped a bit but not enormously so I had the estradiol dose raised to 2mg. Slight improvement but still...

Should I ask to change the drugs? Higher dose? Alternative pill? Transdermal gel or patch? My GP is very nice but she's about 12 (ok slight exaggeration) and just looks what I suggest up in the BNF and then prescribes. Which is useful in some ways, not so much in others!

Or am I being unrealistic in my expectations? I hear so much 'oh, I'm a new woman' and even when my GP wrote the first prescription she said that although it can take 3 months to feel the full benefit, I would probably feel the difference within a few days... Nope. Nor with the higher dose (been on that over three months now too). Given I have a young DS (4yrs) and a demanding full-time job as well as a full-time working partner who does his share but tends towards the 'you should have said' style, is this just how it is till I come out of the other side of menopause?! I don't think I'm depressed but maybe I do need ADs as well as HRT?!

Any advice very welcome, I'm going a bit bonkers here!

Thanks pringlesandchocolate
Hope it works well for you.

How long did you take to start feeling better? I'm 6 weeks in and so far only my flushes have reduced. Hopefully it will work next few months.

@ifeellikeanidiot
Can I ask what dose you increased to please?
As I'm currently on 2 pumps and don't think it's doing much but I'm only about 7 weeks in. My GP has said I can increase to 4 but worried about any side effects of increasing estrogen?

Thank you. These aches, brain fog, dizziness, anxiety, flushes and insomnia are ruining my life. All only started when I hit peri 12 months ago and in that time my periods stopped. It seems my esyrogen took a nose dive pretty quickly
Which may account for these awful symptoms

Hi Misha1972 - are you on Instagram? If yes there is a very informative series of conversations between Lisa Snowdon (on her account) and Dr Naomi Potter about Peri, Meno and HRT. There's a good explanation on there about progesterone. Dr Potter explains it using the analogy of a lawn... so the oestrogen grows the grass and the progesterone cuts the lawn and makes sure it does not overgrow.
Anyway I'd really recommend having a look at the series... it is so helpful. It's under Lisa's IGTV and she has filed the chats under weekly menopause madness. x

@Misha1972 - I'm new on here... guess I need to tag you.