not sleeping

[ladytramp]

Periods stopped a year ago. I can't fall asleep. I can't stay asleep. I wake up at 4 and 5am whatever time I went to bed. I can't nap. It's driving me crazy as I've always needed a lot of sleep to function. Anyone else struggling? What can I do, I don't want to become addicted to sleeping pills like my mum for the last 30 years of her life...

This was one of my main reasons for starting HRT : waking between around 3 and 4 am and hardly going back to sleep.
It's very debilitating.

Me too re HRT.

30 years ago women were given sleeping pills or antidepressants. Now we know it's loss of estrogen that causes this.
HRT

HRT cured this for me.

Thank you all. I had a lot of fibroids in the past, had an embolisation which shrank them but brought early menopause. I have been told by the fibroid specialist that HRT could make new and old fibroids grow again as they feed on estrogen. Hence my dilemma. It's like choosing between hell and hell.

*Can women with fibroids still have HRT?
The vast majority of women with fibroids can safely take HRT without any problems. The doses of oestrogen in HRT are very low so they are not usually high enough to stimulate the fibroids. Occasionally having HRT can cause fibroids to grow or bleed. Women taking HRT can still have effective treatments for their fibroids.

Women who have had Uterine Artery Embolisation can safely take HRT after their menopause as the fibroids will have shrunk by the procedure and are therefore are unable to grow or be affected by oestrogen.

Many women find taking HRT very beneficial, so having fibroids should not alter your decision regarding taking HRT.

Last Updated: July 2020*

This is from

www.menopausedoctor.co.uk/menopause/fibroids-and-the-menopause

Thank you so much Abraid2
I am going to have a rethink and look into HRT and try to shake off all the fears linked to it.

My menopause GP ( Newson Health) has recently increased my oestrogen patch due to my sleep pattern having improved ,but not being as good as it could be.
I would have settled for just feeling better than I did, but she advised me to have a higher dose, and I trust her expertise.
I start the new patch in a week, when I've finished my current supply of others.
And the utrogestan tablets which I also take ( the progestogen component of the HRT) cause drowsiness, so that's a good thing(take at night).

HRT did nothing to help with poor sleep, and I couldn't tolerate the progesterone side of it.

My GP prescribed Amitriptyline and this really helps. I take it once or twice a week but just knowing I'll get better sleep on these days is enough to help me the other nights too. It's non addictive and GPs are very happy to prescribe for sleep (a much lower dose than given for depression).

Taking magnesium glycinate helped my sleep tremendously. I still wake during the night but get back to sleep again quite easily.

Don't just take the mag you can buy at the supermarket though, it won't hurt but it's unlikely to help much - it needs to be glycinate. I get it from amazon but H&B and any online health supplies should work.

dontdisturbnenow thank you I was also prescribed Amitriptyline and wanted to do exactly the same, 2 x week max. I have found it gives me constipation and actually worsens my hot flashes and sweating. Also, sleeping 2 nights a week does nothing for the other days, unfortunately, so I've ended up alternating the Amitriptyline with Pirizene and I'm just unhappy to be so dependent on meds which anyway don't always work.

reality I'll look into that. My diet is very rich in magnesium - bananas, avocados, nuts. What would happen if I had a banana every night before bed...Ha, wondering.

HRT has restored my sleep. I have bio identical oestrogen and progesterone and the difference is actually astounding!

HRT did nothing to help with poor sleep, and I couldn't tolerate the progesterone side of it.

I'm the same. I've started a separate thread about HRT and blood pressure and i''m awake after a nightmare at 2am and have a racing heart rate. I''m on Evorel patches and feel worse than ever in the 2nd half of the cycle when you change them over to the 50 type. The worse thing is the breast soreness. The positive is my mood swings have stabilised a little. Everything else is the same, insomnia, racing heart and now my bp is soaring!

I'm sorry to hijack the thread but would it be ok to just stop using the patches??

I find I'd rather take sleeping pills for 30 years than suffer from the devastating impact of ongoing sleep deprivation. It can be dangerous - a major contributory cause of diabetes, heart issues, and strokes. It plays havoc on the immune system.
We should be balance the risks. The Z drugs don't tend to be addictive in the same way as benzodiazepines. Patients rarely need to gradually increase their dose again and again. This dose remains effective at a stable lowish dose for most. Generally no serious side effects either (aside from rare cases as with any drug for anything including OTC ones).

@BooseysMom I stopped Everol when it came to the end of a cycle. I then told my GP who started me on something else. Everol made me feel sick everyday ☹️
Your doctor might be able to suggest something else.

@barbites.. thanks for posting. That sounds bad. What did you move onto after that? I dont feel sick. I'm perimenopausal but still have regular periods. I think I have to give it 3 months. My blood pressure is high which I thought was caused by the HRT but apparently it's not that. It's prob more to do with stress and anxiety.

@BooseysMom due to me being in my early 40's and clearly menopausal my GP was really insistent I have HRT for heart and bone protection. I'm now on estradot and oral progesterone and it's really suiting me. Hot flushes gone and sleep much better. If yours isn't suiting you ask your GP to try a different one?

@barbites.. yes I think I will. The patch is causing skin irritation too. Also I've gone and lost one of them so my pattern will be messed up now. Trust me!
Good that you found something that works for you. It can take ages.
Thanks for the advice.

@BooseysMom good luck 😊

Op, I also have the debilitating fatigue caused by lack of solid sleep. I can't take HRT, definitely not for my other health issues but use Phenergan when sleep it is particularly bad. I take half a dose early in the evening and it seems to work.

The lack of sleep is so significant that I have to avoid driving when it is bad..I would prefer some medication if it improves my quality of life

Have you tried all the normal stuff for sleep -

Get an hour's exercise outside each day. This is important for your eyes to absorb outdoor light, earlier in the day is better

Don't drink alcohol in the evening

No caffeine after 12pm

Drink very little liquids in the evening, so you're not waking up to go to the loo

Practise sleep hygiene - don't use a screen before bedtime

I had this - used to wake in the night for ages after being a heavy sleeper all my life. HRT sorted me right out

@barbites.. thank you x

Re HRT, I really only have insomnia as a menopause problem. My old self was a mess, terrible PMS, roller-coaster monthly cycle, sore breasts, fibroids, anemia. Since I stopped periods a year ago I feel more emotionally stable, my skin is so much better, I've put on around 4 kg but I needed them and after 28 years my husband can now squeeze my breasts without me wincing (and not out of pleasure ).So I do not want to be back to being that person.

@Asterion I try not to consume caffeine after 2pm. I started running a few months ago expecting to be tired at night and sleep better but it was the opposite. The day I run I am so full of adrenaline at night that my sleep just gets worse.

@Giantsausageroll my references for sleeping pills are out of date. I will look into what you mention.

@RealityExistsInTheHumanMind I have started taking the Solgar magnesium biglycinate with dinner and also a banana and a hot milk before going to bed and I had a few not so bad nights - still waking but going back to sleep. How much do you take?