I tried the gel but had to stop is testosterone the only other treatment?

[Diamond25]

I tried 2 pumps of the gel & after a week I felt terrible. I suffer with depression & my mood really dropped & I was just all over the place & was forgetting things. I tried just 1 pump but still didn’t feel right.. I am very sensitive to side effects particularly hormonal.
I have suffered bad headaches & migraines for the last 18 months. I haven’t had a period now for 6 months. My heart is racing &
I am feeling really fatigued, mild hot flushes, depression is worse. Is testosterone the only other treatment? I had the progesterone tablets to be used with the gel but I didn’t use the gel long enough to start the tablets.

Being honest you didn’t give the gel long enough. Those feeling might not have even been due to the gel but more the menopause itself. The gel takes about 6-8 weeks to start doing much at all (I know because I’ve been on and off it a few times due to various medical reasons). 2 pumps is a low dose as well; some women need up to 4, particularly younger women.

Testosterone can help with energy levels but not necessarily hot flushes etc etc- and is usually used along oestrogen.

www.menopausedoctor.co.uk/menopause/topics/hrt

Agree that you need to give it a little longer, and be prepared to try different preparations - I didn't get on with patches but did find a pill that made a huge difference. I couldn't have written the same list of symptoms you've included in your post - but for me they were symptoms of menopause not the results of taking HRT. It is worth it when you find one you get on with so do keep trying. Good luck.

Doh - when I say 'couldn't' above I meant 'could have' - sorry!

Thank you for your replies. I had to stop as my Dr advised me too. I have major depression & I’m usually stable but my mood dropped so badly that I felt suicidal. The pill & mirena did the same to me. Also being pregnant made my depression worse too. Anything hormonal affects me & gives me headaches & migraines. I also suffer with anorexia. When my mood drops & my depression is worse then it affects me eating so I’ll just have to put up with menopausal symptoms.

Are you having your hormone levels checked via bloodwork? That is crucial to see what’s going on.

If you are able, I would have my bloods looked at by a private hormone specialist. Once she/he can see what’s going on here are a number of options, it’s just trial and error.

*there are a number of options

Thanks I had all my hormones checked & saw a female specialist.

Are you progesterone intolerant? Are you using oestrogen gel?

@Diamond25 To be honest, the reply you had from @Bagelsandbrie was spot on. One pump of gel for 2 weeks would make no difference at all, or very little, and the moods you had were more likely what would have happened anyway. Estrogen is the 'happy' hormone so it would not be the cause. Your Dr appears to know very little about HRT if she advised you to stop so quickly. You are possibly completely low on estrogen if your periods stopped 6 months ago and that can make your moods and MH worse.
The medical advice is to use any new HRT for 3 months. It's pointless checking your hormones as they can be all over the place in peri. (NICE says don't do blood tests.)

What your might find helpful is to access CBT- you can do free courses online or your GP could guide you- which has been proved to be helpful for both depression (it's now used as first line treatment before drugs) and can help menopause moods.

But I'd really encourage you to keep going with estrogen gel and give it a proper trial. You can't have testosterone on its own- has to be used with estrogen too- and it's not for the type of symptoms you're having.

If your GP can't help have you thought of seeing a menopause consultant (depending on your finances)?

Also, the Pill and Mirena are completely different products to the gel- it's like comparing apples with oranges! The Pill and Mirena are synthetic chemical formulas, the gel is natural made from roots of yams.

The gel definitely affected me. I tried 2 pumps & then stopped & felt fine., When I tried one pump the several mood drop started again & I just felt terrible.
It’s been 178 days since my last period.
I see a psychologist & have Schmea & EMDR therapy. I also see a psychiatrist for my medication & he also advised me to stop the gel.

I am super sensitive to side effects on low doses of a lot of medications.

I’ll just have to put up with symptoms. The female specialist I saw said there wasn’t anything else. I in Australia so not sure if testosterone can be prescribed.

@Diamond25 In the UK, if a specialist knew you reacted to hormones like you say, they'd have started you on half a pump for a week or more. (That's what I was advised to do and I'm not sensitive.) It's highly unusual to be sensitive to body-identical estrogen - it's exactly what you have had all your life since puberty.
Sadly, you can't use testosterone on its own- not to do with licensing laws, but it would have a masculising effect in the absence of estrogen.
Maybe you can see a menopause specialist for help?

Thanks. I saw a female Dr specialist in menopause.
I spoke to a pharmacist when I could feel that my mood was dropping on 2 pumps & I started to feel bad. He said that one pump wouldn’t be a therapeutic dose. I tried it anyway but still felt it was affecting me so was advised to stop.
I don’t think testosterone is available here.
I am on Prolia injection as I have osteoporosis. I take calcium & Vit D.
I have to be able to function as I have 2 jobs. I am usually stable on my medications so the gel definitely affected me. As soon as I stopped it I was ok.

My own Dr said that there are risks with taking HRT & wasn’t keen on me taking it anyway.