HRT. Just started the progesterone part - anxiety back!

[Menopausingperi]

I started HRT this month (I’m 42). I was advised to start with one pump of oestrogen and then, at day 15, start the progesterone tablets.

I’m on day 22 now, so have been taking the progesterone pills for 7 days and, almost as soon as I started them, all my symptoms came back with some others:
-I wake up “nervous” and a little shaky
-I feel slightly nauseous on waking and then stay anxious and low for some of the day
-And, a new one, I have these weird juttering feelings in my legs, like my blood flow is getting stuck in my veins and shaking it’s way through? I don’t know how to explain that! It’s really odd!

Is the HRT not working? Did I not need it and what I had all along was PMDD? Is my dose of oestrogen too low? my doctor told me stay on one pump for the first month.

I felt completely fine until day 15, but I usually do!! (In fact felt great - more energy than usual.)

Is this normal?

Ok I think I can describe the juttering feeling better! I googled it and muscle twitching seems to be a better way to describe it!

Do you mean restless legs op?

I've had that for years, assumed I was doing too much exercise, but it seems to be yet another peri meno symptom.

I still have it even though I've started HRT.

It sounds like your dosage is wrong. Might be too much progesterone, you might not need as much. Give it another week then go back to the docs, its really normal to tweak regimes.

Some women have fewer side effects if they administer it vaginally. Just insert with your finger as high up in vagina as you can. It's apparently more effective as it's acting directly on the area it is needed rather than going through the whole digestive process. It isn't licensed this way but used widely.

Sorry, to be clear that is if it is utrogestan capsules. Not sure with you saying tablets.

You’re right - that’s what I’m taking!

Thank you all - I didn’t know about inserting vaginally! I will ask my doctor about it.

Interesting that my dosage could be wrong and I might not need as much. I had assumed it was the necessary amount for my lining to shed. But I’ve also started getting headaches the last few days - I’m not a headachey person - and wondering if that’s part of the progesterone too?

I can’t decide if I mean restless leg or muscle twitching. It doesn’t hurt, but it a little annoying!

I have a Mirena coil for the progesterone part of my HRT, which I tolerate well. I can’t take it orally, it makes me feel too ill. I’ve also had restless legs since my late teens, and the severity was linked to my cycle. Latterly it became somewhat more painful than uncomfortable. I’ve always found ibuprofen helpful for the restless legs, but recently went on blood thinners and to my surprise found my symptoms much lessened.

You can try magnesium for restless legs, or tonic water.

If you ask your dr about vaginal they will
almost certainly say no as it’s not licenced that way for hrt here.
After the first 2 months I switched to one oral and one vaginal, which was enough to get rid of my symptoms.
Although jittery etc sound like too little or too much oestrogen.
Also drs say to wait 12 weeks after first prescription for hormones to stabilise and see what you are left with. It takes a lot of patience but will be worth it.

Thank you all!

Is there a minimum progesterone dose? I am to take 2 urtogestan a day for 14 days.

Also - could I have been wrong about being perimenopausal and just have PMDD instead? Will the HRT do any harm if I don’t actually need it??! My doctor was absolutely lovely. She thought a bunch of my symptoms pointed to peri rather than PMDD (one major one being night sweats before my period - but I’ve been getting those since my early 30s).

I did feel great the first half of the cycle with the oestrogel, I just feel off since the progesterone - but this is my half of the month to feel low and angry anyway! Except I feel nervy, jittery and headachey instead!

I moved to patches as I couldn't tolerate the capsules and this way the progesterone part is fine.

Oestrogen patches?

I think she’s meaning combined patches.
The only way to test if hrt is working is to see if your symptoms improve after 9-12 weeks on it. It’s very early days

Yes sorry. Combined patches.

I didn’t know about those! Thank you - it’s good to know they are more tolerable than the progesterone tablets!

I have also started brown spotting today too!