Crushing exhaustion in Perimeno - Need a head wobble

[ThetollofTime]

A little history. My mother suffered massively with peri. Went off the rails and blew her life up in a big way. Did hers without HRT, started at 43 and came out the other side in her mid fifties. She doesn't recognise who she was in that timespan. My Sister also had temper/rage/crying issues - I only mention this to highlight there is a family history of not reacting well to hormonal changes

I have no other health concerns or illness, recently had a well woman/ fitness check that came back with good reviews. I have a full time job i enjoy with people i like working with. This, apart from a stint with covid, is the first time i have ever been off sick)

I was diagnosed with Peri at 46, was going the herbal route but had bad morning anxiety. Was put on HRT and it cleared up. Two years of plain sailing and no real issues followed, except a low level of persistent tiredness and achy joints. (Patch)

Week before last my persistent tiredness and aching ramped up over the weekend and by Monday I shut down. I literally powered down like a doll where the batteries ran out. I was so bone tired it was an effort to breathe.

I called in sick, cancelled my gym sessions and a training day that I have been waiting for for over a year - and I have been in this powered down state ever since (so a week and a half now). I am on the sofa watching box sets of TV shows that are familiar - my brain cant seem to cope with any input outside of sitting with familiar sounds/story lines.

This post is the only thing i have done all week that is not showering, eating and sitting on the sofa (or cancelling things i would normally be keen to go on). The worrying thing this soporific feeling is becoming very attractive, almost addictive, and i can see staying here much longer is going to become harder and harder to remove myself from this peaceful null state.

I need a kick to get moving but currently I don't seem to have the get up and go to get up and go.

What the hell is this?

I should mention - I don't feel unwell. I don't have a temp or a UTI. I feel well in my body and this tiredness is familiar - I've had it since the beginning it just suddenly grew. Grew to be huge and all encompassing and because of that it feels like there is no space for anything else and its has powered down all my higher functions and put me into a charging mode.

Im on Oestrogel & utrogestan, i get fatigue that hits me sideways. I was told to up my gel, that made me worse. Im around 18mnths post meno, age 50, its so debilitating. I dont know whether to knock the hrt on the head 😏

It could be something very simply sorted like increasing your estrogen dose.

what are you using and the dose?

Another one here who is experiencing the same. HRT and upped my gel plus testosterone. I understand what you are describing - the powering down feeling. I am also slightly iron deficient. I don't have a full-time job and would not know how to cope if I did. The HRT has taken the edge of the very debilitating anxiety I experience. I'm having my levels checked shortly...it will be interesting to see how effective the gel has been. Interesting that upping the gel made you feel worse Sam as I've upped the gel too. I'm also surprised the testosterone is doing more. Not the magic bullet I thought it would be. My mood is low - partially due to inactivity = a viscious circle

Yes i felt dizzy not quite with it when increased to 3 pumps, i was told by gp to increase and would feel better, i didnt, i felt worse. I also use a pea sized amount of testogel a day. I have quite a busy life, but struggle most days to plough through. Odd i also thought i'd feel better on hrt, although it does solve my anxiety out

@Cloudofunknowing @JinglingSpringbells @SamR36 - Thank you for your replies.

Well, I am in work this morning. It took all i have in me to drag myself here (i could have WFH but i know i would have bailed and called in sick again)

I'm already feeling massively overwhelmed and I've only been in a hour.

At the end of last week I called a good friend (who also happens to be a GP) and we think the sudden change after two years of plain sailing on HRT was the drop off in my implant as it due to be replaced soon.

I have had the implant for years and I always got period cramping, bloating, break through periods and hormonal ups and downs in the last year ramping up over the course of the year. To negate this I normally had it out after year two and had a new one popped in.

Two pumps of oestrogen on top of my patch did seem to help and lifted the iron weight of the exhaustion blanket that covered me. But I'm still weirdly disconnected, grouchy and hovering on tears at the drop of a hat.

Hi Op, sorry to hear you are struggling with overwhelm. I looked at a pile of washing/ironing today and the got massive overwhelm and closed the door on it.

I believe you can get your hormone levels checked if you are taking HRT I am due to have a blood test for this at the end of this month and you could do likewise?

HRT is taking the edge of the awful, awful anxiety I was experiencing but I believe the progesterone is making me feel low (lower than usual) so I'm going to check out a possible alternative. Not sure the testosterone is doing much...but these levels will be checked also. I know something that might give this a boost but don't want to start taking it yet (don't want to mention it here as it might not be safe to take alongside HRT but I'm tempted to take it anyway), just waiting for blood tests to come back first. Don't want to give up HRT as I can't face the nausea inducing anxiety I was feeling before.

Keep us updated if you feel any improvements with a tweak in treatment.