HRT not that effective any more, what can I do??

[Tumm]

I have been on HRT for 4 years now and it has been a life saver tbh, my mood swings before were horrific. I didn't really have an issue with flushes back when I started HRT, whereas now I do!? I am always very hot in the mornings so constantly feel like a sweaty heap, but recently I have developed intense flushes as well - I am sitting here literally running with sweat at the moment, for the second time in the last half hour. I am on the max HRT according to my GP, so he said there's nowhere else to go with it treatment wise. Is this true? 😣Im on 3-4 pumps of oestrogel and 1 utrogestan a day. Thanks for any suggestions/advice.

You could try swapping to patches, or tablets.

Are you doing all the lifestyle stuff too that might help?
Diet, low booze, loads of exercise etc?

@JinglingSpringbells So I can get a higher dose via tablets or patches? Didn't know that. I'll ask GP to swap then. In terms of helping myself - diet is good, probably drink too much, and don't exercise much due to arthritis. So could be better!

No you can't get a higher dose but there are some women who don't absorb gel etc well.

As time goes on, you might need more estrogen compared to earlier. But more doesn't mean a higher dose as such, it might mean trying a different route. Patches ideally or even tablets.

Ditch the booze- it's bad and increases the risks of HRT a lot as well as not helping symptoms.

And you might find your arthritis improves with exercise- ironically that is what drs recommend- to keep moving.

There's a type of cbt which is specifically for dealing with hot flushes, which helps reduce the impact by about 50%. Look for the book by Myra Hunter, or see if your gp can refer you to a cbt therapist. It teaches you how to understand and deal with hot flushes in a way that reduces the severity.