Is there a general chat thread for peri sufferers waiting to start HRT?

[thenewaveragebear1983]

Admittedly, quite a niche group demographic, but anyone who wants a general chat really.

I’ve been struggling since my “diagnosis” 2 weeks ago, and I’m waiting to see my gp again. She has said she will prescribe hRT, I was waiting for some bloods to come back but she wasn’t expecting anything in the bloods to change her decision . My previous bloods showed Subclinical hypothyroidism as well, which could also be contributing to my symptoms. I was doing ok but then today I’ve had a total anxiety attack driving my car with my dc in the back and it just feels so overwhelming and awful. The anxiety bubbling away is so draining and I feel like I just would like to talk to people who understand how hideous this is.

so if there’s anyone out there who would like a chat thread, please say hi 👋

Hey

Sounds v similar! I had sudden flash head sweats, itchy skin conidtions & hideous anxiety and PMMD awful week before period

Im on 100mg thyroxine since 3rd child

40 next month

Put on evorel patches 2wk estrogen and 2wk progesterone. Been 2 weeks and anxiety better / mood higher

Slightly dreading the statt of progesterone soon apparently can be a bit rough

Are you 40 too?

Hi @perilady83 , yes I am just turned 40. I’ve had worsening symptoms for 18 months- 2yrs now. The anxiety is the worst and I was having palpitations, some days constantly as well. I have been taking magnesium for a month now and that’s definitely helped the palpitations.
I have reading about PMDD because I seem to get a lot more anxiety in the week before my period, and like you I am really worried about the progesterone because the side effects are exactly what I’m suffering with now!

for the last two weeks I’ve really tried hard to cut out sugar, alcohol, gluten and junk food just to give my mood a boost and feel a bit better- it was working until this week but now I’m due on I’ve spiralled a bit.

I’m glad you feel better on the patches, when do you start the progesterone?

I'm struggling too... I've got to wait for an ultrasound to check the cause of unexpected bleeding (have a coil and haven't bled with it at all before) but I appear to have fallen into a 3 week cycle of horrendous pre menstrual symptoms, bleeding, and horrible low mood the week after that. Throw in a total lack of temperature regulation, brain fog, anxiety and bone aching exhaustion (and an inabilityto sleep). It's awful!

@Allthegoodusernamesareused that sounds awful. Do they need to wait for the ultrasound before they will prescribe HRT? How long are you going to have to wait?

I don't know. The GP won't even discuss HRT with me until I've had a scan though.

@Allthegoodusernamesareused oh, you have my absolute sympathy, it’s awful even with a possible treatment in sight. I can’t imagine how you cope with that. Have you tried any herbal remedies? I haven’t myself but there are various things, I think Holland and barratt will do you a consult with a menopause specialist?

Yes just collected my prescription waiting to have time to read the instructions properly & start!

I’m 41

@LovefromPickles can you start any time of the month or do you have to start on cycle day 1?
Do you mind sharing what have you been prescribed? Did you have any choice or did your GP recommend?
I am thinking estrogen- not fussed on method but probably tablets or gel, progesterone- pessary - I am quite sensitive to progesterone and very worried about side effects/symptoms worsening.

Also, there is a prescription prepayment available for HRT items so you don’t have to pay a charge every month. Don’t know the details but it’s worth looking into if you are using nhs prescriptions

I’ve got Utrogestan progesterone capsules & Oestrogel gel.

GP did ask my opinions on what I wanted to try

Not sure when to start as still need to read instructions fully

@LovefromPickles I hope it goes well. I cling to the good news stories I hear that it had an instant positive impact, it gives me hope! 🤞

i have a phone appointment with my gp today and I am hoping she will prescribe over the phone now as i I have seen her recently, all my bloods are back etc. I really just want to get started.

I felt quite weak and shaky yesterday after my anxiety attack, I really struggled to sleep (normal for me at this totm though) and I could just hear fast dance music playing in my head over and over which was making my heart pound. Horrible. So today I just feel tired and tearful, just cried on a call with my boss which was again, awful. She is really kind and understanding about it thankfully, but I am new in my job and don’t want them to think I’m not up to it. Another thing to be anxious about 👍 🙄

Weird day today. Managed to get a drs appt, she did a total uturn and said they weren’t going to give me HRT as I’m too young and because my bloods were normal. I challenged her with the nice guidelines. She then said I could have antidepressants. So I challenged her again - advice is treat with hrt! She then called again a few hours later. Offered me fluoxetine for 10 days a month for anxiety 🤷‍♀️ so I explained that anxiety is just one of many peri symptoms. I said I can accept if you won’t/don’t want to prescribe it but then I am going to ask for a second opinion and/or go private. So she has agreed to let me try. She asked what I wanted to try, I said I was worried about the progesterone weeks so she’s prescribed sequi patches, so I picked them up today and will start on cycle day 1

I'm about to make an appointment - I've been on antidepressants for a couple of years, but my anxiety really started at age 40 (I'm 45 now) and I think I should have been given HRT instead.

My brain fog and exhaustion are awful, as well as lack of focus. For the past few years I've barely done any exercise and my sugar cravings are through the roof. I'm worried that my bad diet and sedentary lifestyle are really ruining my health. I get out of breath after walking a really short distance now and my house is a mess because I can't find the motivation to sort it out. Hoping they will help me try HRT, I can't carry on like this.

Appalling that it's such a struggle to get prescribed this

@MyDarlingWhatIfYouFly I know, it is a disgrace. And that doesn’t even take into account how difficult it is to actually get an appointment. Waiting weeks for bloods, weeks for results, then when the results are in, you can’t get an appointment without joining a queue- I was 27th in the queue yesterday and I rang on the dot of 8.30. I genuinely don’t know how anyone with mental health or ND issues ever gets through this rigmarole as it requires such a sharp determination to even get an appointment.

one of my symptoms (added to my extensive list) is this fluttering feeling inside. It makes me feel breathless, but I’m not breathless as in huffing and puffing- it’s just this weird fluttering feeling. I’ve had it for ages but I only read about it this week and realised that’s what it was. It’s one of my scariest symptoms because it makes me feel like I’m panicking when I’m not. I highly recommend Keeping a list of symptoms, and things you notice especially at the different times of your cycle, plus your cycle length. It was my irregular length cycle that has finally convinced them I think.

I’ve made some massive dietary changes this last few weeks, I’ve cut all the crap out of my diet, and not had bread or dairy or sugar at all (except fruit). And no alcohol. When I’ve done this before, after 2 weeks I’ve felt awesome- this time round I feel tired. I’m due on but had no pmt this month, which is a bonus, but I had hoped it would curb my anxiety as it’s always worse this totm - I guess actually it has been better this month than last, barring a few exceptions. It’s difficult to tell isn’t it?

After a week of really horrible, extreme mood swings, I finally phoned the doctor. Receptionist told me I needed to get an appointment via eConsult.

I filled that in, listing main symptoms, but it just doesn't cover the 'the way my husband breathes is making me want to murder him' feelings I'm currently having which I know is 100% my hormones, I adore my husband.

So I get an email response saying they'd contact me by 6.30om on Friday.
Tuesday morning now and I've not had a call back yet. I'm already dreading the call, because I really don't want to be offered HRT over the phone, I want to talk face to face with a human, I don't want my kids (and the omnipresent builders) to overhear that I have less than zero sex drive.

I spoke to the doctor ( over the phone) a year ago when I was having horrendous night sweats and I was barely sleeping because of them, I was becoming anxious at bedtime knowing I'd be awake half the night. The doctor (female) offered me antidepressants.

So, I'm sitting here again waiting for a call, not holding out much hope, yet knowing I really do need help, St John's Wort isn't cutting it anymore.

Sorry, a bit long and ranty.

Sorry those of you struggling with GPs

When I made my appointment I specifically asked if the surgery had a doctor with a specific interest in menopause so I definitely recommend doing that

How is everyone doing?

@LovefromPickles I think even the ‘menopause specialist’ doesn’t always support it, it was her at my surgery who said I was too young for HRT. Even though the guidance says the earlier you treat, the better 🤷‍♀️ but hopefully surgeries will get better at recruiting someone to be a specialist, every surgery should have one.

I think it’s partly because typically the symptoms are mild (as in, a catalogue of mild, sporadic symptoms) and they are also typical women having busy lives, young kids, careers…. Well of course you feel tired, of course you feel anxious, of course you feel emotional… I do a lot of exercise (or I did, I’ve slowed down a lot this year because I feel so tired) but the amount of times I’ve had my symptoms blamed on that- you run 5km a few times a week so that basically discounts any aches, pains, tiredness… you should slow down 🙄 I have a very low heart rate (like 40 bpm resting hr) and they say that is also because I’m “an athlete” - I challenged this and found out that someone a year ago wrote in my notes that I run 20 miles every DAY not every WEEK , so they’ve been telling me this is due to being so fit but it’s totally wrong. It’s so frustrating!!

my advice to anyone is to start noting down the symptoms you are experiencing, every single thing and add to it when you read things. Then start tracking your cycle and when the symptoms occur. If they peak at low oestrogen times, they are likely in part due to peri. If they affect your quality of life, you can request HRT. You’ll then have a list to reflect on once you’re on it to see if it is improving your symptoms, as often the smaller physical symptoms get better first. I think I’d feel a lot better about my anxiety if I didn’t ache all over, my hair wasn’t falling out, my mouth wasn’t dry as sand etc etc

keep going ladies, it’s all we can do 💐

Thanks for starting this thread. I've been feeling odd for months now and have had to really battle with the drs to take me seriously. They kept putting my symptoms down to being a tired mum and kept dismissing me. I've finally had some sensible blood tests done and found out my thyroid levels are slightly off, I have low vitamin d and low iron and I am peri menopausal. It's a lot to deal with but at least I finally have some answers.

Can I join? I'm 48 and having a pretty terrible time with symptoms, saw GP this morning and now have to wait another week for blood tests (general bloods as I haven't had them done since 2018) and a weeks worth of home blood pressure monitoring as it was a bit high at my appointment this morning. I booked todays appointment 4 weeks ago, that was the soonest they could get me in so god knows how long I will have to wait to discuss my results and (hopefully) get an actual prescription

I got the impression the GP knew less than me about HRT tbh so will try to avoid him next time, it's rare to see the same doctor twice in my surgery anyway so shouldn't be a problem! I saw our 'menopause specialist' GP 5 years ago and she utterly dismissed me as 'too young' so will just take pot luck and hope for the best I guess 🤷🏻‍♀️

My period arrived today. I was on a 5hr coach journey to Devon (because I’m too anxious to drive, obvs) and I boarded the coach a jittery, tight chested box of nerves, period arrived mid-journey and I literally felt my hormones switch. That also means that technically I can start my patches now, or any time in the next 4 days. I think I’m going to start Sunday, and do Sunday/Wednesday as patch days, plus I’m away with my kids by myself and I’d rather wait til I’m with dh to start. I’ll be honest, I’m feeling quite apprehensive about it. I’m trying to channel some good vibes and I really want to believe it will help me and it will work. 🤞

@tigertummy my bloods showed subclinical thyroid as well, there so much cross over between the two conditions. I have to go back in 3 months for another blood test and if I’m still in the sub clinical range and still having symptoms then they may treat my thyroid as well.

Right so Im on week 3 of evorel HRT
Was worried about the 'conti' progesterone 2nd half

Just to say it seems to be rewlly working! Still have unstable job situ which was sending me spiralling / anxieyy attacks
But Im so mich more balanced, can see just 1 of many things in my life. Just more optimistic. No head sweat flashes either since I started (every other day before) and no insomnia. Every slept on a ferry when sea sick this week.

Highly recommend. Feel like the usual upbeat me is back :)

Oh @perilady83 thats great. I have Evorel sequi and I was also very worried about the progesterone weeks - I haven’t started yet. It’s so reassuring to hear a positive review!

@thenewaveragebear1983 I already have hypothyroidism so the dr has tweaked my dosage in the hope that helps. I need to make a decision about HRT but to be honest I don't know anything about it or even know where to look for reliable information