Feeling weird on Utrogestan: normal?

[ThunderMonkey]

On my 4th day of taking Utrogestan, so maybe this will all settle down, but I feel so odd. PMT-ish, anxious, restless, and a bit spacey. Just wondering if this will pass or I should start thinking of an alternative, and if so, what? I’m starting to think I might be sensitive to progesterone. Is mirena better?

Oh and my stomach bloated up massively seemingly overnight after I took the first dose - it’s bizarre!

And as for it supposedly improving sleep, last night I woke up several times - after strange, vivid nightmares - and then couldn’t get back to sleep

I had this exactly with utrogestan pessaries. I didn't feel safe driving to work on day 3. Bloated stomach, constipated and angry then my mood just dropped. Stopped them.

@amethyst69 do you mind me asking what you went onto? Or did you stop HRT altogether?

Stopped altogether. Even the oestrogen part made me feel worse than without anything.

Are you taking them at night? I find taking them at night means any issues are settled by morning. I also take continuous rather than 2 weekly as many people do so 100mg a day which I find keeps me more "stable"

What oestrogen are you taking? It may be you need more oestrogen to get a balance

It takes a while to get used to it, I'd give it a month (unless it's unbearable if course!)

Mirena coil has synthetic progesterone rather than the bio-identical stuff in utrogestan so they are different. Personally I can't take any synthetic at all, utrogestan works for me but we're all different.

Thanks @imnotthatkindofmum , I’m taking them at night - I was hoping they’d knock me out but that hasn’t happened - quite the opposite!

that’s interesting about Mirena and synthetic progesterone, I’ve never got on with the pill - it made me really angry - so maybe it’s synthetic progesterone that’s the problem.

Im on two pumps of Oestrogel, maybe I should talk to the gp about increasing it. Or I’m starting to think maybe antidepressants, my low mood and anxiety have been an issue for a while. Maybe it’s not just menopause…

@ThunderMonkey I'd check about increasing oestrogen first or as @imnotthatkindofmum says bear with it for a month. The reason I've stopped is due to having endometrial hyperplasia 2 years ago I'm only allowed a really low dose (one spray - I'd need 3 to be get the same dose as you are oestrogel) so for me it feels like I'm flooded with progesterone and the oestrogen benefit just gets lost so my situation has an added layer

I am sensitive to progesterone as lots of women are and I take it now vaginally and have less side effects. It used to have me in bits, horrible intrusive dark thoughts, face out in bits, swollen up so much my body, felt just awful. I also changed to continuous hrt as on it one year and it is better as take just 1 table of utrogesterone nightly and my hormones more in balance now. Before was flooding my body for 2 weeks with higher dose of tablets and was so bad. For the first 2 months of continuous had more bleeds/spotting but great now as no period for few months as before was bleeding so heavy and was drained and the pmt was unreal. Feel more balanced now. Try the utrogesterone vaginally and it does help so much. If you are not long on hrt it takes a few months to get used to it also.

Also have had insomnia for so long now since in peri-menopause and is horrible. Read up on sensitivity to progesterone as it is an eye opener how many women suffer from it. Wishing you the best.

I felt awful on Utrogestan- switched to cyclogest pessaries and feel so much better.

How did this work out for you? I’m on day 8 of Utrogestan 100mg and it caused the same type of insomnia from day 1. I’ve tried taking it in the morning with my estrogen but still had the same side effect. Did it settle for you? Should I persevere?

I was prescribed 1 pump of oestrogel today with 100mg of Utrogestan every day for 25 days but I am still having periods and the nhs web page for Utrogestan says I should be doing 200mg for 12 days from day 15.
So I've had to query the prescription with my doctor and I'm waiting for her to come back to me. Problem is, I've already started on the oestrogel and need to decide what I should be doing about Utrogestan before I go to bed tonight. I'm not sure why the GP thought it best for me to start off taking it every day as I've explained to her that I'd like to achieve pregnancy so I want the HRT to mimic what my body should be doing naturally. Can anyone offer any advice? Xx

To Mrs J yes that seems odd, I was started off on 2 pumps oestrogel daily and then 14 days on/off with Utrogestrone. It is only usually after been on hrt for a year of if that they would consider changing to continuous but never heard of been on it for 25 days and then a few days break. You need to keep at your doctors and tell them you need to talk to them urgent. Maybe someone else with more information will be along to help you. Keep taking as prescribed and hopefully you will get more insight.

Are you on day 4 of using oestrogel as well!? If so I would suggest starting on 1 and then increase to 2 in a few weeks or a month. It made me quite spacey and headachey to start with.

Some women find Utrogestan can bloat them, so instead of swallowing (where it has to go through your digestive system) find it more tolerable to insert vaginally, where it’s absorbed straight into the blood stream, causing less side effects.

i also have regular periods and have been prescribed progesterone for 25 days followed by 3 day break

It’s been fine

I think 25 days is actually quite common.

Thanks for the replies. I wouldn't mind trying the 25 days but not sure if it'll be compatible with getting pregnant - which I'm still hoping for! xx