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Original poster

Oestrogel makes me tense, headachey and I gnash my teeth!

21 replies

Quornislush · 26/12/2023 22:46

Just that really, first month on HRT, doctor said 2 pumps of Oestrogen gel and utrogestan 200mg for 14 days.
I thought I’d start the Oestrogel at just one pump, well within 48 hours I was so fuzzy headed, dizzy and all of my head and neck muscles became tense. I’ve reduced the dose to a pea size morning and night and it’s still the same, I’m shaky and feeling very off.

thankfully the utrogestan doesn’t appear to have given me any issues that I’ve noticed but every day I apply the gel, within 30 minutes I’m tense and holding my jaw and mouth in a strange way.

last day of utrogestan tomorrow, I’m going to try a cycle of no oestrogen at all, just the utrogestan for the 14 days as it feels like I’m overloading my system with oestrogen. Does it sound like this?

im 50 with fairly regular but sometimes short cycles (24-26 days) that had just got a a bit heavier. Biggest issue for me was poor sleep, weight gain, lethargy and a sore vulva.

is dropping the oestrogen for a month a good idea?

OP posts:
Christine0708 · 26/12/2023 23:36

No the oestrogen will sort out your symptoms. Keep at it x

DustyLee123 · 27/12/2023 08:02

No, you need both.
Try one pump in the morning, I found it gave me irritable sleep if I took it at night.

Original poster
Quornislush · 27/12/2023 08:06

Thanks, I left the gel off last night, throughout the day I could feel myself getting more and more anxious and overnight I woke shaking and having continuous hot sweats. I applied about half a pump this morning and went back to sleep I’ve woken feeling better and although I can feel myself holding my face / jaw tight I’m trying my best to keep relaxed. The shaking and sweats went quite quickly.

I think the issue may be that the gel is either not enough or is delivering a hit then wearing off. Wondering if a patch would be better

OP posts:
friggingnora · 27/12/2023 08:17

You are under dosing with oestrogen. A pea size amount of gel will do nothing. The two pumps prescribed by your doctor is a pretty low dose anyway and you're not even giving yourself that.
You need to actually use the medicine before you can say it's not working.

DustyLee123 · 27/12/2023 08:40

You need to take the two pumps prescribed, it’s a low dose anyway.

CuriositysCat · 27/12/2023 08:42

Take the two pumps and stick with it - life changing for me.

Original poster
Quornislush · 27/12/2023 08:45

@friggingnora i think I’ve read too much into it and thought I was overdosing. The fact that after leaving the dose off last night altogether resulted in me waking half the night with hot sweats has probably confirmed that I’m not oestrogen dominant as I’ve been thinking.

im just not sure if the gel is really right for me as I do tend to get a ‘hit’ then the symptoms creep back a few hours later. I took this to mean that the gel was causing the problem rather than there not being enough gel to stop the problem iyswim

OP posts:
Tootingbec · 27/12/2023 09:01

The gel takes weeks to start to make a difference - any “reaction” to it is highly unlikely within 48 hours.

2 pumps is a low dose already so stick with it for a bit longer at least?

EarringsandLipstick · 27/12/2023 09:20

That's not how oestrogen works, giving you a 'hit'. You are attributing reactions to the medication that are not possible.

Use it properly as directed and then evaluate.

Original poster
Quornislush · 27/12/2023 09:27

Sorry but I definitely felt strange after 2 days of taking it - wired and tense, dizzy and fuzzy headed. It must have done something. I took this to mean that it was too much of a dose (a lot of info online pointed to this) so reduced the dose back at that point. Perhaps the balance of progesterone and oestrogen is now wildly out of the oestrogen is too low?
Anyway, I’ll start increasing the dose up to the two pumps, see if that does help.

OP posts:
EarringsandLipstick · 27/12/2023 10:05

every day I apply the gel, within 30 minutes I’m tense and holding my jaw and mouth in a strange way

I've no idea what's causing this - is not the gel though.

Christmassss · 27/12/2023 10:07

You need to stick to the prescribed dose, it took about three months to fully work for me.

tennissquare · 27/12/2023 10:15

@Quornislush , apply it in the mornings, i had disrupted sleep when i applied it in the evening.

Original poster
Quornislush · 27/12/2023 17:47

I could cry. I applied one pump this morning and immediately the shakes started to lift and I felt great for an hour or so. Then the stomach cramps started and I’ve had uncontrollable diarrhoea all day.
I do usually have IBS and it may be the Christmas food catching up on me but to be honest that’s usually short lived and once I’ve passed the offending food it stops.
This has been relentless all day. Can’t help but wonder if its the Oestrogen.
Or the Utrogestan (although I’ve been on this for 2 weeks with no issues).

OP posts:
Twoshoesnewshoes · 27/12/2023 17:49

I also got the jaw thing on oestrogen, and have has it with an SSRI too. So weird!

Helenahandkart · 27/12/2023 17:51

Take it as directed. Monitor it. Report back to your doctor after you’ve been taking it for several weeks, ideally three months. Let them decide whether you need more or less based on your symptoms.

Ohwheretobegin · 27/12/2023 17:57

Sorry- haven’t read this all the way through… but how certain are you that it’s not the Uterogestan making you feel like this? Because it gave me these exact side effects. Turns out I didn’t read the bit about taking on an empty stomach. I was really surprised about how much difference it made… if I ate anything at all in the 2 hours beforehand, I’d feel spinny, off my face and massively anxious.

Original poster
Quornislush · 27/12/2023 17:59

Twoshoesnewshoes · 27/12/2023 17:49

I also got the jaw thing on oestrogen, and have has it with an SSRI too. So weird!

There is another post on here where a user also had it so I’m definitely not alone.

I wonder if the awful stomach cramps and diahorrea is the HRT too - I hope not as I can cope with some things but this is not something I could even have left the house with today. I work full time in an office, it would be impossible

OP posts:
Original poster
Quornislush · 27/12/2023 18:01

Ohwheretobegin · 27/12/2023 17:57

Sorry- haven’t read this all the way through… but how certain are you that it’s not the Uterogestan making you feel like this? Because it gave me these exact side effects. Turns out I didn’t read the bit about taking on an empty stomach. I was really surprised about how much difference it made… if I ate anything at all in the 2 hours beforehand, I’d feel spinny, off my face and massively anxious.

I didn’t take the Utrogestan the first two weeks. Within 2 days of 1 pump of Oestrogen I was wired, shaky, tense and felt completely disoriented.
The two weeks of Utrogestan seemed to be ok, if anything I felt a little better whilst taking it.

OP posts:
SALWARP2023 · 27/12/2023 18:04

Are you anxious about taking HRT, do you feel positive about it? My DM suffered lots of side effects from almost every drug she took but was always anxious about taking prescribed medicines.

Original poster
Quornislush · 27/12/2023 18:20

I was a bit anxious to start it but hopeful that it would help. I don’t have any worries about health risks, I know it’s body identical and is safe.

Ive always been sensitive to things - most antibiotics upset my stomach, I can’t take any morphine or codiene type medication or I’ll be sick.

I only really ever take paracetamol and that’s few and far between.

OP posts:
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