I'm allergic to EVERYTHING. Just a rant.

[thaneofglamour]

I'm so fed up and don't understand why HRT manufacturers can't make hypoallergenic products!

Was on Elleste - nasty side effects at higher strength and as I have highish BP not a great choice
Evorel Sequi - allergic to the adhesive. So tried..
Oestrogel - allergic to this, too.
FemSeven - unavailable everywhere but I can't see why it would be different.
Optimistic about Estradot as online sources said as they were so small allergies would be unnoticed, minimal or non existent - nope, worse. Unbearable raw skin .

My remaining options are shrinking.

I have had to change meds so many times it is actually really hard to know what doses I should be on and whether horrible bleeding and stomach problems are because of HRT, in spite of HRT, made worse by HRT - you get the picture.

If I come off it all together, night sweats and nightly nosebleeds will return.

I know they will suggest Mirena Coil next but I really really can't go there.

Anyone else experienced this, or just me? My lead GP does seem to think I am some kind of freak of nature. The pharmacist makes nice soothing noises and the HRT nurse sighs sympathetically.

Sounds awful Op, I can imagine you're a bit desperate by now. It often seems to me that most medications cure one thing and give you something else to worry about. Don't hate me but I got through the menopause without HRT and it wasn't too bad so your symptoms seem pretty extreme to me, especially the nose bleeds. Are you absolutely sure it's hormone related? Drs do tend to just do the "there, there dear" about women's problems but I'd want to be sure there's nothing else happening here Op. I hope you get some proper help

The nosebleeds definitely stop when I am on HRT and then start again when I am off it. Had all clear from ENT, thankfully.

I get very anaemic if the nosebleeds are allowed to take hold.

It's a dilemma for sure. I had a long gap last year and had such bad stomach pains and bleeding (not form the nose, ahem) that I couldn't go on holiday. However, I haven't been much better with most forms of HRT. Evorel were the best but the GP (rightly) won't prescribe me anything I am very allergic to.

She looked up the spray and said the active ingredients were basically the same as the gel so decided that was a no go.

I replied to your previous post about this.

Looking at it from another angle, have you investigated why you have such sensitive skin? It is a skin reaction yes? Rather than wheezing or anything more serious?

Is it worth pursuing that and maybe trying, through diet, to work on an anti-inflammatory diet/whole body approach, to reduce your reactions? There is plenty of advice online about what to eat etc and it's suggested for people with serious auto-immune diseases.

Gel is quite 'benign' and although it's alcohol based, it's very weak. You can also (according to Dr L Newson) apply it almost anywhere (including bum cheeks) and not just arms or thighs.

OR you could try taking an oral antihistamine tablet that might calm down any skin reaction.

I haven't really investigated the skin reactions deeply. I have always been allergic to sticking plasters but plenty are non allergenic fine for me.I don't think it's what I am eating in all honesty.

I take allergy tablets but they are one a day and not helping for long enough.

Honestly, the gel was the worst! Really intense itching and hives.

I have read that allergies do get worse in menopause so maybe that's it.

Has your doc tried you with Lenzetto?
It’s a spray oestrogen. I haven’t had it myself but seen good feedback from my menopause support group.
it took me 2 years to find the combo that suited me. So many made me bleed or feel anxious or ill.
wishing you luck as I couldn’t work or cope with life without HRT x

I was on estradot until I couldn't get it anywhere, so have been on evorel patches for ages. I have got used to them, but had welts initially from the adhesive. I much prefer estradot, so if it's available again, I may ask my GP to change my prescription.

I didn't mean you had a food allergy, I meant that your body may be in an inflammatory state (which is the same as you saying allergies etc can flare during menopause.)

Sorry for the NC fail!!

No longer the Queen of Disguise...

There's a thread on Menopause Matters form a woman with my same issues and Lenzetto was the worst of all of them for her...

Possibly. Recent blood tests suggest so but then I also recently had shingles. Loving life.

Yes, that's exactly it - full on welts.

I am on first day of Estradot, though, and would say it is hotter and more painful than Evorel.

If the nose bleeds are the main issue have you looked at the underlying cause? If due to low oestrogen drying out the mucus membranes a topical oestrogen cream applied to the nostrils could help.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/001857879903400907?journalCode=hpxa

Oh no! ☹️. Bugger.

To be honest, I did keep trying to mention to the ENT guy that my nosebleeds seem t be hormonal. He could not have been less interested.

I am reacting to everything at the moment, much more than usual. Don't know if it's very high levels of my usual irritants, plus all the new ones at the same time, but I'm taking 1x120 mg fexofenadine in the morning and a normal cetirizine in mid-afternoon as a top-up. It's just about keeping me going.

Aer you not a zombie on all that allergy stuff??

No, they're all non-drowsy. Plus, I have peri insomnia, too! Lol.

I take cetirizine . I've been doing two a day recently. My bad.

I think i’d push for referral to an allergy specialist tbh. They might be able to prescribe better anti histamine drugs?

https://balance-menopause.com/uploads/2021/09/Histamine-Intolerance-1.pdf

@thaneofglamour - there's a link between estrogen and histamine.
It might be worth following a low histamine diet to see if this reduces your reactions to HRT.

I would also look up the Menopause Matters forum as there are lots of discussions there about histamine intolerance.
Some people do much better on Utrogestan for progesterone because it's body identical - you might have tried this already?

Also Dr Tina Peers is known to be an expert in this field.
https://www.drtinapeers.com/histamine-intolerance

I've never got to the Utrogestan bit because the oestrogen bit (eg patches/ gel) have caused allergic reactions.

I seem fine with the progesterone in the patches (no difference from the ones without) but on the tablets it was beyond awful.

Thanks for the link. Read about this before and kind of of fits with reactions to wine but I don't really have any other big obvious allergies, except for these adhesives.

I can’t take ANY form of HRT. It all gives me thrush, even the creams. Then l can’t get rid of the thrush.

And yes my hundreds of allergies are much worse.

I found soy isoflavins helpful.

Nightmare.

@thaneofglamour I'm less than impressed with transdermals myself and have just started a thread about it reflecting some of the same. I feel your pain, bless you.

Depressing isn't it?

I read that leaflet before. The attempts to reduce my cholesterol through eating lots of fruit etc would need to be weighed against the fact that everything I have been told to eat is on the high histamine list!

Can I ask where on your body you're putting the patches?

On my stomach I had an almost chemical burn thing which took weeks to heal, but on my thighs they seem fine.