Anxiety from HRT

[NewSpark]

Hi, I have just started HRT 6 days ago, I'm on Estradot 50mcg oestrogen patches and utrogestan 100mg, after 3 days my anxiety was horrendous through the night and in the morning, heart racing and fearful I was going to have panic attack. I had anxiety as part of peri symptoms but this is much worse. I've contacted my Dr who said it's most likely the oestrogen and to half the patch for couple weeks to see if helps symptoms until I get used to it. I wanted to ask if anyone else had this and if it did get easier ? I really want peri symptoms to ease but I can't handle this side effect of anxiety
for long!

50mcg is a medium dose.

It's often better to start on a 25mcg patch or if it's gel, 1 pump.

Some patches can't be cut in half as they leak. They can be reservoir or matrix patches.

Not sure what yours are but the patient info will tell you (leaflet in box or online.)

Otherwise ask your GP for a lower dose patch.

This happened to me - HRT gave me a glut of symptoms I didn’t have previously.
The anxiety was hideous.
I binned them and used natural therapies all the way through.

Yes, same for me too.

What did you use?

For help with symptoms I did have

Sorry meant, what natural therapies did you use? Thanks

Oestrogen really helped with my anxiety, the progesterone caused it to be worse! I'm about to try the Utrogestan vaginally on the hope it doesn't cause the same issue!

I think it's a case of trial and error to see what works for you. I am fine on the patches, had horrific anxiety on the gel. Whether it's that I don't absorb it well enough, or absorb it too well, or some other reason, I just don't get on with it. Maybe you're the other way and would get on better with gel than the patch.

It made me very depressed, on top of the perimenopausal anxiety. The consultant said to me that some women are intolerant of oestrogens eventually.

That happened to me taking utrogestan. I switched to the mirena coil and felt much better.

My anxiety has gone on HRT, as others have said you need to find the right balance for you. Estradot 50 can be cut so perhaps drop to half a patch as suggested and work up to 50. Don't just give up, when you find a solution that works it's life changing!

Thank you, I do not want to give up yet, Dr has said I can cut the Estradot so I'm trying that first and praying anxiety goes. I asked Dr if likely to be progesterone causing it and they think highly likely it's the oestrogen so have everything crossed 🤞🤞

Yes it's ok it will stop.

You are having a histamine reaction, there's a known panic reaction, you have the exact symptoms, take some antihistamines and read on low and high histamine foods while getting used to HRT.

You need to get 25 patches and start again tiny steps over 8+ weeks to build up, you can cut the 50s that brand is ok to cut.

I'm really sensitive to the patches and have stuck with 50s it lowers my anxiety and manages my symptoms without any negative side effects.

I would also chat to your GP about doing continuous progesterone, that helps one part settle.

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

This is a good place to start, but google has lots of information, and a low histamine diet may help to flush out as well, along side the HRT.

Ah right - sorry
I mis-read
I used several different things that all worked for about 3 months each.
I went back to a couple of them and they were still effective second time around.
Black Cohosh - very effective for hot flushes and sweats
Soy Isoflavones
Sage
Evening Primrose Oil
I got all mine from Healthspan
www.healthspan.co.uk/your-health/menopause/