New to hrt and it's awful

[VixVox]

Hoping someone may pop along to give advice. I started hrt a week ago ( 2 pumps oestrogel and one 100mg ultrageston for 25 days), and honestly, it's been awful. I'm still in peri but my most troubling symptoms have been occasional hot flushes/ night sweats and insomnia/ anxiety. I'm already on an antidepressant but was hopeful that hrt would ease the remaining symptoms. However, if anything it's caused these to escalate. The ultrageston makes me incredibly anxious and I'm waking after a few hours broken sleep flooded with anxiety and feeling wired with surges of adrenaline. The next day I feel utterly depressed and hopeless. I'm ready to give up entirely. Has this happened to anyone else and does it get better, or should I just give up now?

HRT can take weeks to a few months to work. Call your provider to discuss these continued symptoms. It may be that there is an interaction between the HRT and the antidepressant medication.

It doesn’t work straight away. You need to continue with it before you see improvement.

Dear vixvox
Don't give up on all of hrt after only trying one sort for a few weeks. There are so many options! They can be wonderful too. Do some research into the side effects. Maybe try the coil if you are getting these sorts of side effects. But your body is also changing naturally in perimenopause. So it could be that rather than side effects

The above posters are correct
However, if it’s that bad it might be worth swapping to alternatives. There are many, don’t give up hope. Your gp will find a regime that suits you. Good luck

I had the same and had to stop after a week. It made my breasts tender too.

I've been looking at the bottles on my shelf for over six months thinking I should try it again with a tiddly micro dose of it. But I'm too scared to go through that again.

I found the coil rather than progesterone tablets made the anxiety so much better. Is that something you would consider?

Don't give up! Go back to your prescriber as it can take a long time to get to the right dose.

I didn't expect an overnight miracle, but I also didn't expect to feel any worse! I'm wondering if it's the progesterone part that's doing this. Think I might try an experiment tonight and put on the gel, but lay off the tablet.

I did wonder about this, but fear of having something " stuck " in me made me discount it. Many years ago I trialled the pill and couldn't tolerate that either !

It's horrible isn't it, especially when all the stories you read about hrt being so beneficial doesn't have the same effect on you!

I cannot use HRT for medical reasons, but had to find a way to overcome crippling anxiety / panic attacks and hot flushes up to 10 per day. So, I am happy to share (if it helps) that I found huge success for both with the following:
propranolol (used ad hoc for my worst moments of anxiety and panic)
star flower oil capsules 1000mg daily
oil of evening primrose 1500mg daily
vit D over the counter
cut out alcohol completely, address diet a little, a 10 min walk a day and some hobbies such as art and I’m 98% cured of the anxiety and flushes - it look maybe 3 months of consistent efforts with the supplements and sitting with a fan by my chair and bed!

I had to check with my GP as the amounts of isoflavenoids are huge there, but she said it was ok - so please check first as they can clash or interfere with some meds and are not suitable for everyone.
It may not work for everyone, but I’ve shared in case it helps.

So you’re definitely hormone sensitive. You’ll need to persevere.
But progesterone is vital(unless you have no uterus) be careful with fiddling with your doses

It made me feel absolutely terrible too. I tried it in peri. I got horrible anxiety attacks from the oesteogel and the depths of black despair with the progesterone pill. Also gained a huge amount of weight in a matter of weeks. I gave up after 2 months. 2.5 years later I’m now in menopause and feel infinitely better without the hormones. But I know I’m relatively unusual in HRT not working. I might try again in the future if I start experiencing negative symptoms of menopause, but so far I’m ok.

Might be worth trying a different type if you’re committed to trying HRT? Or just going without and managing symptoms through lifestyle changes (diet and alcohol are the main ones for me that impact how I feel).

You need the tablet to protect your womb.
Most women find the Utrogestan makes them sleep better and feel a bit relaxed.
If you are sensitive to it it can be used vaginally but speak to your prescriber first.

I had the same misgivings about the Mirena, but, honestly, I was a fool. When I finally had to go on one, years later, to stop bleeding, I realised that I was just fine on it and forgot it was even there. I wasted about eight years...

I also take Starflower oil and am pretty sure it helps stabilise my mood…

Don’t do this! The progesterone is vital if you’re taking oestrogen - it stops the womb lining thickening for one.

I tried various kinds, but it didn't work for me. I had headaches and gastric reflux with all the different pills and patches. It ended up being better just to put up with the night sweats, which wore off after a few years. (I did end up taking topical oestrogen to deal with recurrent UTIs though.)

Thank you for going to the trouble of sharing all that. I have nothing to lose by trying herbal methods. Just very sad that hrt doesn't appear to be suiting me.

Oh definitely for me! If I ever run out I notice a dip in mood that cannot just be a placebo effect. I’ve been using the combination for years now.

Yes, I get that but thought one night might be ok?

It didn't suit me either and culminated in weight gain, massive increase in migraine with aura , palpitations , age spots and swelling of my legs .It did help with flushes ,sleep, and mood but the other reactions made it impossible to continue with .HRT is not for everyone.

Lots of women are discovering it’s actually the oestrogen they are already high in at the early peri stage and that makes you worse. I was in the floor until swapped to only progesterone used as pessaries and every day rather than the up and down of on/off.

Sorry that you experienced similar. I don't know if I have the mental strength to continue tbh.

Yes, it's quite the quandary working out which part of the hrt isn't helping. I presumed its the progesterone bit, but may be it's the oestrogen! I would imagine I'm on late peri ( months between periods)