Hrt lasting side effects? Or peri headrushes panic attacks

[Cbpoppy]

Hi ladies
I've been in a few threads looking for answers to how I'm feeling..
Been so up & down & still wandering what's going on..
So I started some hrt patches 2 months ago as I'd had some ongoing off balance feelings which started last year. I had been feeling somewhat better but the doctor & I discussed wether hrt might be the final missing piece..
I'm just 44 no peri symtoms as such although periods had been coming a bit earlier & lighter & bit more anxiety than usual..
Anyway started patches & only lasted 2 days..
So the day i put the sequential patch on I'd forgotten all about it until that afternoon sitting in the garden I had a strange like high, head surge. That night I felt so wired & couldn't sleep.
Next day same..
Had a bath & patch fell off & tbh I thought shall I not bother as didn't like the odd feelings & thought I'd plod on..
Spoke to GP she said try gel & pills instead & start on next period.
Anyway few days after patch felt fine.
Then out of the blue felt really tired & watching tv had a full brain surge like rush. Spent all night feeling awful, pins & needles, rushes, ears ringing etc so saw the nurse next day.
She said everything seemed good. Had a heart ECG, blood pressure etc.
Had bloods all normal too.
She said no way any lasting side effects from patches as only wore 48hrs which makes sense I guess..
These feelings lasted for 2 weeks, strange head rushes, not much sleep & filled me with anxiety.
My period then arrived & that day definitely felt worse. Next day started the hrt gel before bed..
Woke at 4.30am feeling very jittery & high just like the patch feeling but preserved the next day & applied again before bed.
Couple hours after woke from sleep and had what I now believe after advice on here to a full blown panic attack. The waves of head rushes, pins and needles and feeling awful/faint. Even called 111.
They wanted me at A&E but was scared and pushed through.
Went bk to doctors he had no idea & just said everything looked fine again.
Scared myself again so stopped the gel.
That evening slept well.
Next day head rushes started again, then 4am woke to an even bigger attack. Omg I really thought something bad was going to happen. So intense and scary. Waves or rushes so awful 😖
Doctors again, no explanation..
Head surges continuously again day & night on & off..
Ended up asking doctor for an mri as felt so bad in my head & at this time and didn't know these could be severe panic attacks..
Dr denied me off mri & mentioned a heart monitor which came to nothing. To be honest hadn't noticed much with heart as in palpitations etc..
Ended up going for a private mri & was then I noticed this all could be panic attacks as when came out had a severe attack again..
Results came back clear..
Also paid for a private phlebotomist as wanted a really full blood count which again was fine.
Every vitamin, thyroid, hormones etc..
Spoke again to doctor who said hormone tests mean nothing and to really give estrogen gel a proper shot when period arrives..
Ive been up and down since with good & bad days with this feeling since.
Period arrived yesterday and noticed feeling worse last night as you do a bit fuzzy headed, bellyache etc.
Put the gel on last night & again 4am jittery & high with just 1 pump.
Had a cuppa & nodded back off then woke up feeling head rushy, high jittery & panic..
I'm so at a loss, any advice please..
I know doctors will tell me to persevere with the gel & cant do anything else
I'm obviously very sensitive to this estrogen..
Just so at a loss
Sorry guys, huge post!!

are you taking progesterone? It could be progesterone intolerance.

I also get awful anxiety like this. Sending a virtual hug, it’s awful.

Hi @Notsomerryperries
I havent got that far as 2 nights the patch made me feel odd so.stopped that period. Then 2 days of estrogen gel last month tipped me over the edge and had what I think were severe panic attacks then tried again last night & feel awful today. Been getting head rush waves & feeling off all month though..
Not sure what is going on

I felt wired when I started estrogen patches, I think it's not uncommon, but not as bad as you describe. Felt a bit giddy and head rush, also just mentally wired. I started on a 50 patch. It wore off after a couple of weeks. I knew it was the patch as I also got really nauseous, it felt a lot like early pregnancy.

Could it be that you're panicking about the feeling and the feelings of panic are emphasising the wired feeling and muddling up the symptoms altogether?

You could always try a lower starting dose and gradually increase. Cut the patch into quarters or use tiny amounts of gel, stay with that amount for 2 weeks and then increase a tiny bit more ?

Or maybe don't start it when you have your period? There's a lot going on then anyway hormonally. You generally just start then because it's when your estrogen levels are low, but as far as I know there's no medical reason it has to be started then.

Aww thanks for the reply @101trees
These strange feelings have been going on 6 weeks now but definitely got worse on period & the gel..
I wish I hadn't put the gel on yesterday now as was 1st day of period just to see if I felt this bad today without the gel but now I dont know as used the gel last night..
I had found the feelings were slightly getting a bit better but now since period or gel or both combination is coming back.
I definitely think this has to be hormones because this period & feeling..
I guess Dr feels theyve ruled out bloods, vital checks, ecg & mri but I'm so confused xx

I got all of those symptoms in peri and I wasn't on HRT.

Definitely hormonal and cyclical.

Also tested to death for everything and all came back normal.

I'm now post-meno and still not on HRT, I still get the weird head rush feelings (and it still seems to be cyclical) but nowhere near as intensely. I'm assuming it's because my hormones are not spiking the way they do in peri.

How many pumps of estrogen gel did you apply?
When I swapped from patches to gel my prescription was for 2 pumps a day. But it made me feel wired so I now only do one a day. GP subsequently said thats fine.
So may be worth you dropping down? First few weeks on HRT can make you feel pretty weird but you do sound intolerant to the levels you have been prescribed.

@Twattergy only 1 pump!
I think I might have to do just half xx

Oh my word @15minutesaday
How did you live with it
I nearly ended up at A&E twice last month.
I thought it was going to end real bad..
I felt so awful for hours..
Head waves, tingles, ears ringing, on the verge of feeling faint the whole time
I had to go for a private brain mri as the 2 attacks so bad & head surges everyday in-between so awful..

If it helps, after my initial experience of just sticking on a 50mg patch and dealing with the side effects, when I needed to up my dose I did it in small increments. I cut up the patches and increased gradually. I didn't feel anywhere near as bad as when I just went for it with a full patch. Dragged it out for longer, but way less side effects.

You don't have to use HRT at all though. It's a very personal choice x

Histamine Intolerance

You can get Oestrogen surges in peri , everyone automatically thinks Oestrogen is low but you can get surges also.
Too much and HI can result

Any itching, rashes,feeling hot and SOB?

Avoid Histamine forming foods, alcohol and vit B 6 and vit C supplements can help

I would probably stop HRT for now

@Cbpoppy I didn't. It happened once at work and they called paramedics who ran the usual tests (of course, I felt fine by the time they came). They told me no markers for the stroke or blood clot (that I thought it was) but couldn't rule out angina so to get an appointment with my GP. GP did blood tests, I had my eyes and ears checked too. All "normal for my age". No hint of angina. A discussion about menopause symptoms, I declined HRT as (in my mind) if my hormones were spiking and dipping, I didn't need even higher spikes if I was to take additional hormones (also, I've never taken a hormonal contraceptive as I preferred to let my body do it's natural thing).

The only outcome of my health MOT was that my blood pressure was raised significantly so on BP meds now. I still get the weird head rush, tinnitus and electricity tingles so I know that has nothing to do with it.

I did find it reassuring that there's nothing actually wrong with me and that basically I'm above average fit and healthy for my age.

I will forever be bewildered as to why it happens and there's no rhyme or reason to when it happens but (fingers crossed) it really does seem to be getting less and less frequent and less and less intense as time goes on.

(sorry for the essay )

Oh love, that sounds absolutely awful, those head rushes and panic waves can be so frightening. It really does sound like your body’s reacting quite sensitively to the oestrogen, so taking a pause and easing in slowly makes sense. While you figure things out with your GP, you might want to look into non-hormonal options too, I’ve heard femininity’s smooth as silk+ supplement can help with comfort and mood without adding hormones. You’re definitely not alone in this.

I had this on and off for a year and went to a&e 3 times. Like you all tests were normal but I felt really dreadful and was off work for a few months.

i never found out if it was to do with the hrt which i had recently started, or a virus or something else like vertigo or severe anxiety/panic.

i persevered on a low dose of hrt but started feeling better after adding a low dose of citalopram which was horrendous to start with, but much better after 4-6 weeks, so much so I could get back to work.

Hi @Cbpoppywhat you’re describing is exactly what I went through - head surges, panic attacks (waking up to a P/A), feeling like a sense of horrific doom constantly & like going to faint pass out.
I couldn’t believe that HRT Evorel Patches & Utrogestan put a stop to it - in literal days. I went to A&E too thought I was losing my mind & did not realise it was hormonally driven & menopause in my case not peri.
Estrogen made me feel a it jittery & wired for first couple of days but I’m on continuous so don’t know how it wld’ve been like if I had to wait to start progesterone. Progesterone for me is calming & a real need to balance out the estrogen.
I don’t know whether you can try conti if you’re still having periods?
But I really think done form of hrt would help you as I was as desperate & distressed as you are. Maybe see a private meno specialist if you can afford to? I don’t think GP’s have enough specialised experience or knowledge. Good luck 🤞