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HRT not working?

8 replies

CeciliaMars · 26/10/2025 19:54

I recently felt like HRT was no longer working for me so went to the doctor and was prescribed an estrogen pump as well as my Mirena coil. I am so depressed and anxious. I hate my life, I hate my husband. I can’t sleep. I’ve even had some suicidal thoughts where I’ve thought it would be better not to be here. Is it safe to say I need to get my HRT changed again?

OP posts:
LuckyCharmz · 26/10/2025 21:02

How long have you have had the coil and been on Oestrogel?

JinglingSpringbells · 26/10/2025 21:08

The Mirena is only HRT if it's used with a type of estrogen.

Otherwise it's for heavy periods and contraception.

Were you using some other type of estrogen before the gel?

176509user · 26/10/2025 22:38

I was on oestrogel and progesterone for just over a year. Then it gradually stopped working. Brain fog, depression and rages returned. All worsened by insomnia.
I went back to the nurse who suggested a switch to oestrogen patches and have seen a huge improvement. I had thought it was down to progesterone intolerance but perhaps had stopped absorbing correct amount of oestrogen.
It’s such a balancing act !

How long have you been on your current regime ? I think the timeframe for noticeable improvement spans around 3 months.

Iizzyb · 26/10/2025 22:51

I had patches originally but I was allergic to the glue. The impact on my symptoms was literally life changing within a matter of days. I’m now on the gel & it’s nowhere near as good & gp has increased the dose this year. There are different patches altho someone at work said estradot is still hard to get hold of. There’s also a spray - definitely worth trying something else x

CeciliaMars · 27/10/2025 05:12

Thanks for your answers - I have only been using the gel for about a month. Not sure whether to wait longer when I feel so rough or to go back to the gp and ask to change again…
Before the gel I was on estrogen tablets, which seemed to work for about a year before my symptoms started to return.

OP posts:
JinglingSpringbells · 27/10/2025 07:23

You may need to increase the dose.
The average is 2 pumps but many women need more.
What dose are you on?

CeciliaMars · 27/10/2025 07:40

I was on 2 initially but am trying 3 now.

OP posts:
mysoulmio · 27/10/2025 07:41

Try estrogen patches.

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