Someone give me a shove!

[Userno1]

I’ve been having peri symptoms for a few years - significant hair loss, exhaustion, insomnia, terrible skin, brain fog and, causing the most problems, a lack of confidence and anxiety. This anxiety flares up out of nowhere to impact my hobbies and family life and makes me catastrophise everything. I finally bit the bullet and asked my GP for HRT. I got the prescription a month ago and haven’t been able to get over the worry about starting it. I don’t even know why - I feel completely ridiculous! None of this feels like me, it’s infuriating. How do I stop this madness?!

Go and apply the patch or the gel right now!

I guess by telling yourself you can always stop if you don’t like it. But do bear in mind that it can take a few adjustments to get you to where you need to be.

Don’t you like sleeping at night or something? 😂
What worries you? If you take it, your anxiety will go, you know that, right?
I am capable of physically wrestling someone if they took my HRT away, there is no way they’ll ever take that away from me.

Sounds tough - gentle push to start HRT or to

get a notepad and write down all the good and bad things aboutvHRT that you know. Include everything even disadvantages you already know are myths.

Might prompt you to work out which of the things on the bad list are actually bothering you and whether you want to do further research or just need to reassure yourself of risks and benefits, bearing in mind the level of your symptoms.

Im sure there will vr others with more wisdom on HRR on MN that might answer questions or suggest where to get answers

I was exactly the same.
Ultimately I realised I was getting worse and HRT couldn't make me feel any worse.

Ive just started a month ago. Im going to give it 3 months

First observation is that the estrogen weeks are making me very tired and heavy and a bit anxious. Not sure why. Felt much better on the progesterone weeks.

Gosh- this is me too!
I have an appointment next week. But I know that I will take ages deciding whether to take it or not .

Do it! Just jump in. It takes a while to settle so get the ball rolling.

You can always stop taking it if you don’t get on with it but it’s highly probably you’ll feel a thousand times better!

I started HRT three weeks ago, felt the same as you OP. Ultimately it got to the point where the burden of the symptoms seemed to tip the scales towards giving it a go.
I can't say I feel much benefit yet as am struggling with the progesterone part of the cycle, but I keep telling myself that in the longer term it is likely to be worth a bit of initial readjustment/ discomfort ❤️🙏🌻

This is my view, which is why Im giving it 3 months, then I'll review whether to change it, remove it or stay with it.

Consider yourself thoroughly shoved.

Give it a go - you feel dreadful now, and this could be exactly what you need. I tried two sorts and the second one worked best for me, but if you don't try, you will never know.

I'm understand you OP, I'm a few steps behind, as in haven't even made a GP appointment yet! But my symptoms are getting worse to the point that I'm going to force myself to go, for now I'll just dither about it a bit more!

Start it today!!

Honestly, it might kick in so quickly that you will be feeling significantly better by the weekend, I was when I started it.

<<gives OP a firm shove in the direction of her HRT>>

It doesn't last in your body for long, if you want to stop then you can and it is soon gone. You probably won't want to though.

You know you take the oestrogen on all weeks? It's just the progesterone you only take for 2 weeks( if in perimenopause)

Yes, its shorthand to save me saying...

I feel worse on the weeks when its only estrogen and felt great when it was estrogen and progesterone.

Aka, Im saying the progesterone addition seems to be good for me, rather than estrogen on its own

Thank you all, these are just the words of encouragement I need! Glad to hear others are desperate for change but reluctant too and many of you have made the very valid point that it’s temporary and can be stopped if it’s even more rubbish (but that would be tough to achieve). I think I’ve got to do it for the sake of my sanity, my family and my job!

I like the idea of noting pros and cons and actually noting more generally - so I can remind myself of where I was at the start so I know if things are changing (god knows I won’t remember if nothing changes!)

Grateful for the virtual shoves - am going to get gelled up!

I feel exactly the same. Oestrogen only weeks make me feel very jittery, on edge, low and tense whilst the progesterone weeks really seem to ' balance ' me, feel more energetic and have a Much brighter mood. Every one else seems to have an entirely different experience... It's very odd.

Im glad its not just me, Im very early into this, Im 6 weeks in so I know if I go to the GP, who was useless anyway, she'll just say to carry on and see how I settle. But I need to be able to function and this week is the estrogen only week again, as is next week and already Im flatter than the preceding two weeks of the combined.

Is there a reason why in peri, we cant take the combined all the way through?

I wish I knew the answer to this. It's early days for me too, after a previous two aborted attempts where a similar issue arose. I just don't think my body likes the estrogen. I've read that in perimenopause we have our own estrogen still spiking in the background, whilst we have very low natural progesterone to balance things out. This time round ( 2nd cycle of hrt) I have reduced my estrogel to one pump to see if that helps, but no joy as of yet. This last week of oestrogen only, my mood is on the floor and have no energy or motivation - just a depressingly flat, bleak mood.

When I was googling it, conversely it might be because the estrogen is not enough. Im on the lowest dose I think, Im on the evorel 50s.

Not sure what to do.

In my previous attempts at hrt I started on two pumps ( think that's equivalent to your 50 patch), but my anxiety was off the charts, leading to panic attacks. So it's definitely the estrogen for me. You could maybe try the experiment yourself by reducing the patch ( cut in half?), to see if that brings relief? Or, go the other way and request a higher dose with your gp? It's an absolute minefield.

Honestly the fucking tinkering thats needed, too stressful

Good idea actually about cutting that patch in half, I think I have read about this, I might try this as a first step tomorrow is change patch day so will start then.

Do not give it a second thought!!! It will be so helpful!! I promise.

Good luck with it! I think it's helpful to share negative/problematic experiences to balance the whole " hrt is wonderful! " statements. For some of us, it's really not that easy.