Combined pill for peri - any experiences?

[KettleHead87]

I tried HRT and was constantly wired so was taken off of it. So I was put on the combined pill (I also have the hormonal coil, had that about a year). It’s only been a month but I don’t feel any different, I feel like I need to do the full 3 months to see if it actually helps, has anyone else found this? I haven’t had any side effects but I have put on weight, and my body is…wobbly. I don’t know if it’s water retention? But it’s stressing me out as within weeks I no longer fit into my clothes but it says weight gain isn’t a side effect?

Anyone had any experience of this? The hormonal coil stopped my daily bleeding which was good, but all my other symptoms are still here. And made a million times worse int his heat, I feel like I’m going to spontaneously combust, the internal heat is wild!!

The pill has a much much higher risk of stroke

Well that’s severely triggered my anxiety. I was told statistically it’s only a slight elevated risk.

I don't know what you expect in response. It's true. Maybe get therapy for your anxiety.

Except it’s not true, it’s a slightly
elevated risk. Honestly, go be a dick to someone else.

Following this with interest - started HRT only a few weeks ago and like you, it has made me feel so wired and I really hate the feeling - already I’m tempted to just stop and was thinking maybe contraceptive pill instead?

Gah, sorry you’ve got the same. I was gutted, I had pinned all my hopes on HRT being my saviour, I was so disappointed when it wasn’t. Have been having issues for five years, driving me crazy.

Did the HRT you were on include Utrogeston?

Can you explain a little more about feeling wired? Jittery, insomnia, anxiety etc or something else? How much oestrogen have you been prescribed? It could be you've gone on too high a dose.

Sorry re read your post and edited to add - when you were initially put in hrt, what dose of oestrogen did they prescribe?

Same - So disappointed and feel like I now have to go back to the drawing board! And I just can’t handle the wired feelings - I would rather deal with the tiredness I was having..

Jittery and ‘on’. I have insomnia anyway but this made it worse, I wouldn’t fall asleep at all and normally I can fall asleep and then wake up, this I couldn’t nod off at all.

I don’t recall the dose, I think it was low. It was the inner thigh gel.

It is only a slightly elevated risk and only a concern if you have other additional risks.

It was suggested for me and I carefully checked it out with my neurologist because I have migraine.

I haven't tried it, and I'd be really interested to hear others experiences, but the pill which was suggested to me was Zoley - but that's because it contains a similar, close to bioidentical as possible hormones in, like HRT.

So you might have similar issues with it ?

I’m on Qlaira. It’s not a similar experience to HRT at all to be honest, it hasn’t done anything except make me ‘wobbly’ which I’m hoping is water weight and will bugger off, but I’ve no idea.

'I don’t recall the dose, I think it was low. It was the inner thigh gel.'

That's your oestrogen but were you prescribed progesterone as well? And in what form and what was the dose?

The hormones in HRT are bioidentical, so much safer than the combined pill, and much more effective for treating perimenopause symptoms

I wasn’t given progesterone because I have the hormonal coil which provides that. I don’t really know what to do, HRT made me feel awful so clearly it’s not right for me but this is doing nothing.

I’ve been on Cerazette for a year.

For me the plus is no periods and no other side effects either.

Ive had insomnia for 30 years, so 4am wake ups still an issue. My BMI is 21, non smoker and not much of a drinker. I can stay on this until I’m 55.

I’ve been suffering for years with what has been dismissed as peri symptoms but a blood test last week showed I’m low on Vit D, Vit B (despite injections), iron stores, and a few other things. I’m trying to see if diet changes will address some of this.

How long were you using the gel for? I was up and down and all over the place for about 8 weeks before I started feeling much more settled. Any news medication can take up to 12 weeks to feel the full effects

I can’t remember, not very long. I wonder if patches or pills might have been better.

My BMI was low but I’ve ballooned recently. As I say, it’s wobble, so I don’t know if it’s water retention. i also have low vitamin d and b13 which I’m on pills for. No follow up bloods since to check how they’re going, which I’m surprised about for the b12. But my oestrogen is low which is why we started down this road. But I don’t feel any better.

When I was in peri menopause my temper was awful. GP put me on cerazette to stop ovulation as she said that’s what triggers the hormonal changes. It helped immensely.

When I first started hrt I found the starting dose of 2 pumps of oestrogen were just far too high. I had to abort my first three attempts as I got exactly the same symptoms as you - massive spikes in anxiety, jittery, wired etc. I started it again three months ago but went in really low with just half a pump for four weeks and now I'm on 1 full pump. I wonder if this is what you should try? The progesterone part I found to be the calming pill, but you're not on this due to having the coil. However, you can still ask for utrogeston alongside the esyrogen; I don't believe there's anything to say you can't be on it too.

It does take time to settle, and different delivery methods suit different women. Definitely worth trying the patch or spray. They don't prescribe oral oestrogen as its much safer to use it transdermally

You were given 1 element of HRT, the oestrogen but you were missing a body identical progesterone (utrogeston). The coil provides the protection of the uterus required when you are on oestrogen, but its artificial progesterone (progestin)and localised so doesn't provide any of the systemic benefits that utrogeston does. Progesterone is what calms anxiety and addresses insomnia etc