Menopause symptoms worsening on Lenzetto and progesterone, should I increase dose?

[ALyons]

Good Morning Ladies!,
I am in need of help, after yet another sleepless night and horrible hot flushes.
My trusted and lovely GP is currently on holiday and although I have a call scheduled for next Monday I honestly don't think my body can wait that long.
Back in April she prescribed progesterone and 2 sprays of Lenzetto to take continuously. Since June I have gone post menopausal, and although HRT helped a great deal with lack of sleep and most of the symptoms I had experiencing up to that point, from July onwards things have increasingly started to get worse and worse. As I didn't want to panic, I thought I could wait for my review, but not being able to sleep and the heat are taking a toll again. Last night not even keeping an iced bottle next to me helped :(
I do not want to schedule an emergency call with another GP, so I was hoping someone could tell me if they increased Lenzetto by themselves and what the results were. I am thinking to do this until I get to speak to my doctor. She did prescribe some strong antihistamines to sleep in the past, which I only used for the first time the other night as I was desperate. They did work, and I am also wondering if I could take those every night with my usual dose of HRT.
I would be very grateful for any help and hints you may want to spare!

Have you tried adding in Magnesium Glycinate at night? I upped my Lenzetto from 2 to 3
in GP advice after aches came back a bit, didn’t really make much difference so I dropped
it again.

I really notice disturbed sleep if I drop the Magnesium though….

Make sure it has the Glycinate form - Nutrition Geeks do a good one x

www.nutritiongeeks.co/products/magnesium-glycinate-3-in-1?tw_source=google&tw_adid=815832612144&tw_campaign=24013078069&tw_kwdid=kwd-1283692267173&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=24013078069&gbraid=0AAAAACGsMp2KR4MIK9h-gI_3LsqyZ4KQm&gclid=Cj0KCQjw4orUBhCjARIsAIbF3qy_tEkgM3z3A740skuwlnl17RQ_rVUc1tCg4DhNyMNDTlfeKmTWoqsaArmEEALw_wcB

Hi yes I take it every night, but it's no longer working. I took 2 pills last night....:(

Hmm might be time to try a change from Lenzetto? Maybe a different format would help?

that said - you will need 2-3mths of change in dose to really gauge any differences I think? X

https://www.yourmenopausenurse.co.uk/our-blog/2789312_equivalent-doses-of-oestrogen-replacement-in-your-hrt

I would up my dose of estrogen while waiting for a GP appointment.
I don't think you're meant to take the antihistamine regularly because you quickly build up a tolerance to it.
Do you take the progesterone at bedtime?

Yes I take everything at bed time because I lost my sleep for five years and this helped me right away. Being back to how it was now it's truly unsettling 😔

I would schedule the urgent GP appointment. I added an extra spray in the absence of an available appointment and was heavily lectured later on. Might just be my doctor, but she was a lot less helpful afterwards.

Is the Lenzetto actually working to raise your oestrogen? Have they done any bloods to test your levels? Some people struggle to absorb through the skin.

I'd not take the antihistamine. They are very dehydrating and it an old type, sedating during the day too.

You could try changing where you spray the Lenzetto.

Is there a reason why you can' t increase the dose now without seeing your Gp?
What dose is on the patient leaflet?
3 pumps max?

Longer term you might want to swap to estrogen gel.

I've been on 4 sprays on lenzetto for years following blood tests. Can't comment on progesterone as have mirena. Personally I'd up it and see if it helps but I am not a Dr.

That's a good point.ill request some tests right away! 🙏

I’m so sorry your doctor behaved in such an unprofessional manner :(

Body -identical HRT is not a drug and giving yourself more estrogen is not going to harm you.. You listened to your body.

Believe yourself and your symptoms first - it’s not like we just magic up a GP appointment when we need one anyway!!

Personally I couldn’t get on with the spray as I was unsure of how well it was absorbing,and I like showers at random times of day so that was awkward; I went back to patches

But in the mean time I would definitely increase by one spray and see how you feel - if still unsure in a few weeks, could contemplate trying patch or gel instead x

Tests are very inaccurate- be warned. My consultant doesn't do them - I've queried it with them and they don't agree with GPs who do them.
The reason is that blood has to be monitored 24 hours as levels change all the time.

The fact it's not working is all you need to know.
That means an increase in the dose or a different form of estrogen- gel, patch ot tablets.

Fully agree for women who are pre-menopausal, as the ovaries production of oestrogen will muddy the water for the test results.

However for post-menopausal women, the base oestrogen levels should be very low, as the ovaries will have shut up shop. If the tests show levels are still very low despite the use of Lenzetto, then it's a a strong indication that the oestrogen isn't being well absorbed via that method and you can quickly try something else.

Beats spending years feeling rubbish while starting each new transdermal option/brand (gel, spray, patch, etc), experimenting with different dosages, and tracking the symptom impact over time.