Higher dose HRT not agreeing with me and weight gain!

[AnonoymousMum123]

I am 42 years old, I had a hysterectomy including the removal of both ovaries in September last year. For 6 months before the operation I was on the Zoladex injection, putting me into medical
Menopause. I increased my Everol patch to the 100 dose about 5 months ago. I have only ever had the patch, I haven’t tried anything else. As soon as I started the Zoladex my weight started to increase, my appetite seems to be even more intense the last few months. I never feel full - even increasing protein etc. I am also extremely anxious, sad and teary at the moment. 😞 I am starting to think the higher dose does not agree with me? anyone experience similar? Should I go back to GP

I’m confused as to why you’re on zolodex and hrt? Isn’t zolodex designed to block oestrogen? I thought it was a breast cancer drug

Sorry I haven’t worded it v well. Zoladex for 6 months prior to hysterectomy, they stop the Zoladex injections 1 month before hysterectomy

Zoladex is also used to induce medical menopause, it’s to see how your body reacts to menopause before having a full hysterectomy and prepare your body for surgery.

Ah ok I see - it’s hard to tell. I find it can take 6 months or more to see changes - I went from hrt to no hrt and on tamoxifen and I feel like I go through phases that are good and phases that aren’t. I feel some menopausal side effects took a couple of years to show up. It stopped periods after about 18 months.

I’m on thyroxine and that’s been up and down like a yo-yo though too.

I remember that I felt a bit better as I titrated down the hrt. They’d been putting it up repeatedly and I was on 125. In retrospect I was retaining huge amounts of water and it really wasn’t helping. I think you’d have to try changes for a good 3-6 months.

I really feel for you.

You have really been through the mill.

I would try a different HRT.

I haven't had a hysterectomy but went through premature menopause at 41. Everol was the least effective transdermal HRT I was prescribed.

Different HRTs can make a massive difference to managing our symptoms.
Good luck.

Thankyou, I am definitely going back to the Gp. My gut feeling is the increase isn’t agreeing with me and it’s taken a good few months to show

I am over it all tbh, I had a hysterectomy due to PMDD so more hormonal changes are scaring me tbh. I felt quite settled a few months ago, i definitely think I need to decrease the dose.

I felt jittery and kind of wired with sore breasts when I swapped from 100mcg gel to 100 mcg patches because I was absorbing it better. Reducing the dose helped but I gradually increased it as I started getting perimeno symptoms again. I am back on 100mcg but that is the dose that suits me. I react to changes in dose pretty quickly within about a week, but I know some women take longer to see a change.

It is definitely worth reducing IMO; you can always increase again if you start getting perimeno symptoms.

You could ask to double check other things are all in check before dropping eg thyroid levels

tamoxifen is actually oestrogenic despite being prescribed for breast cancer and causes the symptoms you describe. It’s often better symptom wise for women post menopause - those of us who still have some oestrogen find it causes similar symptoms. So perhaps you are on a bit too much

To be honest you should be seeing a specialist. GPs are not, on the whole, trained enough in hrt to manage complex issues.

Presumably you had a specialist involved in the decision to have a hysterectomy? And they advised 100mcgs estrogen?

Aren't you able to see them again? If not, it would be worth your while finding a menopause specialist privately who can advise.

I was with a specialist and then once I had my hysterectomy I had one follow up and then that was it ! I have found most GPs to be useless, and the ones that arent are generally impossible to get appts with. My mum recently had a menopause related dr appt, it was an older male and he actually said to her 'next time book with a female GP, we dont really enough'.... blew my mind.

No idea of your finances @AnonoymousMum123 but if you can find a specialist to help, you should.

My experience is a bit different as I did have breast cancer so no hrt. I knew I would put on weight with zoladex so started weight loss injections. Was life changing.

Im sorry to hear that, xx I hope you are recovering well. Weight loss injections have helped so many of my friends !