How long does it take HRT to start working?

[higgle]

My GP prescribed me Kliofem on Monday, strted taking it yesterday ( Tuesday) my only menopausal problem is hot flushes and they are driving me mad - how long will it take for the effects of the HRT to kick in? desperate to see an improvement. Also does anyone have any good or bad experiences on this drug?

[Irishgreyeyes]

Hello Ladies. What a wonderful, hopeful thread. I have been trying to find help for my severe and extreme symptoms. I have all listed and then some, very strange and unpleasant sensations (prickly skin, feeling like I want to climb out of my skin. I've been trying different hrt therapies for two months. I got some help from the Climara Pro Patch. After three weeks on the only strength and no significant relief so my doc put me on double dose five days ago. My mood is better, it was suicidal before, and that is a Godsend. But I'm so hot and chilled all the time. Inside its like a motor whirring and my sleep is hopeless. I seem to be one constant hot flash and chill. Does anyone know how long before a dose adjustment will kick in? I notice my prickles and burning skin are a lot less. Thanks so much! Hugs!

[Fergusmum]

Hi ladies - how refreshing to read your comments - long story short version. Was on Prempak for 8 years - I am now 57. In Dec new gp decided I needed to come off - took me off and gave me Venlafaxine and imipramine to cope with the hot flushes - hot flushes and night sweats got really bad so decided to call him on monday to be told he had left the practice. He was there for 5 months. Regular gp also male took me off the 2 mentioned above and gave me Elleste Duet 2mg - however I am now having to cope with the withdrawel from the imipramine and the venlafaxine - explosions in my head - and of course the hrt has not kicked in yet. Last night had the worse night out - bad dreams when I did fall asleep - loads of night sweats - and tears. I am married to a saint but enough is enough - advice please - do I contact my gp or persevere. Moving house soon and just the thought of this makes me feel weepy. HELP

[Missbopeep]

Oh you poor thing. Would you say that the main issue here is coming off the ADs? Did your GP give you guidance on what to do? Have you been told to come off them very, very, slowly? Maybe go back and ask. The other option to think about alongside the HRT is maybe something like acupuncture which helps some women.

[Fergusmum]

Missbopeep - thank you for your encouraging words. well hurrah and hallelujah - phoned gp on wed pm as by this time was feeling suicidal. And yes he had not realised the AD's needed to be tapered off. Put me back onto one of them which I will reduce over time. Had an excellent night's sleep with only one mild hot flush. Just goes to show how potent these AD's are as just after 12 hours all symptoms had gone - and flushes are now very very minor so obviously new hrt is starting to work very quickly as discussed previously on this forum.

[Missbopeep]

Glad you are feeling better but at GP! Did he miss that lecture at college? :) Lots of people who are not drs know that you don't just come off ADs overnight but do it very gradually over weeks....

Hope you continue to feel better.

[Liv1973]

Hi, just wanted to let you ladies who are struggling on hrt I have stopped taking it and now take sage tablets and calcium. Hurray I feel human again! Yes I still have bad days but now I know that my feelings are not a result of the hrt . I think if you have had an early hysterectomy as a result of years of pain and depression hot flushes etc are a breeze so I'm going solo no hrt for me xx

[Wendywooh]

Blimey thought I was going mad, the itching drove me crazy especially at night,
Feeling hot constantly, "not sweats" just my body temperature going crazy,
Feeling angry, unapproachable , and damn miserable , loss of sex drive,
I'm hoping elleste duet will sort me out " reluctantly went to dr for hrt" ... On day one wish me luck.... Xx

[Irishgreyeyes]

Hello all. My doctor has decided to put me over to Premarin as the others do not seem to work very well. I have been on them 9 days and am nearly back to myself. Now I have to think about weaning off the patches. I tried to take half a patch off but I had night sweats and prickly skin again and was boiling in the daytime. I put the patch back on. I feel a bit like a failure and a bit afraid that I will need so much estrogen.

[moonbeam1211]

Hi, been on Climaval 2mg since my opp, 27th Dec 2012 but for the last month I have suffered bad nausea and now having headaches and gnawing feeling in stomach , can anyone help could it be the hrt if so could it be worth changing to the patches, please help Xxx

[brandyleigh35]

I have had a truly positive experience with HRT was well. I started on the lowest dose of Activella about 2 years ago. I was having horrible hot flashes and night sweats, upwards of 20 a day and was truly miserable. I had been going to a more holistic practice and trying a lot of bioidentical hormone cremes but nothing seem to work. I finally couldn't take it anymore and went to see another doctor who put me on Activella. Activella contains bioidentical estrogen (estradiol) and synthetic progesterone. Within 3 days my hot flashes and night sweats were gone! I was in heaven! I had no other side effects, and it was amazing. About a year and a half later, I started experiencing increased flashes again and some achiness in my knee joints. My doctor switched me to the higher dose of Activella and again everything got better and went away. It has now been over two years since I've had a period and I'm considered to be in full menopause. Just recently I noticed some mild flashes again and my knee joints starting to hurt again. I also for about the last year have been unable to drink any kind of alcohol without it causing my estrogen levels to plummet, continuous hot flashes, and about an 8 weeks recovery period. My doctor has kept me on the Activella and added 0.5mg of estrace to my hormones today. For the first time in months I awoke to NO knee pain! Throughout all of this I have not had any ill side effects, only correction of the issues I was dealing with. Activella has been a God send to me I'm so glad to have found relief from all these horrible menopause symptoms. Something else interesting to note....I just recently had blood work done. It showed my estrogen to be at good levels and my progesterone to be quite low. My doctor decided we were going to treat my symptoms since they were all indicative of low estrogen, instead of going by the numbers on the lab results. She added the estrace to my Activella and today (only one day later) I feel much better.....Sometimes the lab numbers don't match up for every person. What is considered "normal" or "good" levels may not be what your body considers to be optimal. Pay attention to your symptoms and work with your doctor to treat them. Lab numbers are just a baseline they are not set in stone!

[bella65]

Are you in the US brandy as that drug- Activella- doesn't show as being available in UK under that name?

[Bellaciao]

moonbeam It's a while since your post and you may be sorted now but definitely I would think about patches if you are having stomach problems on HRT pills that is not due to something else. Patches (or gel) are recommended in this case.

[LondonLady1]

Does anyone know how long you have to wait after an operation to start taking HRT? I am going out of my mind with flashes...day and night. Totally dripping, burning up then shivering. Just had an operation which means I have very limited mobility. Was told I couldn't start HRT before op because of Risk of DVT. Had 8 months on Dixarit (medically prescribed alternative) but it stopped working after 6 months. Just want to feel normal again.

[bella65]

I think this is only a question a dr could answer.
Have you got your supply of HRT or do you need to see your GP? It's unclear whether you have already been given your HRT or you are still on Dixarit.

The risk of clotting is most severe during the 1st year on HRT, and transdermal routes like patches or gel- Oestrogel- are not associated with blood clots- or only a very very low risk.

[LondonLady1]

Thanks Bella65. Have now just started on Tridestra ( 5 days ago) after getting ok from surgeon to go ahead. Fingers crossed they start working soon. I'm hopping around on one leg after surgery which is challenging enough without getting a major hot flush every 15 mins.

Anyone else have experience of Tridestra - it was difficult to find a chemist that had it.

[bella65]

To be really really frank, I wouldn't touch HRT in pill form. There is lots of research that shows unequivocally that there are fewer risks and side effects especially from DVT with topical and transdermal types of HRT. I suspect that some drs prescribe tablets on the basis of cost- but in your shoes I'd ask for patches or gel.

[LondonLady1]

Only 12 days in on the Tridestra and they are having some effect. Still have flushes but they are more toned down now. I hope they go completely. I have a 3 month course so will finish them and ask about patches.

[Lissa43]

I'm so glad I found this site, it's such a relief as I feel so loney with being told I'm going through the menopause I'm only 43 but been having symptons for about a year and a half in fact I thought I was going mad and I ask any of my friends if they have and symptons and only friends that are a lot older are and they are not as bad as mine. I never thought that I would go on hrt but I just suffering so much with hot flushes and no sleep my mum did have breast cancer so that worries me a bit but she was 58 when she menopause and she had been on hrt for for years. She will admit tho she wasn't suffering menopause symptons she went on it because her friends felt so good on it, so I guess really she should never of been given it in the first place. My doctor has given me ellste duet 1mg I've been taking it for about 15 days now I'm still having hot flushes but they are much fewer and I am sleeping better, I feel better to see some positive feedback on here so thank you everyone.

[shirlsstaff]

I am just taking my tablet and that will be a week that I have been taking elleste duet still no change as yet so fingers crossed off back to gp after s month if no change

[Gitto]

Hi just found this through a link very interesting, i have give in to HRT after 7 years of hell iam 51 so have been given Premique low dose 0.3mg/1.5mg Modified release tabelts one per day have been on one week but havent noticed any difference yet. Does anyone take this at this dose, looking at some of the messages probably need to give it a few more weeks. Any advice gratefull.

[Missbopeep]

It's a very low dose but to be honest I wouldn't touch any preparation made with conjugated equine oestrogens . They have the highest risk factors and there are plenty of other bio identical types of HRT available on the NHS. Can you go back to your dr and ask?

[Menopausesucks1]

Hi great feedback ladies. I'm 57 and have been going through hot flashes and night sweats for over 2 yrs. now. We call them hot flashes here in Canada lol. Yesterday I took the plunge. I'm on Climara 25mcg patch and Provera 5mg oral. Lowest dose possible. That's what I wanted. Of course I expect it to work NOW!! But reading the comments it will take time. I'm thinking ill need a higher dose. Is anybody else on this combo? Doc wanted me on the patch with both hormones in it, but I wanted a low dose. I'd rather up the dose than overdose.
Thank you ladies.
Love from Canada.
Xoxoxoxo

[Kazhadenoughmeno5]

Can anyone help? Been put on Prozac for hot flushes and night sweats as bad. But made me sick and loose weight! Would like to go on HRT? Stopped Prozac but sweats coming back. Is HRT safe? My nurse doesn't agree with HRT. Help

[missbopeep]

Your nurse is an idiot frankly. For a start, it's your body and your choice. It's disgusting that women are being put on ADs for menopause symptoms with drugs that have side effects as well!
Change your dr if need be, and read this website //www.menopausematters.co.uk for the pros and cons of all kinds of treatments.

[Kazhadenoughmeno5]

Thanks missbopeep. New to this site and great to get such speedy feedback. Will check the site and let you know.