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[Louise2]

Hi all,

I've just realised I am in the perimenopause (altho have had symptoms for 2 years). I'm trying to get my levels of oestrogen right + it's causing me a lot of pain!

I think I have just over-dosed on oestrogen - is this possible to do? And what shd I do about it?
I
I went from being on the logynon contraceptive pill which has 30mg oes to trinovum (my male doctor told me that there wasn't much dif between the Pill + Hrt - grr!) Trinovum has 35 micrograms of oes. I felt much better but it wasn't touching my exhaustion. Plus realised the big flaw at the end of the cycle when you stop tkg it for a week. My mood plummetted, all the symptoms came back (worse) +even a. week into the next cycle I still felt awful. Went back to my surgery + this time saw a woman doctor who prescribed Elleste 1mg. I took it for 6 days + have had dreadful symptoms. For 2 days I thought I was becoming psychotic - couldn't function, felt as if I'd just drunk 10 cups of double expresso, was depressed, crying, unable to have a normal social conversation, "locked in the nightmare of my head".

Elleste has the same progesterone as trinovum so that is not the problem. I'm now realising that there has been a huge jump in dosage levels + wondering if this has been the problem? And if so what do I do about it?

I haven't taken elleste for 2 days + can gradually feel myself 'coming down'. I'm feeling considerably better today but still not riight. I clearly do need some extra oes + am wondering whether it would be a good idea to take elleste every other day, halfing the dose + bringing it closer to what my body is used to?

Can anyone advise me? Plse don't tell me to talk to my gp - I really dont think they are equipped to deal with this level of detail. I'm booked into my local menopause clinic but that isn't till 9th Sept.

I wd really like some clinical advice from people who know. I'm feeling quite desperate.

THANK YOU

[CLKD]

   have a word with a Pharmacist.  Most have a quiet room for private conversations.  Or make an appt with the Practice Nurse who may be more clued up than your GP.

I think the body will dispose of the oestrogen naturally.  To help in the /4th/ week make sure that you graze 24 hours all month through.  That helps stave off anxiety surges and helps keep blood sugar levels even.  The idea is to spread out your 'usual' diet across the 24 hours so if you have a bathroom visit in the night, eat a biscuit before you go back to sleep.

[Joyce]

Just wanted to say 

I'm not much use to you as I'm on oestrogen only.  However, suffice to say when I was on higher levels of oestrogen to combat flushes my nerves were jangling. Not a pleasant experience. I'm now on a much lower dose. Odd flush, still get crashing fatigue from time to time, but I've decided I can put up with it.

[Hurdity]

Hi Louise

  from me too

I'm not clear from your post whether you are still taking the contraceptive pill as well as the Elleste, and I presume it was Elleste duet ie the cyclical one, so you hadn't started the combi pills yet?

It may well be that you would benefit from a low dose patch (or gel) to start with - depending on what else you are taking - but you would then need a separate progesterone. It seems it is quite tricky getting the dosage right when you are peri because of the fluctuations in your own hormone levels. Also different women react differently to the oestrogen in pill form - with some women getting much higher amounts in their system than others, from taking the same dose.

Oestrogen itself should not make you depressed - since at ovulation oestradiol levels are very high. It may be something about that preparation, combined either with the contraceptive pill or your own cycle that is not agreeing with you - and perhaps the daily spike in levels too. Patches deliver a more consistent dose. However it does take the body a while to acclimatise to higher oestrogen levels and in any case you would not experience consistently high levels in your natural cycle as they would cycle between high and low - but in your case you are being negatively affected by the drop in oestrogen anyway.

Hope this helps

Hurdity x

[Louise2]

Many thanks to you all for these responses - SO very much appreciated. It does all seem to be a minefield. I will do some more research into patches I think but perhaps not make any decisions till I've been to the menopause clinic and talked it thru.

I cracked and rang one of my GPs yesterday, who went back to my initial bloodtest (taken while I was still on the contraceptive pill). He said there was no evidence of being perimenopausal at all, and that he would expect to see some changes in levels, even given I had been on the pill when it was taken. (This is frustrating because the woman GP I saw exactly a week previously had told me such tests were "useless"). He has suggested I take nothing for a week and then have another blood test done, which seems to make sense (altho not looking forward to the misery of the symptoms that will run riot with nothing to control them).

Perhaps its the case that full-blown HRT is too much, but I certainly need something...

Thank you again, it's so fantastic to know that you are all out there and I am not dealing with this entirely alone. This really is a brilliant website.

Best,

Louise

[Joyce]

It's tough that you are suffering in the meantime.  Sounds typical of GPs, one says one thing another the opposite.  Not sure what to advise, but hopefully once you have been to meno clinic things will be sorted for you.  Let us know how you get on.